Good. Mr. Cowlings, have you spoken to anybody since last Wednesday when you left here regarding the testimony you have given us to date?
And you recall that you have asserted what we have referred to as the privilege a number of times the last couple days when asked questions?
Yes. And would you be willing to testify fully regarding those dates if given immunity by the District Attorney's Office?
I don't think he would have any choice. The only quarrel I have is when you say, "immunity by the District Attorney's Office," you mean given immunity
Theoretically, the immunity would come from the court as opposed to the District Attorney's Office.
I actually met Bob through O.J., met Bob and his brother. All of us just started well, myself, I had just started playing tennis, and they were very nice to invite us over to play tennis with them.
Still in the '70s, probably mid '70s, I would think. I don't know for sure. She was an airline stewardess when they met, and I helped her move, too, eventually when she moved out of her apartment in the Valley.
Okay. When you first met Bob Kardashian, do you know what type of employment he was involved in, what his profession was?
Okay. And when you met him in the early `70s, you indicated you met him through Mr. Simpson?
And do you know what Mr. Simpson's relationship was with Bob Kardashian back then?
MR LEONARD: Objection. Lack of foundation, calls for speculation.
Bob, as when I met Bob, turned out that he went to USC, too, and he had been the head manager of the football team, which the head manager is like an assistant to the coach, to the head coach
So the connection is USC, and by the fact of O.J. being very successful there and being a Heisman Trophy winner, I guess when Bob and I don't know exactly where they met, but that was the common denominator for them.
I don't know, to be honest with you. I know they were great friends. I know O.J. eventually I think his first office was in Bob's building, and yeah, something like that.
I met Skip probably my probably in the early '70s. He my manager at the time was a gentleman by the name of Chuck Barnes, who was the same agent he was the agent O.J. wasthat was his agent, too. Skip and I think Chuck had been friends through college.
I would say I met him through Chuck Barnes when my when I became a client of Sports I think it was Sports Headliners, Incorporated, something like that.
Okay. And would you be able to tell me what the relationship was, as you understood it, between Skip Taft and Simpson?
I think he was there for Sports Headliners and whoever clients they had. I don't know if it was all of us or just certain ones.
Eventually, when O.J. broke away from Sports Headliners, I think Skip at that time became his lawyer in whatever capacity that Skip is working for O.J. for.
I've been knowing him for quite a long time. We knew of each other through college. He was at Oregon while I was at USC.
No. We started to become friends once I think he got out of Oregon. He had moved to Los Angeles.
Okay. We had spoken a little bit about Wayne Hughes the other day. Did you have any business dealings with Wayne Hughes?
Wayne is one of my closest friends. I have been involved with some of when Wayne first started his company, he got me he had me to invest in it.
Did you discuss anything with regard to the deposition that you've where you've been giving the testimony here today?
Okay. Did he indicate that he knew you were in the middle of your deposition testimony when you spoke to him?
I guess everybody knows through the leaks in here. Geraldo gets it before anybody.
KEY QUOTEDo you know in approximately what time frame Mr. Hughes visited Simpson in jail after Simpson's initial incarceration?
Did Mr. Hughes ever discuss with you the substance of any conversation he had had with Mr. Simpson in jail?
Did Mr. Hughes ever tell you what he was going to speak to Mr. Simpson about when he visited him?
Did Mr. Hughes express ever express to you that he was unhappy with what was going on in the media with regard to Nicole Brown Simpson?
I am asking you specifically now: Did he indicate to you that he was very unhappy with what was going on in the media with regard to Nicole?
He didn't say specifically anyone. He was just very upset with all of it, the whole picture of it, what the media was doing.
Did he ever indicate to you that he felt that Mr. Simpson was responsible for a lot of the negative media reports that were coming out about Nicole?
Did Mr. Hughes ever indicate to you that he was going to go speak to Mr. Simpson about all the negative media that was coming out regarding Nicole?
Did Mr. Hughes ever indicate to you afterwards that he had spoken to Mr. Simpson about the negative media coming out about Nicole?
Okay. Did Mr. Hughes ever ask you if you could do anything to control all of the negative publicity coming out about Nicole?
I think he's in the restaurant business. He owns a number of restaurants back on the East Coast.
I guess answering phones, type, took dictation, made appointments. Whatever assistant's duties are for, she provided.
Him and his brother had started or bought into a newspaper called R & R, which is Radio & Records. It's a public a news publication that deals with the radio stations across the nation.
Other than briefly representing ballplayers, do you know of any legal-related work he ever did?
Long time. I think when Bob I don't know if he went full time over to R & R or whenever he went full time to R &: R, I guess he trying to think. That would have been... I really don't know. She worked for him for quite a long time.
We were friends. I guess she could have been at the house on some events that O.J. and Nicole would host.
Do you know whether Simpson relied on her heavily in terms of running his everyday affairs?
Did you ever have to coordinate things through Cathy, if you were dealing with Mr. Simpson, in terms of appointments and things like that?
If I wanted to find out if he was in town or if he was going to be in town somewhere, Cathy would be the one that I would call.
Had you had occasion to see her in the last, say, two months prior to Nicole's murder in June of 1994?
I may have. I don't know for sure. I remember seeing her in January during the Super Bowl, during that whole week.
Oh, that's about the most time I ever spent with her, so it could have been the year before. Like I say, I didn't see a lot of Paula.
She everybody was down. His family was down from Los I mean from San Francisco, his mother, his sister, his brother-in-law. NBC was doing the Super Bowl that particular year. I guess that was '8- '93 then? '93? So and friends were in from out of town. It was a big, big event, and
He was working. I mean, you know, he was doing his the interviews with both of the teams. I think it was Buffalo and and the Dallas Cowboys played that year, I think.
Dallas. So she I was around the house a lot during that period, so that's probably the most I've ever spent that much time around Paula.
The Daisy, the Luau, at his house for dinner. We played tennis. We jog. Joe and I did a lot of things together.
Oh, let me back up. Let me back up. Let me back up. You said in '79. I don't think he was going with Vicky then. I think he that's when he opened his restaurant. Him and Donna was still married. So I don't want to hear that on "Geraldo" tonight.
Please, I mean, please, in all honesty, he eventually did go with Vicky, but it wasn't in '79. He was still married, happily, with Donna.
One other question following up on that: Was there another young lady that came into Mr. Stelleni's life after Vicky, then, that you can recall?
Off and on for a number of years. O.J. and I started a social softball game during the summer during the off-season, and eventually it worked into where we it became a standard thing during the off-season that we'd play softball games on the weekends, and we had the Daisy had put together a team. Jack what was his name? He's passed away. He was the owner of The Daisy
Hanson, right. Jack Hanson put together he was very athletic and very sports-minded, so they put together a softball team, and I think that's how I met Tom, was after one of the games Jack had invited both teams over to his house for like cold drinks and what have you, and he lived on Rodeo, I think, and he had a tennis court, and Tom was out there, and Tom was a tremendous tennis player.
I guess some time. I couldn't put a definite, you know, date on it. I don't know everybody knew each other.
When Mike moved down to when the Raiders moved down to Los Angeles, he was employed by the Los Angeles Raiders, and at that time Stellini's restaurant was a very well-known restaurant for, you know, a lot of sports figures.
He came in, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I eventually met him there. I guess he had been there a number of times, but I was in there one night, and we introduced each other. I knew of him. He knew of me.
I probably met Joe the same time I met Tom. A tremendous tennis player. Him and Tom would matter of fact, that particular day over at Jack Hanson, they were playing against each other.
Do you know whether he picked up Simpson at Schwartz's house that New Year's Day morning of '89?
Okay. And does that appear to be a fair and accurate representation of Mr. Simpson as you know him?
Other than facially, is there anything else in that picture that strikes you as inaccurate?
Wait. Wait. Wait. The problem is that everybody knows that there is a big dispute going on as to whether this is a legitimate picture, so you are asking him to speculate about what he knows.
I am just asking him, based on his own observation, if there is anything that doesn't look accurate in that picture.
