📄 Sidebar: exhibit admissibility — Monday, May 22, 1995
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAY\22\SIDEBAR-EXHIBIT-ADMISSIBILITY.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 79 of 167

Sidebar: exhibit admissibility

Date: Monday, May 22, 1995 • Utterances: 37
Defense attorney Barry Scheck sought to introduce a chart listing all possible DQ-Alpha genotype combinations from stain 305 combined with Simpson's genotype, but the prosecution objected that the witness (Sims) disagreed with the chart's completeness. Judge Ito directed Scheck to lay foundation with the witness first. The sidebar also briefly addressed Cochran's attempt to rephrase a chain-of-custody question about the Bronco (avoiding the legally incorrect term 'burglary'), and concluded with scheduling: a half-day on the 26th and resuming Tuesday the 30th with no full day off.
1 (The following proceedings were held at the bench:)
2 THE COURT:

What is up?

3 MR. SCHECK:

I gave Mr. Harmon, before the break, a proposed chart that lists the combinations of genotypes that can occur between two people when you combine it with Mr. Simpson's genotype on the DQ-Alpha system in stain 305. In other words, it is literally just a list of all the possible genotypes. And I wanted to use that with the witness, and I gave it to Mr. Harmon. The witness has looked at it. He has even made some notes on this particular copy. And I thought while the jury was looking at the photograph, if Mr. Harmon has any objections to it, we could get those out of the way.

4 MR. HARMON:

I think Mr. Sims disagrees that that, based on--this is where we get into the whole mixture business. He disagrees, based on his results from 305, that the list is as full as that list is. And since he is the only one in the chair, that is the objection. It is misleading.

5 (Discussion held off the record between the Deputy District Attorneys.)
6 MR. SCHECK:

Well, the--the--this is a very simple set of alternatives. That is to say that calls were made on the presence of Mr. Simpson's genotype, the 1.1, 1.2. And on their board they list, you know, the genotypes present that are consistent with various individuals, and all that this list does is take the alternative combinations that one can have if you started with a 1.1, 1.2 and assume that this is there and then look at all the other different possible combinations. This is exactly what we did with Dr. Cotton before, so I just wanted to, since it is a longer list than the one we used before and it would save time to have all of them printed out, I just did that. I mean, I don't think it is in any way exceptional, that just as a shear mathematical calculation, those are all the possibilities.

7 MR. HARMON:

The only problem, he is not a shear mathematician; he's a forensic scientist. Relative intensities of doing strip dots and D1S80 bands and he interprets these things.

KEY QUOTE
8 MR. COCHRAN:

Juror no. 11 has it now.

9 THE COURT:

All right.

10 MR. HARMON:

And so it is not--if they want to call the witness, that is inaccurate based on Mr. Sims' review of the actual data, not just blindly him setting up all the possibilities, because that is not what these forensic scientists have done.

11 THE COURT:

Well, at this point, Mr. Scheck, why don't you see if you can lay a foundation for Mr. Sims' ability to tell us what the possible combinations are.

12 MR. SCHECK:

Okay.

13 MR. COCHRAN:

Judge--

14 THE COURT:

The other problem I have with this is that you need to state what the beginning combination is before--

15 MR. COCHRAN:

Can I say something on an unrelated matter, on a different matter?

16 THE COURT:

Yes.

17 MR. COCHRAN:

With regard to the Bronco--to the Bronco--to the Bronco and the chain of custody of the Bronco, subject to--can he make an offer of proof what he expects the evidence to show with Meraz and others and people getting in and out so that we can ask those questions subject to linking up?

18 THE COURT:

No. He got his chain of custody question in and out, but he was making a--his question was assuming certain legal implications that weren't there.

19 MR. SCHECK:

You mean that was a bad word?

20 THE COURT:

It is not a burglary under California law.

KEY QUOTE
21 MR. COCHRAN:

Trespass would be a better word.

22 THE COURT:

No. We have a very specific statutory definition of auto burg.

23 MR. COCHRAN:

Two of us aren't talking. So can he then rephrase that and put it in a different context other than--

24 THE COURT:

I think we have already gone through that, Mr. Cochran.

25 MR. COCHRAN:

I thought you did allow the question with regard to--you struck the thing--you sustained the objection regarding burglary. You allowed the question regarding chain of custody, but I thought he might be able to use--instead of using the word "Burglary," there seems to be one more question that might be appropriate.

26 THE COURT:

We have spent enough time on that.

KEY QUOTE
27 MS. CLARK:

While we are up there and waiting for the jury to do their thing, Mr. Cochran and I wanted to address the Court on the matter of this weekend, the timing, what day, if any, was going to be taken off. Tuesday?

28 MR. COCHRAN:

Can we see you right at the beginning of lunch?

29 THE COURT:

No, no, I don't have time. Well, given the jury's desire to work on a full day Saturday, we are just going to--

30 MR. COCHRAN:

Half day Saturday.

31 THE COURT:

We are going to break at noon on the 26th and reconvene at nine o'clock on the 30th.

32 MS. CLARK:

Which is Tuesday?

33 MR. COCHRAN:

Tuesday.

34 MS. CLARK:

Which means no day off?

KEY QUOTE
35 THE COURT:

Can't do it. Can't do it.

36 MR. COCHRAN:

Off the record.

37 (Discussion held off the record.)

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (4)

Rockne Harmon
The only problem, he is not a shear mathematician; he's a forensic scientist. Relative intensities of doing strip dots and D1S80 bands and he interprets these things.
Harmon draws the core distinction between a purely mathematical list of possibilities and what a forensic scientist actually concludes from physical evidence — the crux of his objection.
Lance A. Ito
It is not a burglary under California law.
Ito shuts down Cochran's attempt to use loaded terminology around the Bronco chain of custody, signaling strict control over legal characterizations.
Lance A. Ito
We have spent enough time on that.
Reflects Ito's characteristically curt management of the courtroom — a sharp contrast to Ito's more permissive style in the criminal trial.
Marcia Clark
Which means no day off?
Captures the grinding pace of the trial — even the attorneys were angling for a break.

Evidence (3)

Informal
Defense chart listing all possible DQ-Alpha genotype combinations from stain 305 combined with Simpson's 1.1, 1.2 genotype
Discussed, admissibility contested — Ito directed foundation to be laid before use
Informal
Stain 305 — DNA evidence analyzed for DQ-Alpha markers
Referenced in dispute over genotype combination chart
Informal
Simpson's Bronco — chain of custody
Cochran sought to re-raise chain-of-custody questioning; Ito declined to reopen

Notable Exchanges (3)

Barry ScheckRockne Harmon
Scheck argued his genotype chart was purely mathematical and consistent with prior Dr. Cotton examination; Harmon countered that forensic interpretation by Sims — not raw math — governs what possibilities are valid.
strategic
Johnnie CochranLance A. Ito
Cochran tried to carve out one more Bronco chain-of-custody question by substituting 'trespass' or neutral language for 'burglary'; Ito flatly refused, saying enough time had been spent.
tense
Marcia ClarkJohnnie CochranLance A. Ito
Both sides jointly raised weekend scheduling; Ito confirmed half-day Saturday the 26th and resuming Tuesday the 30th — no full day off granted.
routine

Light Moments (1)

Barry Scheck
Scheck quips 'You mean that was a bad word?' after Ito says the term 'burglary' carries incorrect legal implications.

Objections

2 objections (1 sustained, 0 overruled)
Proceeding 6138 • 37 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 MAY 22, 1995 📄 Sidebar: exhibit admissibility
MAY 22, 1995 KRT DvH TD