Detective Tom Lange is redirected by Marcia Clark on the question of whether the Goldman-Brown murders were drug-related. Lange methodically rules out a drug motive based on the absence of firearms, narcotics evidence, ransacking, and the public nature of the crime scene. The examination ends abruptly when Clark asks Lange to state his theory of the case, which Judge Ito sustains as a question for the jury.
# 1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT:) # 2 THE COURT: ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, COUNSEL. OBJECTION WITHDRAWN?
# 3 MR. COCHRAN: I'M SORRY, YOUR HONOR?
# 4 THE COURT: OBJECTION WITHDRAWN?
# 5 MR. COCHRAN: WITHDRAWN, YOUR HONOR. THANK YOU.
# 6 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.) # 7 THE COURT: MISS CLARK.
# 8 MS. CLARK: YES. MAY I HAVE ONE MOMENT, YOUR HONOR?
# 9 THE COURT: CERTAINLY.
# 10 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.) # 11 Q: BY MS. CLARK: OKAY. BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE, SIR, AND TRAINING, IN YOUR OPINION WAS THIS -- WAS THE MURDER OF RON GOLDMAN AND NICOLE BROWN A DRUG-RELATED MURDER?
# 13 MR. COCHRAN: OBJECT TO THE FORM OF THAT QUESTION, YOUR HONOR, WITHOUT FURTHER FOUNDATION.
# 14 MS. CLARK: WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE FORM OF THAT QUESTION?
# 15 MR. COCHRAN: APPROACH.
# 16 THE COURT: YEAH, WITHOUT THE REPORTER.
# 17 (A CONFERENCE WAS HELD AT THE BENCH, NOT REPORTED.) # 18 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT:) # 19 THE COURT: ALL RIGHT. THE OBJECTION IS WITHDRAWN?
# 20 MR. COCHRAN: WITHDRAWN, YES, YOUR HONOR.
# 21 THE COURT: ALL RIGHT. MISS CLARK.
# 22 Q: BY MS. CLARK: BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING, SIR, IN YOUR OPINION WERE THE MURDERS OF RON GOLDMAN AND NICOLE BROWN DRUG-RELATED MURDERS?
# 23 A: I DO NOT BELIEVE THEY WERE.
# 24 Q: PLEASE TELL US WHY.
# 25 A: IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF DRUG-RELATED MURDERS ARE CARRIED OUT WITH A HANDGUN OR A FIREARM OF SOME TYPE. IT HAS ALSO BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT USUALLY THERE WILL BE EVIDENCE OF NARCOTICS USAGE OR SALES AT THE LOCATION, SUCH AS SCALES OR DEBRIS FROM NARCOTICS, SOMETHING TO INDICATE THE SALES OR USE OF NARCOTICS. IT HAS ALSO BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT WHEN A RESIDENCE --
KEY QUOTE # 26 Q: HOLD ON, SIR. DID YOU FIND ANY EVIDENCE OF DRUG USAGE OR SALE AT 875 SOUTH BUNDY?
# 28 Q: GO AHEAD. I'M SORRY.
# 29 A: IT HAS ALSO BEEN MY EXPERIENCE IN THE MURDERS THAT I HAVE HANDLED, THAT THE LOCATION, IF OPENED, WOULD GENERALLY BE RANSACKED BECAUSE THE VICTIMS ARE MANY TIMES KNOWN TO THE SUSPECTS AND THE SUSPECTS WILL RANSACK LOOKING FOR INFORMATION THAT MIGHT IMPLICATE THEMSELVES, SUCH AS THEIR NAME, THEIR PHONE NUMBERS, TELEPHONE BOOKS, THINGS OF THIS NATURE. AND ALSO MANY NARCOTICS MURDERS -- MURDERERS WILL TAKE MONEY, DRUGS, WEAPONS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS AVAILABLE. IT HAS ALSO BEEN MY EXPERIENCE IN DRUG-RELATED MURDERS THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY NOT COMMITTED IN AN AREA WHERE IT WOULD BE OBSERVED BY THE PUBLIC; IT WOULD BE IN A SECLUDED AREA, IN A CLOSED AREA, AND THE SUSPECTS ARE GENERALLY GOING TO PICK THE TIME AND LOCATION ON THEIR OWN. IT IS NOT GOING TO BE IN AN OPEN AREA LIKE THIS.