In all due respect, Mr. Re, I am not aware of any major dispute regarding the authenticity of that picture.
And I know for a fact that they have in the past doctored a lot of their pictures, and in one instance they doctored a picture of Nicole once on their front page. So what I'm telling you, what I know from here (Indicating), yes, that's O.J. Anywhere down from there (Indicating), I don't know.
Is it your testimony that from the neck down that is not Mr. Simpson's body portrayed in that picture?
Wait a second. You know, you're badgering him now. He told you several times he doesn't know whose body. Now you are asking him if he's saying it's not the body. He doesn't know whose body it is.
Mr. Re, I am not badgering him at all. He said that basically that it's not Mr. Simpson's body.
No, he didn't. He said, "I don't know whose body it is." He said it three times. I don't know how much more clear you can make it.
Does that appear to be his body, his physique, as you know it, as you sit here today, in that picture?
Going back to June 18th, 1994, Mr. Cowlings, could you tell me where you went after you had been booked and posted bail?
I'm quite sure you got the record. Whatever time they released me, that's the time I left. Early morning.
And it's your testimony, as you sit here today, you don't know who put up a quarter million l dollars for you to be released from jail that day?
Assert a privilege about the date other than the fact you are talking about the release. Now you are going back into the day.
Okay. After you had been released that day on the 18th, could you tell me where you first went?
After you had been released on the 18th, could you tell me the next time or the first time you spoke to Mr. Shapiro?
I don't know exactly when I spoke with him or what day or but I did eventually speak with Bob Shapiro.
Could you tell me approximately how many days after you had been released you first spoke to Mr. Shapiro?
Ever after June 18th, after you were released, did you ever go to Mr. Shapiro to speak to him at his office?
Did you talk about any defense strategy with him or where he thought Mr. Simpson's case was going at that time?
Yes. I think. I know I did. When I did, I don't remember. I remember him and I spoken, I think I told you last week, when we called some of Nicole's friends.
Okay. Other than that conversation which you already testified to, did you have any other telephone conversations with Mr. Shapiro?
I couldn't give you a date, but it was over it was over a weekend. I remember it was I don't know if it was a Saturday or a Sunday.
Did you speak to him at all regarding Mr. Simpson's being accused of this murder of Nicole?
We had lunch, and then he showed me a film of his boxing. He's a boxing fan, and he had sparred with the guy was a championship fighter, lightweight champion. Through some way he got he sparred with the guy for three rounds. The guy bit him on the shoulder or something like that.
He showed it to me. I don't know if that was his reason for having me come over there.
Was there anything else was there anything you discussed that day while you were over at Mr. Shapiro's house, Mr. Cowlings?
Well, I had known Bob before this case even started, so we probably talked about, you know, friends or whatever.
He probably asked me something, but I don't remember what it was because, like I said, Bob and I have had a relationship before this thing happened.
When was the first time after Strike that. Other than the one conversation you had with Marcus Allen out at Wayne Hughes' house, had you had any other conversation with Marcus Allen after June 17th or 18th after your release and before this conversation at Wayne Hughes' house?
Okay. Did you speak to Marcus Allen at any time after your release and before you saw him at Wayne Hughes' house?
No. After your release but before you spoke to him at Wayne Hughes' house, had you spoken to him at all?
I think he was I don't know exactly where. It could have been on an island or whatever. He had when he found out the news, he called me, what had happened.
I didn't know any more than what had been said over the TV: That Nicole was dead, and later on I found out over the media that it was a second person.
I don't know when, if it was June 13 or the day after or it was it could have been June 13. Could have been that following day. I really don't remember.
We could have. No, wait a minute. Hold it. Back up. No, I didn't talk to Marcus. No, I didn't talk to Marcus until some days after. Yeah, because now I remember, because I wasn't at home. There was no way I had there was no way he could have gotten in touch with me because I wasn't home, if he had called me, because I wasn't there.
And I wouldn't have had no way of getting in touch with him because I didn't know where he was.
I shouldn't say, "I didn't know where he was." I wouldn't have known how to get in touch with him where he was.
I think eventually when I spoke with him, because from where he was, I guess the information they got was very little, and he asked me things that like I said, I didn't know no more than what had already had been said.
You know, that he had heard; he was very sad; he was shocked; you know, what happened. I told him I didn't know.
He had been questioned. I don't know if he was a suspect, but he had been questioned by the authorities.
But in your mind he was a suspect, or from what you knew from news reports, he was a suspect during that week before the 17th?
Other than knowing he had been questioned by the authorities, what else had you heard that would cause you to think Mr. Simpson was a suspect that week?
When was the next time you spoke to Strike that question. Did you speak to Cathy Randa at any time between June 13th and 17th?
Same I am going to ask him to invoke the privilege. You just have to say "Privilege."
Okay. And could you tell me the first time you spoke to Mr. Simpson after you had arrived down at the Browns on June 13th,1994?
Okay. When was Did you speak to Bill Pavelick at any time between June 13th and June 17th
Did you ever receive any money from anybody after June 17th, 1994 on behalf of Mr. Simpson?
I don't even understand what that question means. What do you mean, "on behalf of Mr. Simpson"?
Going back to the meeting you had had with Robin Greer a couple weeks after the murders in June of 1994, you remember we discussed that last week?
No. We I met her on the street. We I don't know if it was Bristol or Burlingame. It was one of the we just pulled to the curb. I just pulled to the side in front of a house, and we just talked.
Okay. You never met her inside the or out front in the seating area of the Brentwood Country Mart?
We could have met there. We could have eventually met there and then she got in the car we could have. I don't know. But we she was playing tennis that day or had a tennis lesson, and she was in the area, so we met.
Now going back to the conversation you had with Robin Greer that day, did you ever in substance indicate to her that you had heard that Faye Resnick had wanted to open a coffee shop and needed money and may have borrowed it from a drug cartel?
There were rumors going around. I don't know if it was Faye or Nicole and Faye were thinking about opening up a coffee shop or doing some type of business together. That was more or less hearsay, I guess.
What about the part that Faye had borrowed money from a drug cartel to start a coffee shop?
I don't know if it was a coffee shop or some type of business. It was just I don't know, to be I don't know who said it. I remember hearing it. But like I say, it was secondhand stuff. It was like a lot of stuff that was flying around, so I l didn't give it too much thought.
Did you ever have any discussion with Robin Greer about Nicole had been doing drug deals with Colombians?
Did you ever discuss with Robin Greer or any of Nicole's friends that Nicole had been hanging around Colombians in restaurants or nightclubs at all?
Did you ever indicate to anybody that you had heard Nicole had been hanging around Colombians in the Renaissance?
And you never suggested to Robin Greer or any other friend of Nicole's that Nicole had been hanging around with Colombians and doing drug deals with them shortly before her death?
No. When I asked Robin, I wanted to know what type of people that they were hanging around or people were hanging around them, but I never specifically said they were drug dealers or she never said they were drug dealers.
You never suggested she had been dealing with drug dealers, that Nicole had been dealing with drug dealers?
Did you ever suggest to any of Nicole's friends that she had been doing drug deals, at all, shortly before her death?
Did you ask any of Nicole's friends when I say, "ask any of Nicole's friends," you testified last week as to these meetings you had with Cici and Cora and Robin and Christian Reichardt?
Okay. Did you speak to any of these people about Nicole having any interaction with drug dealers shortly before her death?
No. I was trying to find out who the players were, what type of people that they were hanging out with.
KEY QUOTEDid you ever hear at any time after Nicole's murder that she had ever been associating with any drug dealers shortly before her murder?
I would get letters in the mail, people would call my house, people I didn't know, and I would get letters in the mail suggesting that they knew of something about Nicole and what she was doing, parties they would run into her at. You know, I just shoved it off, just...
Did you ever find one bit of concrete information that suggested Nicole Brown Simpson was associated with any drug dealers in the months before her murder?
Any time these people would call me and talk to me, I said, "Well, what you know, are you willing to speak to the investigators?"
