Cross-examination of Bernie Douroux (part 1)

📄 Cross-examination of Bernie Douroux (part 1) — Monday, May 8, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAY\8\CROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-BERNIE-DO.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 69 of 167

◀ Direct examination of Bernie Douroux Sidebar (1) ▶

Witness: Bernie Douroux
Examiner: Johnnie Cochran
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Monday, May 8, 1995 • Utterances: 286

Johnnie Cochran cross-examined Bernie Douroux, the tow truck driver who transported OJ Simpson's Bronco from Rockingham to the LAPD print shed on June 13, 1994. Cochran methodically established that Douroux never carefully inspected the vehicle's exterior, left the Bronco unattended outside Parker Center for roughly three minutes while media was nearby, and that the inventory form had been pre-filled by LAPD before Douroux ever touched it. The examination subtly raised chain-of-custody questions without the witness directly conceding anything damaging.

# 1 THE COURT:

Mr. Cochran.

CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MR. COCHRAN

# 2 MR. COCHRAN:

Good morning, Mr. Douroux.

# 3 MR. DOUROUX:

Good morning.

# 4 MR. COCHRAN:

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

THE JURY: Good morning.

# 5 MR. COCHRAN:

Mr. Douroux, you and I just met about five minutes ago in the hall for the first time; is that correct, sir?

# 6 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir, it is.

# 7 MR. COCHRAN:

And with regard to your towing of this vehicle, as I understand it, this took place on or about June 13th of 1994 in the afternoon; is that correct?

# 8 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 9 MR. COCHRAN:

And can you tell the jury, ladies and gentlemen of the jury what time you received a call in response to this, sir?

# 10 MR. DOUROUX:

We received a call from the mike room, LAPD's mike room at approximately 3:06.

# 11 MR. COCHRAN:

And then you responded to that call and arrived at the location on Rockingham?

# 12 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir. Around 3:31.

# 13 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Around 3:31 in the afternoon?

# 14 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 15 MR. COCHRAN:

And when you got to that location, was the media present at that time, sir?

# 16 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, they were.

# 17 MR. COCHRAN:

And did you see a lot of media there?

# 18 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, there was.

# 19 MR. COCHRAN:

While you were there at Rockingham, did you ever see a lady walk up or run up and touch this particular vehicle while you were there?

# 20 MR. DOUROUX:

I--not myself, no.

# 21 MR. COCHRAN:

You never saw that personally?

# 22 MR. DOUROUX:

No.

# 23 MR. COCHRAN:

Did you become aware of that at some point?

# 24 MR. DOUROUX:

I was told that when I was doing the interviews with the Defense and with LAPD, they had mentioned it to me.

# 25 MR. COCHRAN:

So you learned about it afterwards; is that correct?

# 26 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes.

# 27 MR. COCHRAN:

With regards to this particular vehicle, prior to the time that you started preparing it for towing, did you have occasion to look at that vehicle, exterior of the vehicle at all?

# 28 MR. DOUROUX:

No, I didn't. Just after I hooked it up just to make sure it was nothing--there wasn't full-time four-wheel drive.

# 29 MR. COCHRAN:

You described for us that you touched I guess the front wheel part of the vehicle; is that correct?

# 30 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir. The front right tire.

# 31 MR. COCHRAN:

Did you have occasion to look at any of the doors of that vehicle at all?

# 32 MR. DOUROUX:

No, I didn't.

# 33 MR. COCHRAN:

And you didn't notice anything on the exterior of that vehicle that you can recall presently; is that correct?

# 34 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir.

# 35 MR. COCHRAN:

Did you have occasion to look at the driver's side door down by the sill, down at the bottom of that particular vehicle?

# 36 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir.

# 37 MR. COCHRAN:

You never looked at that?

# 38 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir.

# 39 MR. COCHRAN:

Did you see what appeared to be any coffee cup stains on the hood of that vehicle?

# 40 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir.

# 41 MR. COCHRAN:

You didn't see that either?

