Redirect examination of Roderic Hodge (part 1)

📄 Redirect examination of Roderic Hodge (part 1) — Wednesday, September 6, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\SEP\6\REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-RODERI.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 148 of 167

◀ Cross-examination of Roderic Hodge (part 2) Sidebar: Hodge redirect ▶

Witness: Roderic Hodge
Examiner: Johnnie Cochran
Called by: Defense • Date: Wednesday, September 6, 1995 • Utterances: 97

Cochran redirects Roderic Hodge to reinforce his certainty that Detective Fuhrman called him a racial slur in January 1987 and to highlight inconsistencies in the complaint document (People's 604). Cochran draws out that Hodge filed three separate complaints — two at West LA Station and one at Parker Center — on the advice of his brother in law enforcement, and then dramatically reveals that pages 7 through 16 are missing from the official complaint document, setting up a sidebar before he can ask about the 'Type of complaint' listed.

# 1 THE COURT:

Mr. Cochran.

# 2 MR. COCHRAN:

Yes. Thank you very kindly, your Honor.

REDIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. COCHRAN

# 3 MR. COCHRAN:

Good afternoon, Mr. Hodge.

# 4 MR. HODGE:

Sir.

# 5 MR. COCHRAN:

Mr. Hodge, is there any doubt in your mind that in the month of January of 1987, Detective Fuhrman referred to you as a Nigger?

# 6 MR. HODGE:

Sir, there's no doubt in my mind whatsoever.

KEY QUOTE

# 7 MR. COCHRAN:

Is that something you'd forget?

# 8 MR. HODGE:

Something you don't forget.

KEY QUOTE

# 9 MR. COCHRAN:

Now, Mr. Hodge, sir, with regard to this document that Mr. Darden showed you, did you get a chance to look at this document over at lunchtime?

# 10 MR. HODGE:

Yes, sir, I did.

# 11 MR. COCHRAN:

And with regard to that document--

# 12 MR. DARDEN:

I'm going to object at this time.

# 13 THE COURT:

Overruled. I haven't heard the question yet.

# 14 MR. COCHRAN:

With regard to this document--

# 15 MR. DARDEN:

May I approach, your Honor?

# 16 THE COURT:

You may.

# 17 MR. COCHRAN:

With regard to this document, it indicates after your encounter with Mr. Fuhrman--

# 18 MR. DARDEN:

Objection. Hearsay. Hearsay, your Honor.

# 19 MR. COCHRAN:

May I finish the question?

# 20 THE COURT:

Finish the question.

# 21 MR. COCHRAN:

After your encounter with Mr. Fuhrman and the other officers on that day, you went down and made a complaint for their behavior; isn't that correct?

# 22 MR. HODGE:

That's correct, sir.

# 23 MR. COCHRAN:

And I'd like to show you this document--

# 24 MR. COCHRAN:

Which is People's what, your Honor?

# 25 THE COURT:

This is 604.

# 26 MR. COCHRAN:

I want you to take a look at 604. And first of all, you are Roderic T. Hodge; is that correct?

# 27 MR. HODGE:

Yes, sir, that's correct.

# 28 MR. COCHRAN:

And with regard to the type of complaint you rendered against these officers, do you see that--do you see this box here under "Type of complaint"?

# 29 MR. DARDEN:

Objection, your Honor.

# 30 THE COURT:

What's the objection?

# 31 MR. DARDEN:

352.

# 32 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 33 MR. COCHRAN:

Do you see the "Type of complaint"?

# 34 MR. HODGE:

Oh, yes, sir.

# 35 MR. DARDEN:

May we approach, your Honor?

# 36 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Do you recall--do you recall that you went down at some point after the contact with Mr. Fuhrman and the other officers and made this actual complaint?

# 37 MR. HODGE:

There were a couple times, yes, sir.

# 38 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Did you--in addition, did you go to West Los Angeles on some occasion?

# 39 MR. HODGE:

Yes, sir.

# 40 MR. COCHRAN:

Did you also go someplace else and make a complaint?

# 41 MR. HODGE:

Yes, sir, I did.

# 42 MR. COCHRAN:

And where did you go to make that complaint?

# 43 MR. HODGE:

Downtown location, what we refer to as the Parker Center.

# 44 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Did you go to Parker Center on the same date you went to West Los Angeles?

# 45 MR. HODGE:

No, sir.

# 46 MR. COCHRAN:

That was on a different date?

# 47 MR. HODGE:

Yes, sir.

# 48 MR. COCHRAN:

And why did you go to both locations to make complaints about the conduct of these officers?

# 49 MR. DARDEN:

Objection. Irrelevant.

# 50 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 51 MR. HODGE:

Uh, my brother, who's a law enforcement--

# 52 THE COURT:

Hold on. Hold on. You made two complaints, two places, both at West L.A. and downtown Parker Center, correct?

# 53 MR. HODGE:

Sir, I made three complaints.

# 54 THE COURT:

Three complaints. Where else?