And they say, "I don't want to get involved," so I just figured they were lying.
Are you talking about when you are talking about dealing with drug dealers, are you talking about dealing with drug dealers in drug deals, or are you talking about personal use of drugs?
Did you ever get any concrete information anywhere that Nicole was either buying drugs or even using drugs in the months before her death?
The only concrete thing that know pertaining to anything pertaining to drugs was Faye being...
Other than Faye being in rehab, did you have any personal knowledge or even well, it will be called a compound question, so I'll break it down.
Sure.
THE VIDEOGRAPHER: We are going off the record now, and the time is approximately 10:53.
Mr. Cowlings, excluding the period between June 13th and June 17th, did you ever receive or have any personal knowledge of Nicole ever using drugs in the months prior to her death?
Okay. Excluding that time period, did you ever receive any information as to Nicole hanging out with drug dealers or doing drug deals, at all, in the couple months before her death?
Did you ever talk to any of Nicole's friends about a jealous boyfriend possibly murdering her?
Did you ever receive any information as to a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend having possibly been involved in Nicole's murder?
Did you receive any information within that time frame regarding a jealous boyfriend or ex-boyfriend who might have been involved in Nicole's murder?
In the weeks after June 17th, 1994 this is after Mr. Simpson has been incarcerated and you've been released you indicated you were out trying to get a feel for what Nicole had been doing the months before her death?
I don't know if it was a feel for what Nicole was doing. I just wanted to know who were the players or people that maybe had they had been socializing with.
Did you ever at any time after June 17th, 1994 receive any information or any suggestion as to someone other than Mr. Simpson being involved in Nicole's murder?
I'd gotten, like I say, phone calls, letters making accusations about Ron Goldman. There was one lady who called me a number of times claiming that she was at a party with Nicole.
And so I said to her, I said, "Telling me doesn't do you any good. I'd be more than willing to put you in touch with the investigators or you could get in touch with the authorities," and she never would.
Okay. You indicated you had spoken to Bill Pavelick on more than one occasion after June 17th, '94, had you not?
And you spoke to at least one other investigator who you at least were under the impression was working with Bob Bill Pavelick also, did you not?
And as far as you knew, these people were dealing with Mr. Simpson regularly also, were they not?
Okay. Did you ever receive any information yourself from any of these people as to who could possibly, possibly, be responsible for Nicole's murder other than Mr. Simpson?
Can I just clarify? Are you talking about directly from him as opposed to news reports to what they said? Because we could get through all the
I am not talking about news reports. I am talking about the people he had conversations with.
No, no. For example, if they went on the news and they said something, do you want him to relate what he heard them saying on the news about
In your own mind as you sit here today, do you have any formulation of any possible suspect other than Mr. Simpson in the murder of Nicole?
Do I have my suspicions or my suspect? If I'd have known something, I probably would have came forward a long time ago. I don't know anything.
Do you know anybody who had been threatened or assaulted for owing money on personal-use amounts of cocaine?
The first day of your testimony, you indicated you had a gut feeling that Simpson didn't kill Nicole. Remember stating that?
No, I don't know if it could have been the times that I would go down to visit him. I couldn't tell you, but I remember him telling me. I couldn't tell you where or, you know, what time or what month.
Okay. Did Mr. Simpson ever discuss with you how bloody size 12 Bruno Magli footprints were left at Bundy the night of June 12th, 1994?
Did Mr. Simpson ever discuss with you how drops of his blood were found at 875 South Bundy on June 12th, 1994?
Did Mr. Simpson ever discuss with you how he had cut the middle finger on his left hand the night of June 12th, 1994?
Did Mr. Simpson ever discuss with you how is blood had gotten on the back gate of Nicole's condo on the night of June 12th, 1994?
Did Mr. Simpson ever discuss with you how Nicole and Ron Goldman's blood had gotten into his Bronco on the night of June 12th, 1994?
Did Mr. Simpson ever discuss with you how an extra-large brown Isotoner glove with Nicole and Ron's blood had been found on his property the night of June 12th, 1994?
Did Mr. Simpson ever discuss with you how his own blood had been found in his own foyer and driveway the early morning of June 13th, 1994?
Did Mr. Simpson ever discuss with you how Nicole and Ron Goldman's blood had been found on his socks in his room on June 13th,1994?
Okay. Did you ever discuss any of the evidence against Mr. Simpson with him in any of your discussions with him?
When I would go to visit, he would talk about the events that happened in the trial. I never questioned him on things. He would more or less talk about what happened or...
By the way, did he ever tell you what was he doing between 9:00 o'clock and 10:30 on June 12th, 1994?
Did you ever ask Mr. Simpson what he was doing between 9:00 and 10:30 p.m. on June 12th, 1994?
Did you ever discuss with Mr. Simpson what he was doing between 9:00 o'clock and 11:00 o'clock on June 12th, 1994?
Did you ever did you ever ask Simpson what he was doing between 9:00 o'clock and 11:00 o'clock p.m. on June 12th, 1994?
Again, you are talking about personal conversations as opposed to, for example, listening to l his video that came out or something like that?
What did you listen to him talking about hen he would talk about the night of June 12th, 1994?
I couldn't answer that because I really don't remember exactly what he was telling me, you know, what he had did or what it was he was doing.
Do you recall him telling you he had left the house at all between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m. that night of June 12th, 1 994?
You recall nothing of the conversation you had with Mr. Simpson regarding what he had done the evening of June 12th, 1994 between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m.?
Just, you know, the stuff that I've heard, you know, through telecasts or through his interview or things that Kato said what they did, but I don't remember him telling me.
And he was accused of murdering one of your other closest friends, his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, on the night of June 12th, 1994. Correct?
Did you ever ask Mr. Simpson what he was doing that night at the approximate time his ex-wife and one of your closest friends, Nicole Brown Simpson
Like I just stated, he may have told me, but I don't know what he had said to me. I know what has been said by hisself through his interviews or through what Kato has said. I couldn't tell you if, you know am I making myself clear?
yourself your best friend telling you about what he was doing the night that his ex-wife was murdered? I would think of that as a rather significant question and answer in your mind, Mr. Cowlings.
What did Katherine Allen, Marcus' wife, call you for a couple months ago? You indicated she had called you for information.
I didn't say she called me for information. She probably called me to say, you know, say hi. We're still friends.
No. Just, "How you doing?" She needed to find out something information on something else. It had nothing to do with this case or anybody in this case.
Okay. By the way, did Marcus Allen ever deny he was having an affair with Nicole when you told him you knew about it?
He never said. He just sloughed I mean, he just... He was sad, bothered, but he never said one way or another, and I wasn't looking for an answer.
Okay. Do you know yourself when was the last time Marcus Allen saw Nicole prior to her murder?
Did anybody ever tell you when was the last time Marcus was with Nicole prior to her murder?
Did anybody ever tell you they knew that Marcus had been with Nicole on June 11th or June 12th, 1994?
I don't know. How long has Marcus been married? Three three years, four years? I don't l know. I don't know exactly.
Okay. By the way, we have been talking about your conversations you had with some of Nicole's friends after June 17th, 1994, when you talked to Cora and Cici and Robin and some other people. Did you yourself ever find out what Nicole had been doing the night of June 11th, 1994?
What about during the day of June 12th, 1994, did you ever find out what she was doing that day?
We he called me. We went he was thinking about buying a Hummer, one of those big four-wheel vehicles
I guess from his house. I don't remember exactly. But he called, and I went and picked him up and we drove out to Thousand Oaks.
I don't know. It could have been in the morning, late morning. We went out there in the afternoon.
Late afternoon. I had he had invited me for dinner with him and Katherine, and I was going to with that in hopes of me taking him and Katherine to the airport, but I had somewhere else to be Sunday night, so I wouldn't have been able to take them to the airport.
Had Marcus told you what he had been doing the day before when you were with him that day?
On June 12th or prior to that day did you have any knowledge of Marcus having an affair with l Nicole?