# 42 MR. DOUROUX:

No.

# 43 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. So I understand this is a fairly routine tow for you at that time; is that correct?

# 44 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir, it was.

# 45 MR. COCHRAN:

The only different from this scene from other scenes you've been to was the fact there were a lot of media present; is that correct?

# 46 MR. DOUROUX:

That was it, yes.

# 47 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. You were working by yourself that day, sir?

# 48 MR. DOUROUX:

There was--there was three other drivers that day, but I was the one who got dispatched to the call.

# 49 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. When you say "three other drivers," three other drivers who responded to the call?

# 50 MR. DOUROUX:

No. No. Just on the shift.

# 51 MR. COCHRAN:

Working for Rheuban's that day?

# 52 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes.

# 53 MR. COCHRAN:

But you responded to the call, and when you got there to Rockingham at about 3:30 in the afternoon, you were the only driver there; is that correct?

# 54 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 55 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. You talked to a police officer once you got to the Rockingham location, did you?

# 56 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, I did.

# 57 MR. COCHRAN:

And do you know the name of that police officer?

# 58 MR. DOUROUX:

I can't remember his name, no.

# 59 MR. COCHRAN:

Was this police officer in civilian clothes or was he in uniform?

# 60 MR. DOUROUX:

He was in civilian. The one who instructed me where to take the Bronco was.

# 61 MR. COCHRAN:

He was in what?

# 62 MR. DOUROUX:

In civilian clothes.

# 63 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. You don't know his name?

# 64 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir, I don't.

# 65 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. So at any rate, you then proceeded, as I understand your testimony, to hook this vehicle up and then to transport it downtown; is that correct?

# 66 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 67 MR. COCHRAN:

And it was your understanding that you were going to meet a detective somewhere in or about the print shed?

# 68 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 69 MR. COCHRAN:

Is that correct?

# 70 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 71 MR. COCHRAN:

And then you described for us that it took you perhaps an hour or more to drive easterly downtown to Parker Center to the print shed; is that correct?

# 72 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 73 MR. COCHRAN:

Where is the print shed located, sir, downtown here in L.A.?

# 74 MR. DOUROUX:

Directly behind Parker Center on San Pedro Street.

# 75 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And you went to that location, and did you see any detective when you first went there?

# 76 MR. DOUROUX:

No, I didn't.

# 77 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. So how long did you wait at that location?

# 78 MR. DOUROUX:

Approximately 10 minutes, 10, 15 minutes.

# 79 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And what time was that by now?

# 80 MR. DOUROUX:

I would say about 3--3:30, 3:40, somewhere around that time.

# 81 MR. COCHRAN:

Let's see.

# 82 MR. DOUROUX:

No. No. About 4:30, 4:40, around that time. About an hour after I left Rockingham.

# 83 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. So 4:30, 4:40?

# 84 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 85 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Did you talk to anybody at the print shed when you first got there?

# 86 MR. DOUROUX:

There was nobody there.

# 87 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Nobody. It was like locked?

# 88 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes.

# 89 MR. COCHRAN:

All right, sir. So then you had--you waited about 10 minutes and them thereafter, as I understand your testimony, you drove around to Parker Center; is that correct?

# 90 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct. To the front of Parker Center.

# 91 MR. COCHRAN:

And you were by yourself at this point. And so when you went in to try to locate the detective, you left the vehicle on the street; is that correct?

# 92 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 93 MR. COCHRAN:

And so how long were you away from that vehicle when you left it?

# 94 MR. DOUROUX:

Approximately three minutes. Just to go inside.

# 95 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Now, what street did you park the vehicle on, sir?

# 96 MR. DOUROUX:

Los Angeles.

# 97 MR. COCHRAN:

On Los Angeles Street?

# 98 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir, right--

# 99 MR. COCHRAN:

And is that in front of Parker Center?

# 100 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 101 MR. COCHRAN:

Out on the street. So you would be heading northbound on Los Angeles?