# 55 MR. HODGE:

My brother advised me that West Los Angeles Police Department--

# 56 MR. DARDEN:

Hearsay, your Honor.

# 57 MR. HODGE:

--would not pursue--

# 58 MR. DARDEN:

Your Honor, hearsay.

# 59 THE COURT:

Sustained.

# 60 MR. COCHRAN:

Let me just go question by question, your Honor.

# 61 MR. COCHRAN:

Do you have a brother in law enforcement?

# 62 MR. HODGE:

Yes, I do.

# 63 MR. COCHRAN:

What kind of law enforcement is he in?

# 64 MR. HODGE:

Department of corrections.

# 65 MR. COCHRAN:

Did you have occasion to discuss with your brother who is in law enforcement whether or not you should make a complaint?

# 66 MR. HODGE:

Yes, sir.

# 67 MR. COCHRAN:

Did he give you some advice?

# 68 MR. HODGE:

On many occasions.

# 69 MR. COCHRAN:

And after you got this advice from your brother who was in law enforcement, where did you go?

# 70 MR. HODGE:

To the Parker Center.

# 71 MR. COCHRAN:

That was after you had been to West Los Angeles?

# 72 MR. HODGE:

That's correct.

# 73 MR. COCHRAN:

And did you make a complaint at Parker Center?

# 74 MR. HODGE:

Yes, sir.

# 75 MR. COCHRAN:

You said you went a third place. Did you go some other place and make a complaint?

# 76 MR. HODGE:

No, sir. I made two complains at West L.A. Station and one at the Parker Center.

# 77 MR. COCHRAN:

So that was the third complaint?

# 78 MR. HODGE:

That's correct.

# 79 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Now, with regard to these documents that Mr. Darden showed you, did you notice anything unusual about the pages? Would you look at the pages and look at the numbers of those pages.

# 80 THE COURT:

You want to show him 604, the actual exhibit?

# 81 MR. COCHRAN:

Sure. I'd be glad to, your Honor.

# 82 THE COURT:

All right. Because we're talking about two different documents here.

# 83 MR. COCHRAN:

Thank you.

# 84 MR. COCHRAN:

I want you to look at the last two pages of 604, see if there's anything unusual about the numbering of the pages there.

# 85 MR. HODGE:

Yes, sir.

# 86 MR. COCHRAN:

What do you see? Tell the jury what you see there.

# 87 MR. HODGE:

Well, it goes from page 6 to page 17.

KEY QUOTE

# 88 MR. COCHRAN:

Do you know what happened to pages 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16?

KEY QUOTE

# 89 MR. HODGE:

No, sir. I would have no idea.

# 90 MR. COCHRAN:

Now, with regard to that document, look in the upper right-hand corner under the "Type of complaint" that you made against these officers on January 13, 1987. Do you see that?

# 91 MR. HODGE:

Yes, sir.

# 92 MR. COCHRAN:

And what does it say?

# 93 MR. DARDEN:

Objection.

# 94 THE COURT:

Sustained.

# 95 MR. COCHRAN:

I may want to approach just briefly if I could to show the court something.

# 96 THE COURT:

All right. With the court reporter, please.

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

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (4)

Roderic Hodge

Sir, there's no doubt in my mind whatsoever.

Unequivocal confirmation that Fuhrman used the racial slur — delivered in response to Cochran's direct challenge, designed to lock in the testimony for the jury.

Roderic Hodge

Something you don't forget.

Brief, powerful line that frames the slur as a defining, memorable trauma — emotionally resonant and difficult to undermine on cross.

Roderic Hodge

Well, it goes from page 6 to page 17.

The revelation that ten pages are missing from the official complaint file is the climax of the examination — implying potential suppression or tampering with the record.

Johnnie Cochran

Do you know what happened to pages 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16?

Cochran enumerates each missing page number deliberately for the jury, maximizing the rhetorical weight of the gap in the document.

Evidence (1)

People's 604

Official LAPD complaint document filed by Roderic Hodge against Fuhrman and other officers on January 13, 1987, with pages 7–16 missing

Discussed and shown to witness; Cochran highlights missing pages and attempts to elicit the 'Type of complaint' notation

Notable Exchanges (3)

Christopher Darden•Lance A. Ito

Darden objects before Cochran finishes his question; Ito overrules with 'I haven't heard the question yet' — a mild rebuke.

procedural

Lance A. Ito•Roderic Hodge

Judge Ito attempts to summarize Hodge's complaints ('two places') and Hodge corrects him — 'Sir, I made three complaints' — prompting the judge to directly ask where the third was.

clarifying

Johnnie Cochran•Roderic Hodge

Cochran walks Hodge through the missing pages in People's 604, having him read the page numbers aloud to the jury before asking what happened to the gap.

strategic

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ LAPD / complaint process

documentary evidence — missing pages

Cochran uses People's 604 to imply the official complaint record has been altered or suppressed, with ten consecutive pages absent from the document.

Objections

8 objections (2 sustained, 4 overruled)

Proceeding 7541 • 97 utterances • Defense witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103