Okay. Did you ever find out that on June 11th, that Saturday night, the night before Nicole's murder, that Sydney, her daughter, had spent the night at Schwartz's house?
June of '94. Okay. And I am objecting as vague as what you mean by "security system."
Did you know how the alarm was set at Rockingham in June of 1994, how to turn the alarm on?
Him and I would, you know, when I would go by there, if he happened to be there, we would just speak small talk. I didn't know Kato that well.
Was Simpson rather cautious in who he would give the alarm code to in June of or at any time that you knew him?
Well, was Mr. Simpson careful about putting on the alarm when he was going to be leaving the house vacant for any period of time?
Yeah, if he wasn't there, if nobody was there, if the maid and everybody was gone, he'd always put the alarm on.
Would it strike you as out of character for Mr. Simpson to give Kato Kaelin the code to his alarm system?
Okay. Do you know if Westec Security could be summoned directly from that security system in the Rockingham house?
If it's been times in the past where I may have tripped the alarm, and Westec I think would call first and then a patrol car would come out
You had been there on occasions when Westec Security had been out to the Rockingham house?
Yeah. If I had to go by to check on the house and hit the code wrong or maybe got up one morning not knowing that I had the alarm on and opened the door, and it goes off.
Do you know whether there was a panic button on that system where you could just hit a button on the keypad and a Westec Security person would come to Rockingham?
Okay. Were you ever present there when Westec Security was arrived there with Nicole and Simpson there?
Okay. Did Mr. Simpson ever tell you about a time he broke the windshield of a car that Nicole was sitting in at Rockingham?
Did Nicole ever tell you about a time or an incident where Mr. Simpson had shattered the windshield of a car she was sitting in when she was parked in the driveway at Rockingham?
Okay. Going back to the San Francisco 1979 incident we discussed before with the clothes being chucked out the window?
You described that as when you were sleeping at Simpson's condo that night and Nicole was there also. Do you remember that?
But the first time they retired, you were out in the living room, and Nicole and Simpson were in the bedroom with the door closed.
And in fact on New Year's morning, 1989, when you first arrived at Rockingham in the early morning hours, Nicole was upset then also, wasn't she?
Like I said, I saw her face red. Looked like she had been flustered or like when she was mad.
Okay. And after the '79 incident Simpson never told you what happened in the bedroom that night, did he, himself?
I think O.J. told me that it started the argument started because she accused him of buying a gift or something. I don't know exactly what.
Okay. And after the New Year's Day incident of '89, did Simpson ever tell you what had happened early that morning?
'79, disregard that. I mean, I was talking about '89. '89 was where he said that she had accused him of buying something for a girlfriend or buying something.
Other than that, did he tell you anything else had happened physically between them in those early morning hours before you got there?
And in '79 when you asked him after the fact what had happened in the bedroom between he and Nicole before he threw the clothes out the window, did he tell you anything that had happened?
I don't remember ever asking him what happened. Like I said, they retired that evening. When we all woke up the next morning, things seemed like they were back to normal.
Okay. Do you recall where Simpson would usually park his car outside his gates at Rockingham?
No specific street. Wherever he felt comfortable in parking his car. As long as there was if it was on Rockingham or if it was on Ashford. BY MR. KELLY:
Okay. And Nicole told you on New Year's Day, 1989 that Simpson had pulled her hair and hit her?
Okay. Mr. Cowlings, New Year's morning Nicole had been hit, according to her when you got there. Correct?
Were you so upset about the fact that she had been hit and her head was hurting that you skipped the Rose Bowl that day?
I skipped the Rose Bowl because I was concerned, and let her know that if she needed me, I was there for her.
When I went back that evening and she still said her head was hurting, I said, you know, "We should have it checked. You may have a concussion. "
Did you ever say anything to Mr. Simpson after that day about what had happened between him and Nicole?
You can read it back.
(Record read as follows:
"Q. Nothing to the defense of Nicole after that warning?
John, we can mark a xerox of that for the record, and we can hold onto the original to that photograph. We have done it with the others.
Lou Brown, Nicole, O.J., Sydney, Arnelle, Judy, Minnie, Jason, myself, and I think that's Tanya between... It looks like Tanya between Jason and Minnie.
Do you know of any other vacation you took with the Browns where that might have been taken?
I am just going to object. That assumes that that's a photograph taken on a vacation with the Browns.
Okay. You had testified earlier that Simpson had told you about an incident at his house with Denise, Nicole and Ed McCabe? Do you recall that?
Was it your understanding this incident had occurred because Nicole was not allowed to smoke inside the house?
It was not that she was not allowed. O.J. just didn't allow smoking in his house, and Nicole smoked, and when she would smoke, she would always go outside to smoke.
So it' was your understanding that Nicole, who lived in that house at Rockingham, was not allowed to smoke in that house?
But there was only one person who lived there other than Simpson. That was his wife, Nicole. Correct?
People who would come by and smoked, and if the urge came upon them, they would O.J. would they asked, and O.J. said, "Well, I prefer if you, you know, would go outside to smoke because I don't allow smoking in the house."
Okay. By the way, Marquerite, Jason and Arnelle lived at Rockingham with Simpson before the divorce, did they not?
And after the divorce Marquerite, Arnelle and Jason moved out of Rockingham and Simpson stayed?
I think for a year. I think whatever the divorce procedures outlined, I think she stayed at the house. That was part of the agreement, I think.
And likewise, when Simpson divorced Nicole, is it your understanding that Nicole, Jason and Sydney left the house also?
Whatever his agreement was. I think O.J. had to buy Marquerite out of her portion or whatever the settlement called for. When Nicole moved, she moved to Gretna Green and the kids went with her.
So Simpson had two wives and four children move out of Rockingham, but to this day he still owns Rockingham himself. Is that correct?
I didn't see Nicole that much when she moved to Bundy. I had only been to her place maybe maybe three times at the most. I would see her Nicole would jog in the morning, her and Cora, so I would see her as I was either leaving my apartment or coming back to my apartment.
I don't know about a fitness nut, but she was Nicole had a nice shape. She took pride in her appearance.
I guess. I mean, I didn't we never had a discussion on what she was eating. I remember I introduced her to her nutritionist, a gentleman a Dr. Antoine.
Years ago. Years ago. Because I had been going to him, and I was very successful in what I was trying to achieve as far as losing weight and all that, and so she wanted to meet with him.
I can't I couldn't answer that question because I really don't know. I mean, I would I see her
pneumonia or the flu, and he was going by to see after her.
I went by one night. I had called O.J.'s house, and he wasn't in. I think I don't know if it was Michelle, if she was there or she said, "He's over at Nicole's." So I called there; he was there, so I went by and saw him and Nicole and the kids.
Okay. In these times that you spoke to her or saw Nicole the last couple months before her death, did you see any signs of depression in her?
No. I saw Nicole one morning. I was coming back from working out, and it was the week or the day no it was the morning that she was going to Cabo with O.J.
If that's if that's when they went. And she had rear-ended another car, an accident, fender bender. So as I walked I walked, and I said, "Nic," and she said, "Oh, you see," she says, "oh, I'm in a rush," blah, blah, blah. "O.J.'s waiting for me. We're going to Cabo."
She seemed to be very happy about that:, and her and the lady were exchanging insurance and license information because whatever time the flight was leaving late that morning to Cabo.
Okay. Did you ever hear of any other accident Nicole had been involved in in the last year or two before her murder?
Okay. Going back to the last couple months before Nicole's murder, you didn't see any signs of depression yourself, did you?
No. One time I stopped by O.J.'s, and Nicole and him were there. They seemed to be very happy, and they were at that time making plans of her moving back.
I remember she was mad. She was mad at Kato. So while I was there, she picked up the phone no. He wasn't in. Kato wasn't there, he wasn't at home there at O.J.'s, and she said "He gotta get his freeloading ass out of here," or something like that, and she picked up the phone and called his machine and laid it in on him.