# 102 MR. DOUROUX:

I thought it was eastbound.

# 103 MR. COCHRAN:

Well, you're on Los Angeles Street, right?

# 104 MR. DOUROUX:

Yeah. I was directly right in front of Parker Center in front of the doors. So thought it was eastbound. Maybe--

# 105 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. You headed toward Union Station would you?

# 106 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 107 MR. COCHRAN:

Toward Olvera Street?

# 108 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes.

# 109 MR. COCHRAN:

So let's call that north now.

# 110 MR. DOUROUX:

Okay.

# 111 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And you parked the car--parked your vehicle there and your vehicle; is that correct?

# 112 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 113 MR. COCHRAN:

And you left it and then you went inside Parker Center, in the front doors of Parker Center?

# 114 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 115 MR. COCHRAN:

When you left the vehicle to go inside, the media was outside also?

# 116 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, they were.

# 117 MR. COCHRAN:

Can you approximate for the Court and jury how many members of the media were there, sir?

# 118 MR. DOUROUX:

It was a group. I couldn't--maybe 10, 15 more.

# 119 MR. COCHRAN:

A group like a pack of media?

# 120 MR. DOUROUX:

Yeah. They're all hanging out on the lawn.

# 121 MR. COCHRAN:

A pack? How about a swarm, a swarm of media, your Honor? So how many would--how many would--

# 122 MR. DOUROUX:

I would say probably about 10, maybe more.

# 123 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. So 10--about 10 different cameras and that sort of thing?

# 124 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes. Exactly.

# 125 MR. COCHRAN:

And how far away were they from you at the time that you went inside, when you left the vehicle to go inside Parker Center?

# 126 MR. DOUROUX:

It was about 15 yards.

# 127 MR. COCHRAN:

15 yards away?

# 128 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes.

# 129 MR. COCHRAN:

And then you then left the vehicle and went inside; is that correct?

# 130 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 131 MR. COCHRAN:

And you went inside to try to find a detective; is that correct?

# 132 MR. DOUROUX:

I went inside and I asked the desk sergeant there, the person in charge I had a Bronco with me from 360 Rockingham. He called upstairs and he told me the detective was on his way down.

# 133 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And then--and that's kind of at the front desk when you walk inside Parker Center, it's at the front desk there inside?

# 134 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 135 MR. COCHRAN:

And during this time while you were inside, there was nobody outside with the Bronco at that point; is that correct?

# 136 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 137 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. So your best recollection is, you stayed inside for how long--did you--strike that. Did you wait for the detective inside?

# 138 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir, I didn't.

# 139 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. After you talked with this desk sergeant and you were told a sergeant--a detective would be coming down, did you go back outside then?

# 140 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct. I did.

# 141 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And then you walked back outside to the vehicle?

# 142 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 143 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And I presume it was still parked at the same place; is that right?

# 144 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, it was.

# 145 MR. COCHRAN:

And did you wait outside with the vehicle at that point?

# 146 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, I did.

# 147 MR. COCHRAN:

When you went back outside to wait for the detective, how long did you wait before a detective came out?

# 148 MR. DOUROUX:

About three minutes.

# 149 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And--

# 150 MR. DOUROUX:

Less than five minutes.

# 151 MR. COCHRAN:

Less than five minutes?

# 152 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes.

# 153 MR. COCHRAN:

During that period of time, Mr. Douroux, did you have occasion to look at the exterior of the Bronco at all at that point?

# 154 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir.

# 155 MR. COCHRAN:

So up to the time that you left that particular vehicle on June 13th, 1994, you never had occasion to visually inspect the exterior of that vehicle. Is that a fair statement?

# 156 MR. DOUROUX:

Umm, yeah. Just--I mean, took a quick glance, see that there was no damages, and that was it.

# 157 MR. COCHRAN:

Did you have to log on any particular form whether or not there was damages at any place on that particular--

# 158 MR. DOUROUX:

It's usually marked on this. When we look--we can look over the vehicle, make sure there's no damages on the vehicle. If there are, we mark them down on the impound sheet.