# 30 Q: AND SO YOU FOUND NONE OF THOSE INDICATORS IN THIS CASE?
# 32 Q: LET ME ASK YOU --
# 33 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.) # 34 Q: BY MS. CLARK: WERE THE -- WERE THE -- WAS THE BLOOD OF RON GOLDMAN AND NICOLE BROWN TESTED FOR TOXICOLOGY TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS -- THERE WERE DRUGS PRESENT IN THEIR BLOOD?
# 36 Q: AND ARE YOU AWARE OF THE RESULTS OF THAT TESTING?
# 37 MR. COCHRAN: HEARSAY, YOUR HONOR.
# 38 THE COURT: ARE YOU AWARE OF THE RESULTS? YES OR NO?
# 39 DET. TOM LANGE: YES.
# 40 THE COURT: NEXT QUESTION.
# 41 Q: BY MS. CLARK: DID THOSE RESULTS CAUSE YOU TO CONCLUDE THAT THERE WERE DRUGS INVOLVED IN THIS CASE?
# 42 MR. COCHRAN: I OBJECT AS HEARSAY, YOUR HONOR.
# 43 THE COURT: THAT IS HEARSAY. IT IS ASSUMING A RESULT.
# 45 THE COURT: WE ARE ASSUMING FACTS NOT IN EVIDENCE.
# 47 Q: WHEN YOU LEARNED OF THE RESULTS, SIR, OF THE TOXICOLOGY, WHAT, IF ANYTHING, DID YOU DO TO PURSUE THE LINE OF INQUIRY AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THESE WERE DRUG-RELATED MURDERS?
# 48 MR. COCHRAN: ASSUMING A FACT NOT IN EVIDENCE, THAT HE PURSUED IT AT ALL.
# 49 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 50 DET. TOM LANGE: NOTHING.
# 51 Q: BY MS. CLARK: NOW, WHEN YOU -- IN GENERAL, SIR, WHEN YOU INVESTIGATE ANY HOMICIDE, DO YOU CONSIDER -- DID YOU CONSIDER ALL POSSIBILITIES IN TERMS OF THE MOTIVATION OR WHY THE MURDERS OCCURRED?
# 52 MR. COCHRAN: OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR, LEADING AND SUGGESTIVE.
# 53 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 54 DET. TOM LANGE: CERTAINLY.
# 55 Q: BY MS. CLARK: DID YOU DO SO IN THIS CASE?
# 57 Q: AND WHEN YOU DO THAT, AND YOU DID SO IN THIS CASE, WHAT CAUSES YOU TO FOCUS IN ANY ONE DIRECTION?
# 58 A: GENERALLY EVIDENCE OR CERTAIN FACTORS THAT MAY ARISE THAT POINT IN ONE DIRECTION OR ANOTHER.
# 59 Q: OKAY. AND DID YOU FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE TO LEAD YOU TO A PARTICULAR THEORY IN THIS CASE?
# 61 Q: AND WHAT IS YOUR THEORY OF THIS CASE?
# 62 A: THE THEORY OF THIS CASE --
# 63 MR. COCHRAN: JUST A MOMENT, YOUR HONOR. OBJECT TO THE FORM OF THIS QUESTION.
# 64 THE COURT: SUSTAINED.
# 65 MR. COCHRAN: FOR THE JURY TO DETERMINE, YOUR HONOR.
KEY QUOTE # 66 THE COURT: SUSTAINED.
# 67 MS. CLARK: I THOUGHT THAT IS WHAT HE ASKED ABOUT ON CROSS-EXAMINATION, YOUR HONOR.
# 68 THE COURT: APPROACH WITH THE REPORTER, PLEASE.