Just very briefly, Mr. Cowlings, did you see any signs of depression or a change in her mood the last couple months in the times you saw her? Yes
Okay. Did you see any signs of drug use in Nicole in the last couple months when you saw her?
Did you see any signs of her drinking or abusing alcohol the last couple months you saw her?
Okay. Did you see any signs that she had transformed into an aggressive, promiscuous woman in the last couple months of '94 before her murder?
THE VIDEOGRAPHER: This is the end of tape No l of Volume III. The time is approximately 11:48, and we are off the record. (Discussion held off the record ) (At the hour of 11:55 a.m., a luncheon recess was taken, the deposition to resume at 1:00 p.m.)
Mr. Cowlings, going back to the morning of New Year's Day, 1989, okay, and the first time you had arrived at Rockingham after the call to Michelle, you indicated that you at one point saw Simpson leave the kitchen?
I am just going to object because it mischaracterizes the testimony. You said, "the call to Michelle." You meant
You had gotten a call from Michelle, you came over to Rockingham, you were in the kitchen talking to Nicole, and Mr. Simpson had walked in the kitchen at one point. Is that correct?
What had happened, while Nicole and I was talking, when I was just standing there, I heard some noise, like just some faint noise, and I walked towards where I heard the noise, and it was from the kitchen to the dining room. Just as I got close to that door, O.J. was standing there.
I am going to object because this has been asked and answered. It was went it was gone into in detail.
Something about she going to call the police again, and he turned around and disappeared back into the darkness.
Seemed to me, yes. That's I didn't notice him going out going around and coming out the front door. I think he went out the back.
I don't know if he called me or Alan called me. When I saw him later on that morning at Alan's house that's the last time I saw him.
But what I am asking you is: The next I time you saw him after you saw him leaving toward the back of the house that morning, wasn't it your testimony that he then called you from Schwartz's an hour or two later?
I don't know if he called me or Alan called me, but I did go to Alan's house, and that's where he was.
Okay. When you got there after the call from either Simpson or Schwartz that morning, can you tell me exactly what Simpson said to you when you got there that morning?
I am going to object. This was asked at least once before. This has been asked and answered.
I will allow you to have a standing objection to every question I am going to ask now about New Year's morning of '89.
He just babbled. He just talked. O.J. has a tendency when he talks, he just goes on and on and on and on.
Can you tell me specifically what he told you about Alan Schwartz's key and the bag of jewelry?
I think that came later on while I was there, that I think Alan knew I think Alan. was the one that told me that O.J. had lost the keys to his car, 'cause O.J. had gotten there by his own car but switched cars. He put his car in Alan's garage, and then he used Alan's car to I guess to go back up to the house later on early that morning. So I was asked to see if I could locate the keys and to get the jewelry out of the garbage can.
Okay. What exactly did Simpson tell you about the keys and the jewelry and the garbage can? What instructions did he give you or directions did he give you?
The directions he gave me was the location of the jewelry, he knew for a fact. The keys, he just gave me his the
the route that he took getting back. The keys had to be somewhere along that route to get back to the car.
Okay. I want to take those two things separately. First of all, can you tell me the exact, route you were given by Simpson in terms of where to locate the keys?
Again, I am ,going to object. This was you had a diagram out. You had him go through it. I think you spent at least a half hour doing this. I don't know why we are going through this again, and I am going to object.
I just followed the path that when he left the house earlier that morning, how he went back to where he had parked Alan's car.
I guess he I started from outside of the door of the back of his house and just followed the path similar to what he had told me: Across his tennis court, through the gate, through the Van Wattses' property to the fence and that's where I found the keys.
Yeah, that's where I found them. I looked around like I say, when I jumped when I grabbed and I looked over to where he thought that he had jumped over the fence, I looked around in there, and the keys were wedged between the grass and the wall.
Did he tell you how he had gotten onto the property after he had parked Alan Schwartz's car?
Did he tell you whether or not he had jumped over the wall on Ashford to get onto the Van Wattses' property and then get into his property initially?
Okay. Now, going to the jewelry bag, can you describe exactly where that was where you retrieved it from?
It was a house that was on Bristol. Could have been one it could have been two or three houses up from the corner of Ashford and Bristol on the west side of the street. It was I walked down the driveway and turned to my right, and there was a group of garbage cans.
Is would you be able to, if I gave you a sheet of paper, be able to diagram the location of the house and driveway relative to the street corners?
If you could just diagram Ashford and Bristol and just generally indicate where Schwartz's car was and the house with the garbage cans, where the jewelry bag was.
Ashford well, you don't have this street out here (Indicating), Bristol. Ashford crosses Bristol.
As has a wall here (Indicating). I went over, found the keys. Like I said, I think Alan's car was parked on Bristol or parked on Ashford.
It's right by there's a white house right here on the corner (Indicating). It's a big white wall runs right here, (Indicating), and the car was either parked there or parked around. I don't know for sure (Indicating). Go ahead.
it would have been the house it would have been on the west side of the street.
It could have been the second or the third house.
So we are clear now, Schwartz's car was parked on Ashford facing west on the left-hand side of the street?
Or if you had made a left, it was on the left-hand side right around the corner on Bristol?
Okay. Now, if you now, could you tell me, as you made a left on Bristol, how you got to the jewelry bag in the garbage can?
Could have been the second house they are big houses. Could have been the second it wasn't the first house.
That's the white house with the white wall. It either had to be the second or the third house. I don't know for sure.
Okay. And is there a sidewalk on this street?
Did you have to walk along the sidewalk, or do you have to walk in the street?
Okay. And when you got to the house, he had told you where the trash cans were? Did you make a left
As you walked up, as you made a left and headed up Bristol, how far up Bristol did you go before you stopped?
From what he had told me, I assumed that I was at the right house because I walked back of the drive I mean the driveway along the side of the house, and just as I gotten to like the backyard area, still cement I didn't have to crawl open any fence or gates or anything. It was just wide open as I got back there I saw the garbage cans, and I opened up the lid and there it was.
to get to the garbage cans. And could you just approximate the distance you had to walk from the street up the driveway to the garbage cans to get to them?
Just as you got in the driveway, it kinda opened up to a larger area, and just as I turned looked to my right, the garbage cans were right there.
(Indicating). Probably the size of my hand, maybe a little larger. I don't know. I was able to pick it up with one hand and carry it in one hand.
Okay. All right. Did Simpson tell you why he had left his car in Schwartz's garage when he went back to Rockingham?
Up until I got to Alan's that morning, that Alan told me, you know, O.J. had keys to his car or lost the keys to his car. I never asked.
Did Simpson ever tell you why he had taken Schwartz's car back to Rockingham and not his own?
Okay. Did Simpson tell you why he parked Schwartz's car up the street on Ashford instead of in his own driveway?
Did Simpson tell you why he had gone over Von Watts' five-foot wall instead of using his own front gate?
Did Simpson tell you how he had done all these various things without the neighbors seeing or hearing him around his house at Rockingham?
Did Simpson tell you how he had gotten back in and out of Rockingham without Michelle, Arnelle, Ruth or Nicole seeing him?
Okay. Did Simpson tell you why he had left Schwartz's house with Schwartz's car without telling Alan Schwartz?
Okay. At any time after June 12th, 1994 okay? We are up to June 12th, 1994 now. Okay?
Did Simpson ever tell you how he had left Nicole's condo on 875 South Bundy without being seen or heard by the neighbors on the night of June 12th, 1994?
After on the night of June 12th did Simpson tell you anything about leaving the Bundy condo that night without being seen or heard by neighbors?
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I'm not clear whether you are posing a question about something that supposedly was told to him on June 12th or was told to him about something that happened on June 12th.
I'm posing a question to him about something he may have been told happened on June 12th.
No, but it sounded like you were saying, were you told on June 12th about this thing.
How Simpson may have left Nicole's condo at 875 South Bundy on the night of June 12th, 1994 without being seen or heard.
Okay. I am going to object because it lacks foundation, calls for speculation, assumes facts not in evidence.