# 159 MR. COCHRAN:

And that's called some sort of inventory, this sheet that you have before you?

# 160 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes.

# 161 MR. COCHRAN:

And in completing that particular inventory form, for instance, there are--the form is called "inventory" in the middle of the particular form; is that correct, "inventory"?

# 162 MR. DOUROUX:

Well, right where it says "remarks," that's where we put all the damages down.

# 163 MR. COCHRAN:

Okay. And you have a "y" column, I presume that's for yes, and a "n" column for no; is that correct?

# 164 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 165 MR. COCHRAN:

And did you fill this form out?

# 166 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir. That was already filled out by LAPD.

KEY QUOTE

# 167 MR. COCHRAN:

It was filled out by LAPD?

# 168 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 169 MR. COCHRAN:

When you got the form?

# 170 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 171 MR. COCHRAN:

Where did you get that form?

# 172 MR. DOUROUX:

From the LAPD on Rockingham.

# 173 MR. COCHRAN:

When you first arrived there?

# 174 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 175 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And so that we're clear--

# 176 MR. COCHRAN:

May I approach, your Honor?

# 177 THE COURT:

You may.

# 178 MR. COCHRAN:

This form--for the record, your Honor, we are referring to People's 233 is it?

# 179 THE COURT:

234.

# 180 MR. COCHRAN:

234 for identification.

# 181 MR. COCHRAN:

If we can look at 234, this particular form where there's an indication of tow information and inventory, these kind of "x" marks here under "y" and "n"--

# 182 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 183 MR. COCHRAN:

These were filled out by someone else; is that correct?

# 184 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 185 MR. COCHRAN:

Did you fill out any portion of this form at all?

# 186 MR. DOUROUX:

Just the part here where my signature is and the tow fee and the storage fee.

# 187 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. You filled out just the part where it indicates, "garage employee, complete this section" and where it says, "garage employee signature"?

# 188 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 189 MR. COCHRAN:

That's your signature. And your name is Bernie Douroux?

# 190 MR. DOUROUX:

Douroux, yes, sir.

# 191 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Anything else filled out by you on this particular form?

# 192 MR. DOUROUX:

No. That's it.

# 193 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And so with regard to the inventory on the vehicle, you just quickly looked at it; is that correct?

# 194 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct. Just the exterior to make sure there was no damages, which there were none.

# 195 MR. COCHRAN:

Now, you mentioned also, sir, that at some point, you had occasion to glance inside the vehicle; is that correct?

# 196 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir. Just the front--the window, just to look, see if it was four-wheel--slide vehicles sometimes are full-time four-wheel drives. So we just have to make sure they're not engaged, which I didn't see anything when I glanced. So I didn't bother looking.

# 197 MR. COCHRAN:

And where were you when you glanced inside the vehicle?

# 198 MR. DOUROUX:

On the right-hand side, passenger side.

# 199 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And more specifically, what location were you at?

# 200 MR. DOUROUX:

Oh, in the front.

# 201 MR. COCHRAN:

No. What--where were you? At Rockingham or--

# 202 MR. DOUROUX:

Oh, yes. Yes. I'm sorry. Yeah, Rockingham.

# 203 MR. COCHRAN:

So as I understand it then, you looked inside the vehicle while you were still at 360 Rockingham?

# 204 MR. DOUROUX:

Yeah. We just glanced in, looked.

# 205 MR. COCHRAN:

And you did this from the passenger side of the vehicle; is that correct?

# 206 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 207 MR. COCHRAN:

And you don't recall seeing anything that you noted inside that particular vehicle; is that correct?

# 208 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 209 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. This would have been shortly after you arrived about 3:30 in the afternoon?

# 210 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 211 MR. COCHRAN:

That you looked inside? All right. Now, when you went back outside after talking to the desk sergeant, you waited for a period of time, perhaps less than five minutes and a detective came out; is that correct?

