Sidebar: humidity and weather

📄 Sidebar: humidity and weather — Monday, September 18, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\SEP\18\SIDEBAR-HUMIDITY-AND-WEATHER.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 156 of 167

◀ Direct examination of Herbert MacDonell (part 2) Direct examination of Herbert MacDonell (part 3) ▶

Date: Monday, September 18, 1995 • Utterances: 7

At the bench, Marcia Clark objected to a witness testifying about dew point and humidity, arguing he lacked meteorological expertise and could not reliably extrapolate conditions for a specific location in Brentwood. Peter Neufeld clarified that relative humidity appeared as a separate column in the records. Judge Ito overruled the objection.

# 1 (The following proceedings were held at the bench:)

# 2 MS. CLARK:

The objection is, your Honor, again, we are trying to get this witness to testify to dew point. He's not a meteorologist. This is not a matter within his expertise. It requires extrapolation. Dew point does not tell the humidity factor. It doesn't tell it at Brentwood.

# 3 MR. NEUFELD:

Humidity factor is a separate column.

# 4 THE COURT:

Relative humidity.

# 5 MR. NEUFELD:

Right.

# 6 MS. CLARK:

How does he know what that means? How could it be qualified with respect to another area in Brentwood at that time of night, throughout the whole night, on the ground, underneath the overhang of trees? What are we talking about here, your Honor?

# 7 THE COURT:

Objection overruled.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (2)

Marcia Clark

How could it be qualified with respect to another area in Brentwood at that time of night, throughout the whole night, on the ground, underneath the overhang of trees?

Clark is attacking the geographic and environmental specificity of the weather data, arguing it cannot be meaningfully applied to the crime scene conditions.

Marcia Clark

Dew point does not tell the humidity factor. It doesn't tell it at Brentwood.

Core of the objection: the data being offered is from a different location and measures a different variable than what the defense implies.

Evidence (1)

Informal

Weather records containing dew point and relative humidity columns, likely from a nearby weather station

discussed

Notable Exchanges (1)

Marcia Clark•Peter Neufeld•Lance A. Ito

Clark objects that the witness cannot interpret dew point as a proxy for humidity at the Brentwood crime scene; Neufeld corrects that relative humidity is listed separately in the records; Ito overrules.

procedural

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ unnamed witness

qualification challenge

Clark argues the witness lacks meteorological expertise to interpret weather station data and extrapolate conditions to the crime scene.

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)

Proceeding 7728 • 7 utterances

Criminal Trial

Department 103