Let me tell you something: I don't think there is any possibility of an individual being able to answer that question.
Because it presumes that something was told to him without even asking him the question of whether anything like that was ever talked about.
Okay. Let me ask you: Did Simpson ever tell you that he was at Nicole's condo on the night of June 12th, 1994 and left there that night without being seen or heard by any neighbors?
If you are asking whether he was told that during the period of time we have been excluding him excluding, then I will advise him to assert a privilege as to anything he may have been told during that period of time. If you want to ask him about some other time, that's fine.
We'll assert a privilege as to whatever he was told about anything during that period of time, without any assumption that he was told anything like that.
Did Simpson ever tell you that he had left Nicole's condo at 875 South Bundy the night of June 12th, 1994 without being seen or heard by any neighbors? Did he ever tell you that?
Okay. Did Simpson ever tell you at any time after June 12th, 1994 that he had left 875 South Bundy, Nicole's condo, that night without being seen or heard by Sydney or Justin?
Okay. You are doing this clearly so that you can relate the fact that Mr. Cowlings asserted a privilege to this particular area, which is kind of useless because we have indicated to you he is going to assert a privilege with regard to coming by information during that period.
If you are not interested in whether he heard it at some other time, we will assert the privilege, so
Well, I am trying to do it both ways: Within that time period or at any time excluding that time period.
At any time these will be all at any time after June 12th, 1994 did Simpson tell you
If you were to break it up to say during this particular period that we are excluding were you asked, he will assert a privilege, and then if you want to ask after that period of time were you told it, then he will be able to answer the question.
When you ask the question, "At any time," then he has to assert the privilege to it. It appears that he is asserting a privilege to a period of time
Okay. Well, that's fine because what you have suggested, I was doing just the opposite. I was going to come back then and ask about that specific period.
The problem we have is the privilege may be asserted then too broadly, because when you say "at any time"
Okay. That's fine. I still have to make my record, and you are more than welcome to assert it, and I will take your suggestion: I will ask it the opposite.
At any time between June 13th and June 17th, 1994 did Mr. Simpson ever tell you that he was able to leave 875 South Bundy the night of June 12th, 1994 without ever being seen or heard by any neighbors?
Let me object. I am going to object. Lack of foundation, and it assumes facts not in evidence.
And because we are asserting a privilege to that period of time, I am asking Mr. advising Mr. Cowlings to assert a privilege.
On June 18th or any time thereafter, did Mr. Simpson ever I am sorry. Did you want to say something else?
Okay. On June 18th or any time thereafter, did Mr. Simpson ever tell you how he had left 875 South Bundy the night of June 12th, 1994 without ever being seen or heard?
Could you please ask him if he said anything about leaving? In other words, you are asking him, did he tell you how he left. That's the how you know, did he tell you he stopped beating his wife
Suppose O.J. Simpson said, "Mr. Cowlings, let me tell you exactly how I did it"?
The preliminary question is, did he tell you that he left? Then, did he tell you how he left?
I don't have to ask it in the light most favorable to your client as he testifies, Mr. Re.
No, no, but you are asking the question is, did he tell you how he left, presupposes that he told him that he was there and left.
He has objected on the grounds of lack of foundation, and if you're right, that objection will be sustained and this answer will be of no consequence.
Well, I want to make sure that he knows what he's being asked so that he knows what he's answering. If you want to ask it that way, I can't control it, but...
Could we have the last question read back again?
(Pending question read as follows:
"Q. Okay. On June 18th or any time thereafter, did Mr. Simpson ever tell you how he had left 875 South Bundy the night of June 12th, 1994 without ever being seen or heard?")
Did he ever tell you between June 13th and June 17th, 1994 that he had been over at Nicole's condo the night of June 12th, 1994?
Objection. Lack of foundation.
MR. RE.: Because we are asserting a privilege to that time period, I advise him to assert the privilege.
Did he tell you any time on June 18th or thereafter that he had been over at Nicole's condo the night of June 12th, 1994?
Did he ever tell you at any time on June 18th or thereafter that he had not been over at Nicole's condo the night of June 12th, 1994?
Did Mr. Simpson between June 13th and June 17th,1994 tell you that he had parked his Bronco on Rockingham that night of June 12th?
Actually, what he wanted to point out to me is you snuck in a ringer where you said did he ever, which I assume was a follow-up to the preceding question, which is, I presume, the way he answered the question also. But go ahead.
Did Mr. Simpson tell you between June 13th and June 17th, 1994 that he had parked his Bronco on Rockingham the night of June 12th, 1994?
At anytime on June 18th or thereafter did Mr. Simpson ever tell you that he had parked his Bronco on Rockingham the night of June 12th, 1994?
Okay. At any time between June 13th and June 17th, 1994, did Mr. Simpson ever tell you that he had jumped over his neighbor's fence onto his property behind his guesthouse?
On June 18th or any time thereafter, did Mr. Simpson ever tell ,you that he had jumped over his neighbor's fence onto his property behind, the guesthouse on the night of June 12th, 1994?
Okay. At any time between June 13th and June 17th, 1994 did Mr. Simpson ever tell you that he had dropped a glove on his property behind the guesthouse on the night of June 12th, 1994?
Okay. On June 18th or any time thereafter, did Mr. Simpson ever tell you that he had dropped a glove on his property behind his guesthouse on the night of June 12th, 1994?
Between June 13th and June 17th, 1994 did Mr. Simpson ever tell you where he had disposed of clothes, Bruno Magli shoes and a knife the night of June 12th, 1994?
On June 18th or anytime thereafter did Mr. Simpson ever tell you where he had disposed of clothes, Bruno Magli shoes and a knife the night of June 12th, 1994?
At any time between June 13th and June 17th,1994 did Mr. Simpson ever ask you to retrieve any clothes, Bruno Magli shoes and a knife from anywhere that he had disposed of them on the night of June 12th, 1994?
On June 18th or any time thereafter did Mr. Simpson ever discuss with you or ask you to I am sorry. Strike that question.
On June 18th or any time thereafter, did Mr. Simpson ever ask you to retrieve clothes, Bruno Magli shoes or a knife that he had disposed of on the night of June 12th, 1994?
Okay. At any time after June 12th, 1994 Strike that. We will do it Mr. Re's way. At any time between June 13th and June 17th, 1994 did you ever tell anybody that in the early morning hours of New Year's Day, 1989 how Mr. Simpson had parked up the street from his house when he returned to the house that morning?
Yeah. In general terms I'm asking, in '94 if he related to anybody what had happened in '89.
In other words, in the excluded period did he ever tell anybody about the '89 incident?
That's generally. I am going to ask it a little more specifically, but that's just to let him know what I'm talking
He will assert a privilege to that.
He's asking about, did anybody tell you during the period of time that we are excluding, so you assert a privilege to that...
No. Did he ever tell anybody about this '89 incident of Simpson parking up the street, hiding the bag
So I am advising him to take a privilege with regard to whether he had any such conversations during that excluded period.
Okay. I will ask about four specific questions, but that's where we are with that.
Between June 13th and June 17th,1994 did you ever tell anybody how in the early morning hours of New Year's Day, 1989 Mr. Simpson had parked a car up the street and gone back down to his property after the police had left there?
Let me refine that, because you did ask him questions that had to do with that time period in which Mr. Cowlings was speaking to the police who were up at Rockingham, and he has answered those questions. So if you want to ask him whether he discussed that with the police, we wouldn't be asserting a privilege to that.
No, but we have tried to narrow it down to not only the time frame, but also to whom he is talking, and as far as the conversations with the police that he has had during that period of time when they when he went up to Rockingham after being notified of the murders, we have allowed him to testify to that.
When you talked to the police that early morning on June 13th, 1994
Do you recall when you arrived there and Fuhrman and Vannatter and Lange and Phillips were there?
did you ever tell them anything about what had happened at Rockingham early New Year's morning in 1989?