# 212 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 213 MR. COCHRAN:

Do you know the name of that detective, sir?

# 214 MR. DOUROUX:

No. I don't remember.

# 215 MR. COCHRAN:

And you talked briefly with that detective. You had a conversation with that person?

# 216 MR. DOUROUX:

Yeah, weather.

# 217 MR. COCHRAN:

You talked about the weather?

# 218 MR. DOUROUX:

Just weather and how--because it a was nice, warm day. Other than that, no, no conversation.

# 219 MR. COCHRAN:

June 13th was a warm day?

# 220 MR. DOUROUX:

It was.

# 221 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And so after you had this conversation with the detective, did you then take the vehicle back over to the print shed?

# 222 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes. We took it over there. He got in the truck and we went to the print shed.

# 223 MR. COCHRAN:

So the detective rode with you?

# 224 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, sir.

# 225 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. You went back to the print shed, and at that time, you gained entrance inside the print shed; is that correct?

# 226 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 227 MR. COCHRAN:

And you I presume took the vehicle inside and parked it in some location; is that correct?

# 228 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct. I backed it in and dropped the vehicle.

# 229 MR. COCHRAN:

And about what time was it at that time, sir?

# 230 MR. DOUROUX:

God, maybe quarter to 5:00, maybe almost 5:00 by that time.

# 231 MR. COCHRAN:

Somewhere around 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon?

# 232 MR. DOUROUX:

I believe it was before 5:00.

# 233 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And you then left the vehicle; is that correct?

# 234 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 235 MR. COCHRAN:

While you were there, did you ever see any--any person get inside that vehicle at all?

# 236 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir.

# 237 MR. COCHRAN:

And did you ever get inside it?

# 238 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir.

# 239 MR. COCHRAN:

By the way, do you carry--in the course of your work as a tow truck driver, do you have one of these things called a slim jim?

# 240 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, I do.

# 241 MR. COCHRAN:

And that is a kind of instrument that works to open vehicles; is that correct?

# 242 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 243 MR. COCHRAN:

And with regard to that slim jim, you could open that vehicle real quickly, couldn't you?

# 244 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes, I could.

# 245 MR. COCHRAN:

I mean, in other words, you're an experienced tow truck driver?

# 246 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes.

# 247 MR. COCHRAN:

How long would it take you to use your slim jim to open a vehicle like that Bronco?

# 248 MR. DARDEN:

Objection. Irrelevant.

# 249 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 250 MR. COCHRAN:

How long would it take?

# 251 MR. DOUROUX:

Couple minutes, if I had to open it.

KEY QUOTE

# 252 MR. COCHRAN:

If you wanted to open it, couple minutes?

# 253 MR. DOUROUX:

Yeah.

# 254 MR. COCHRAN:

Did you see whether or not the detective who rode back over with you to Parker Center, did you see whether or not he had a slim jim with him?

# 255 MR. DOUROUX:

I didn't notice one, no.

# 256 MR. COCHRAN:

And did you ever see the detective open the vehicle while you were there?

# 257 MR. DOUROUX:

No, sir.

# 258 MR. COCHRAN:

You then left the vehicle, and that ended your involvement with this vehicle on that day; is that correct?

# 259 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 260 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Did you--strike that. With regard to the form that's before you again, People's 234 for identification, you were asked by Mr. Darden whether or not there was any indication on the form of whether or not this vehicle was locked, and you indicated there's no--there's no indication one way or the other; is that correct?

# 261 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct. I really didn't even notice the part up there.

KEY QUOTE

# 262 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. So look at it now for me, will you?

# 263 MR. DOUROUX:

Yes. I'm looking at it.

# 264 MR. COCHRAN:

In an area called "stolen, lost or embezzled," there's an indication the right part of that block that--of whether or not the ignition was locked, right?

# 265 MR. DOUROUX:

That's correct.

# 266 MR. COCHRAN:

There's nothing checked, right?

