Redirect examination of Tom Lange (part 1)

📄 Redirect examination of Tom Lange (part 1) — Thursday, March 9, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAR\9\REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-TOM-LA.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 34 of 167

◀ Cross-examination of Tom Lange (part 2) Sidebar: speculation objection ▶

Witness: Det. Tom Lange
Examiner: Marcia Clark
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Thursday, March 9, 1995 • Utterances: 27

Marcia Clark conducts brief redirect of Detective Lange focused on the inherent imprecision of time-of-death estimation. Lange testifies that without an eyewitness, time of death can never be narrowed below two to three hours, and gives the prosecution's official range as 9:00 PM to midnight on June 12, 1994. Clark's attempt to suggest the estimate could have been narrowed with an earlier coroner call is shut down as speculation.

# 1 THE COURT:

MISS CLARK.

FURTHER REDIRECT EXAMINATION

# 2

BY MS. CLARK:

# 3 Q:

DETECTIVE LANGE, YOU INDICATED ON PAGE 29 OF THIS PUBLICATION, IT SAYS: "IT IS USUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ANYONE TO ESTABLISH ACCURATELY THE HOUR AND MINUTE WHEN LIFE CEASED."

# 4 A:

YES.

# 5 Q:

YOU INDICATED YOU AGREED WITH THAT?

# 6 A:

CERTAINLY.

# 7 Q:

AND BASED UPON YOUR READING OF THESE PUBLICATIONS AND YOUR EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING, WHAT IS THE NARROWEST TIME FRAME THAT HAS EVER BEEN ASSIGNED BY A CORONER TO TIME OF DEATH?

# 8 MR. COCHRAN:

OBJECT. JUST A MOMENT. EVER BEEN ASSIGNED BY A CORONER? OBJECTION, VAGUE.

# 9 THE COURT:

SUSTAINED.

# 10 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.)

# 11 Q:

BY MS. CLARK: IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, SIR, WHAT IS THE NARROWEST YOU HAVE EVER BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE TIME OF DEATH, THE NARROWEST TIME FRAME?

# 12 A:

WITHOUT AN EYEWITNESS, NEVER BELOW TWO TO THREE HOURS.

KEY QUOTE

# 13 Q:

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE TIME OF DEATH TO WITHIN ONE HOUR?

# 14 A:

I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THAT.

KEY QUOTE

# 15 Q:

AND IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE WHAT WAS YOUR ESTIMATION OF THE RANGE OF TIME OF DEATH FOR MISS NICOLE BROWN AND RON GOLDMAN.

# 16 MR. COCHRAN:

OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR. OBJECTION. OBJECTION AND --

# 17 THE COURT:

AND ONE OF THE TWELVE?

# 18 MR. COCHRAN:

ONE OF THE TWELVE WILL BE FORTHCOMING. THE OBJECTION IS THIS IS IMPROPER RE, RE, REDIRECT AND ALSO OUTSIDE THE EXAMINATION.

# 19 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. BEYOND THE SCOPE.

# 20 MR. COCHRAN:

BEYOND THE SCOPE.

# 21 THE COURT:

BEYOND THE SCOPE. OVERRULED.

# 22 DET. TOM LANGE:

SOMETIME BETWEEN 9:00 P.M. AND MIDNIGHT ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 12, 1994.

KEY QUOTE

# 23 Q:

BY MS. CLARK: COULD YOU HAVE MADE THAT ESTIMATE ANY NARROWER HAD YOU CALLED THE CORONER IN AT 4:30 INSTEAD OF EIGHT O'CLOCK?

# 24 MR. COCHRAN:

OBJECTION, SPECULATION.

# 25 THE COURT:

SUSTAINED.

# 26 MS. CLARK:

CAN WE APPROACH?

# 27 THE COURT:

YES.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Lange

WITHOUT AN EYEWITNESS, NEVER BELOW TWO TO THREE HOURS.

Establishes the scientific floor for TOD precision, undercutting any defense argument that the timeline could be pinned more tightly.

Lange

SOMETIME BETWEEN 9:00 P.M. AND MIDNIGHT ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 12, 1994.

The prosecution's official time-of-death window for Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, spoken on the record over a scope objection that was overruled.

Lange

I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THAT.

Flat denial that one-hour TOD precision is achievable — closes off a potential defense argument about alibi windows.

Evidence (1)

Informal

Forensic publication quoted at page 29 stating it is 'usually impossible' to establish the exact hour and minute of death

quoted and discussed

Notable Exchanges (2)

Cochran•Ito

During Cochran's objection to the TOD estimate question, Ito interjects 'AND ONE OF THE TWELVE?' — suggesting a juror may have been about to speak or signal. Cochran's objection is overruled despite the 'beyond scope' argument.

procedural with a curious interruption

Clark•Ito

Clark's final question — whether an earlier coroner call at 4:30 instead of 8:00 could have narrowed the TOD estimate — is sustained as speculation, prompting Clark to request a sidebar.

strategic

Objections

3 objections (2 sustained, 1 overruled)

Proceeding 5224 • 27 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103