Okay. Did you ever tell anybody between the 13th and 17th of June, 1994 what Mr. Simpson had done in terms of his actions in getting on and off the property at Rockingham in the early morning hours of 1989?
Okay. Did you ever tell anybody between June 13th and June 17th, 1994 about how Mr. Simpson in the early morning hours of 1989 New Year's Day had dropped keys going over a five-foot fence to get onto Von Watts' property?
Did you ever tell anybody about that incident between June 13th and June 17th?
But with the exception, you can ask him about telling the police on that morning that he arrived, if he did, and I think he has indicated he hasn't.
Now I am asking you, at any other time between June 13th and June 17th if you related to anybody this New Year's morning '89 incident where Simpson had hopped over Von Watts' five-foot wall, lost his keys, taken a jewelry bag, hid the jewelry bag in a neighbor's trash can and then gotten back to Schwartz's house in the early morning hours?
Did you ever talk to anybody about that between June 13th and June 17th, 1994?
At any time on June 18th or thereafter, did you ever discuss with anybody Mr. Simpson's actions of that early morning hour on New Year's Day, 1989 where he had parked Mr. Schwartz's car up the street on Ashford, gone over the five-foot wall at Von Watts, dropped car keys, hid a black jewelry bag in someone else's trash can and then got back to Schwartz's house? Did you ever discuss that with anybody on June 18th or any time thereafter?
Objection. Lack of foundation.
MR. RE You are excluding any conversations he may have had with his counsel, I presume?
So other than the testimony you've given, your sworn testimony here the last couple days, you've never discussed with anybody else what happened that early morning hour on New Year's Day, 1989?
And by the way, you do that. You say, "Never. "Never." I presume you are limiting those kinds of follow-ups as follow-ups to the preceding questions always.
Always to the preceding questions and always with the recognition you are excluding those dates.
You indicated the other day that there came a time after June 13th at some point you had walked out back behind the guesthouse at Rockingham. Is that correct?
I think I walked through the full length of the walkway to the it's a back area back there.
Okay. Was there anything that you found back there during your own investigation that day?
Okay. The other day you also indicated that when you went back there subsequently or afterwards with an investigator, you talked to him about the different ways to get onto the property?
Yeah. Not different ways, but it seems it would have been if O.J. did come that way, it would have been easier to come a different way.
Okay. And how would you get to the front of that house if you had parked your car at the gate at Rockingham?
How would you get to Von Watts' house to come back through that way if you started at the front gate of the Rockingham entrance?
You asked me how to get from if you parked on Ashford, how to get to Von Watts' house?
how would you be able to end up going through the tennis court of Von Watts to Simpson's house?
On Rockingham, okay, if I come through O.J.'s gate and walked on the outside through his tennis court to the Von Wattses.
and you then wanted to get to the Von Watts property, to cut through to his house, you would have to walk down to the corner of Ashford, walk all the way up Ashford and turn right on Bristol and then come back through, would you not?
Assuming you didn't want to go through the property and you wanted to come in some other way. That's what I am asking you.
Since he's on the same point, I figured he might as well answer that question.
You were having a discussion with the investigator as to why Mr. Simpson would have possibly come over the Cyclone fence behind the guesthouse. Is that correct?
And then you said it didn't make sense because there are other ways that would be easier to get into the property. Correct?
But under the same circumstances, assuming Mr. Simpson had parked assuming now, the same discussion, he had parked his Bronco at the front gate of Rockingham on Rockingham, how would he have gotten to Von Watts' to come back through the tennis court?
If he parks his car there and he wants to, say, get in the front door without being seen from Ashford.
Yeah. Or if he came through his gate, walk his own property, go across his tennis court into the Von Watts' and come back that way.
I am asking you, assuming he didn't want to come in through his own gate for whatever reason, what his other alternatives would have been, Mr. Cowlings.
Okay. Now, what would be another option for getting on his property? You said there was a number of other ways he could have gotten on there besides coming over that metal fence. One is through Von Watts. Correct?
Wait a minute. I am objecting to the first part of the question. Misstates his evidence.
I believe he said in his testimony there were several ways to get into his own property other than coming over that metal fence.
With that scenario, with the car parked on Rockingham, is that what you're saying?
Well, that's what I'm trying to establish, that there weren't too many different scenarios of how Mr. Simpson could have gotten in except coming over that fence, with that scenario.
The assumption you are making in the beginning of your question, I object that it misstates his former testimony.
Let's see if we can make it simpler. Assuming you were parked at the Rockingham gate of the estate and there was someone else parked at the Ashford gate facing in towards the front door, can you tell me how you could get onto that property without being seen other than going over the fence behind the guesthouse?
So now you're speaking of O.J.'s property, not speaking of Von Watts' property?
Yeah. with the car parked at Rockingham and someone at the Ashford gate looking in towards the front door.
If it was O.J., he has a key that opens this gate (Indicating) to come onto his property.
And if you are facing in from the Ashford gate, facing that way, you can see the front door and the driveway and the garage, can you not?
Okay. But you can see the front of the house and the garage area and driveway area, can you not?
Okay. If you didn't want to be seen in the front door area or the garage area or the driveway area, if you didn't want to be seen coming in what other way could you have gotten onto the property?
All I know, there's a gate there (Indicating) that puts you on the driveway from off of Rockingham.
There is another gate on Ashford. If that Ashford gate is blocked, like you said, with the driver, to get on if you parked here (Indicating), either you come through that gate.
Okay. So how is there any other way he could get onto the property other then coming through the gate on Rockingham?
Except the Ashford gate, other than the Rockingham gate.
BY MR. KELLY: Rockingham gate.
Objection. Lack of foundation. Calls for speculation. Asked and answered. You are now badgering the witness.
And I have to ask you one thing because I'm not clear about part of this question: When you say, "any other way," you're comparing one way, as I understand it, as being near the air conditioner and coming around the front of the house? Is that what you're talking about?
Because if you are talking about that, somebody from Ashford theoretically could see, I guess, the driveway and the front of the house that way, too. So when you say "other way," I'm not sure what you are talking about, because you could be seen that way.
I will ask you something else: Were there back entrances to the house behind the guesthouse there?
Are you speaking when you say the "back," I'm speaking all the way to the back. When you speak of the back, you
Okay. So if you were to come over the fence there and go into one of those entrances to the house, you could do that without being seen from the Ashford gate, could you not?
The fence that runs along the guesthouse on the side of the house? When you say "back," I'm thinking of the back.
I am talking about the fence that runs along the guesthouse. You could climb over the fence there and gain entry to the house without ever being seen from Ashford, can you not?
When you say "you," you mean Mr. Cowlings? Because there may be a key on the door. I don't know what you are asking him. I mean, is it physically possible to move from that back fence to the back door?
Are there doors that you can walk in and out of the house and walk to the back gate there
There's two doors. So if someone were to come over that fence behind there where that passageway runs, they could gain entry to the house without being seen from the Ashford gate, could they not?
On June 12th, 1994, could you tell me where you were that night between, say, 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m.?
Now, he is happy to tell you. We are very concerned about the identities of these people becoming public. Is there any way I could give you their names
Let's go off the record for a minute.
THE VIDEOGRAPHER: We are going off the record now, and the time is approximately 2:03.
Mr. Cowlings, it's my understanding that you were at a party on the night of June 12th, 1994. Is that correct?
There was a number of people. I couldn't give you an exact number, but it was quite a few.
It was late it was evening time, I guess. Could have been that gray period there where it was turning, you know, light to dark.
I don't know what time it was. I know it was a school night, a Sunday night, and I went home. I couldn't tell you exactly what time.
Could you provide to me the names of the last people you spoke to before leaving that party?
Do you recall I am not asking you to give me the names on the record. Do you recall the names of the last people you spoke to or were with before leaving that party?
Okay. How many people, approximately, were at this party when you left there that night to come back home?
Could you provide me the name of anybody in your building or on the street or a neighbor or someone that could verify that you did arrive home that evening before midnight of June 12th, 1994?
Not that I can remember.