# 267 MR. DOUROUX:

Nothing.

# 268 MR. COCHRAN:

There's an indication whether the doors are locked. There's nothing indicated, right?

# 269 MR. DOUROUX:

Nothing.

# 270 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And you had not noticed that before you brought the form with you today; is that right?

# 271 MR. DOUROUX:

Naw. That's correct.

# 272 MR. COCHRAN:

You then left the print shed and it was about 5:00 o'clock or so that afternoon?

# 273 MR. DOUROUX:

About 5:00, yes, sir.

# 274 MR. COCHRAN:

And what time did you check out that day from your--terminate your employment that day, if you recall?

# 275 MR. DOUROUX:

7:00 o'clock.

# 276 MR. COCHRAN:

And did you pick up any other vehicles on that day that you recall?

# 277 MR. DOUROUX:

Before or--

# 278 MR. DARDEN:

Objection. Irrelevant.

# 279 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 280 MR. COCHRAN:

I didn't hear your response.

# 281 MR. DOUROUX:

Before--a few cars before.

# 282 MR. COCHRAN:

No. Afterwards.

# 283 MR. DOUROUX:

No.

# 284 MR. COCHRAN:

May we approach just for a second?

# 285 THE COURT:

Do we have to?

# 286 MR. COCHRAN:

Yes. Just very brief.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (4)

Bernie Douroux

No, sir. That was already filled out by LAPD.

The vehicle inventory form — People's 234 — was completed by LAPD before the tow driver ever touched it, undermining the form's independence as a chain-of-custody document.

Bernie Douroux

Couple minutes, if I had to open it.

Cochran established that Douroux carried a slim jim and could have opened the Bronco in minutes — planting the suggestion that the unattended vehicle was vulnerable to access.

Bernie Douroux

That's correct. I really didn't even notice the part up there.

Douroux admitted he had not noticed the locked/unlocked fields on the form until Cochran pointed them out — both fields were blank, leaving the vehicle's security status undocumented.

Bernie Douroux

Yeah, weather. Just weather and how--because it was a nice, warm day. Other than that, no, no conversation.

The only conversation Douroux had with the detective who rode with him to the print shed was about the weather — underscoring how casual and undocumented the handoff was.

Evidence (1)

People's 234

Vehicle impound and inventory form for the Bronco, pre-filled by LAPD at Rockingham before Douroux signed it

examined; Cochran highlighted that locked/unlocked fields were blank and inventory was filled out by LAPD, not the tow driver

Notable Exchanges (3)

Johnnie Cochran•Bernie Douroux

Cochran walked Douroux through the period when the Bronco sat unattended outside Parker Center on Los Angeles Street, with media approximately 15 yards away, while Douroux went inside to find a detective — roughly three minutes of unguarded access.

strategic

Johnnie Cochran•Bernie Douroux

Cochran established that Douroux carries a slim jim and could open a vehicle like the Bronco in 'a couple of minutes,' then asked whether the detective had one — Douroux said he didn't notice. Darden objected on relevance; overruled.

strategic

Johnnie Cochran•Lance A. Ito

At the end of cross, Cochran asked to approach. Ito responded, 'Do we have to?' — a rare flash of judicial impatience.

light

Light Moments (2)

Johnnie Cochran / Lance A. Ito

When Cochran described the press as a 'pack' of media and then offered 'a swarm,' Judge Ito gently interjected with the word 'swarm' himself.

Lance A. Ito

Ito responded to Cochran's request to approach the bench with 'Do we have to?' — drawing a wry close to an otherwise mundane examination.

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ LAPD evidence handling

documentary inconsistency

Cochran used People's 234 to show that LAPD pre-filled the inventory form before the tow driver took custody, that the locked/unlocked fields were left blank, and that Douroux had never noticed those fields — casting doubt on the rigor of the vehicle's documentation and handoff.

Objections

2 objections (0 sustained, 2 overruled)

Proceeding 5954 • 286 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103