Q; Is there any way or can you give me the name of someone that could independently verify exactly when you left the party that night?
I'm sorry. He has indicated he is going to give you a list of names of people who were there. I think some of them can.
Okay. Did you speak to anybody between the time you got home that night of June 12th, 1994 and when you received a call from Arnelle the next morning?
Okay. And could you tell me the route you took home from this party to get to where you lived?
Since Mr. Simpson's release from prison, do you know of any affirmative steps he has taken to locate the real killers of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman?
Have you ever heard him mention that he was going to conduct a search for the real killers after his release from prison?
And you wouldn't be able to tell me anything he has done in an attempt to locate the real killers of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman?
Could you tell me anything more that you, yourself, Mr. Cowlings, have done to locate the real killers of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman other than those conversations you had with some of Nicole's friends approximately two weeks after their murders?
By the way, as of June 12th, 1994, do you think Mr. Simpson was physically capable of killing Nicole?
Wait a second. Wait, wait, wait. These questions are really confusing. When you say, "You don't know anything about" it, I mean, are you asking whether he has heard about news reports, or are you talking about whether he knows specific, or are you asking him whether he knows how it got there if it got there?
So other than the fact that you just don't think Simpson killed Nicole, you have no other basis for that statement?
Would it be fair to say that that statement is based on the fact that Mr. Simpson is your best friend?
Well, but your question didn't. If your question is limited to since he's been out, I have no objection or no advice or nothing.
Did he say anything before that or after that short sentence about whether he killed Nicole or not?
I had been approached by various people. One thing led to another. The phone line at the time seemed like it was the most sane thing to do. People were approaching me, offering me great sums of money.
Couldn't name them. There was a group out of Florida. There was a group that was corresponding with me through the mail and from the Midwest or back East somewhere.
Is this limited to just for the 900 number or people who approached him with a bunch of money?
Well, I digressed on my question. I had originally mentioned the 900 number, but he started talking about people that had offered him large sums of money, so I want to explore that a little bit.
The phone thing, people was offering, you know, things, you know, mentioned a great deal of money.
There were notes and letters left at my house. I assume it was from them. It was their stationery.
Okay. Other than the National Enquirer, who else offered you a substantial amount of money?
People from the people that approached me, the groups that would call me to about the 900 number.
My friend Mike Pulwer. We decided Mike literally told me, he says, "Why should we" you know, "If you're going to do this"without me knowing, he had investigated the 900 phone line business, and I said, you know, we could do it ourselves.
We set up the 900 number for people who wanted to know or had questions pertaining to O.J. and Nicole, nothing that it was gonna be trash or you know, they were going to get the truth, the facts from me about O.J. and Nicole.
Yeah. I don't know. We ran for I guess about I don't know. Ran for some months. We had recorded messages going there. I would go online hour a day, seven days a week, and answer the calls personally with the people.
And did anybody speak on that line other than you? You mentioned your friend, who is your partner also?
Okay. Did you ever discuss with anybody who called in the events between June 13th and June l7th?
Through the advice of my lawyer, and I was subpoenaed by the defense, and Ito's guidelines, we're not to discuss anything about the case, and so I didn't. So any time any people anybody who talked to me live would say something, I would tell them that I was unable talk about it; or if they asked about what procedures were going on in court, I told them I was unable to talk about it.
Audiotapes.
THE WITINESS: Oh, the audiotapes were done here not the audio yeah, the audio. I'm sorry. We did it at a sound studio over in Hollywood, where I would go in and answer a number of questions pertaining to the relationship between O.J. and Nicole, some of the other stuff personal about me, and those would go on the 900 number.
I don't know. I'd have to find out. It was on Hollywood Boulevard no. Sunset. It was on Sunset Boulevard. I'd have to find out.
Did you ever discuss the state of Nicole and Simpson's relationship in May of 1994, the month before the murders, or so?
Did you ever discuss the state of Nicole and Simpson's relationship in l992 during the time of their divorce?
Did you ever discuss the state of the relationship between Nicole and Simpson during 1993 when they got back together?
Did you ever discuss or tape-record, I should ask. Did you ever tape record any information , regarding the state of the relationship between Nicole and Simpson the last two weeks before Nicole's murder?
When Simpson and Nicole got divorced in 1992, did you discuss the fact that he was getting divorced, with Simpson?
What I am asking you is: Did she ever tell you why she was getting divorced from him in '92?
Were you aware of the fact that in approximately April 1993 Nicole and Simpson got back together?
Well, you knew at some point after they had gotten divorced, they got back together. Correct?
Were you aware of the fact that in 1994, shortly before Nicole's murder, that she and Simpson had broken off their relationship again?
No. Like I said, prior to the fender bender that she had with her car, I was under the impression they were still together 'cause they were going to Cabo.
But after Cabo you never had any discussions with Simpson regarding his relationship with Nicole from that day to the day of Nicole's murder?
And between the day you saw her when she was getting ready to leave to Cabo and the day of her murder, did you ever discuss with Nicole the nature of her relationship with Mr. Simpson?
Did you ever discuss with her the fact that she was breaking off her relationship with Mr. Simpson at any time prior to her murder of June 12th, 1994?
In all the years you had been around Simpson's house at Rockingham, have you ever seen him remove any pictures from the walls when he had gotten angry?
Do you specifically recall any furniture hat Nicole had brought to Rockingham when she moved in there with Mr. Simpson?
Do you ever recall carrying a desk of Nicole's out of the house at Rockingham with Mr. Simpson at any time when Simpson was mad at Nicole?
Do you ever recall Jason carrying out a desk of Nicole's at Rockingham with Mr. Simpson when Simpson was mad at Nicole?
I don't know. If someone made a footprint across the room or something, she wouldn't start screaming about it, would she, left dirt in the house?
It was during the time when they were haying their house redone, and nerves were on edge because of, you know, the construction was dragging.
Not to interrupt, this is the time out by the jacuzzi when they were talking and Nicole started yelling?
Well, I am just going Are you changing the question? Because I think those are two different things.
I was there the night before. I think I went out, went to a couple clubs down there and stayed over, and I called
I called over to the Browns I think earlier that week. Between either O.J. and Nicole, they had said they were going to be in Laguna for the weekend, so since I was down there, I said, "Well,, let me run by to see them."
I called Judy. Judy said they were over at the over at their condo. So I I don't know if I drove over there or if I called first, but I did go over to their condo over by the Ritz Carlton.
Yeah, briefly. She said O.J. had gone out. He was in the car. That's what she said. I think he went to go get some went to get a newspaper or some juice or something. So I called him in the car, let him know I was out there, and he said he was on his way home.
No. She was straightening up around there, and we were going to wait for O.J. and go over to her parents' house.
I didn't stay there that long. I left after, I don't know, 45 minutes or so, came I drove back up to Los Angeles.
Okay. Do you recall talking to Simpson t at all that day regarding his relationship with Nicole?
Basically he said that it was over between him and Nicole and that basically that was it.
And I said something to the effect, "Well, O.J., at least you know now that, you know, you gave it, you know, your best. Hey, you know, now you two can get on with your lives."
Prior to him telling you that at the Browns, had Nicole said anything to you about it being over earlier that day when you saw her?
No, Nicole wasn't talking. She didn't talk that much. We made a joke when he got back. It was something I moved a barbecue cooker or whatever you call those things, and some ashes from it fell on the floor as I was taking it to the deck off the kitchen, and O.J. says something, "Nic, A.C.'s made a mess."
And I said, "Nic, nothing has changed." Because when I used to move stuff, my hands, I'd be sweating, and sweat would get on the wall. I got mattresses, and he's sitting down or something like that; he'll say, "Nic, A.C. is messing up the wall," or something like that.
So I said, "Nothing has changed," and Nic and I and O.J. just hugged because that remind us of other times.
Then once she cleaned that up, we got in the car and drove over to the Browns. Well, they got in their car yeah, I guess they drove together. I had my car. I met them over at the Browns.
Okay. And she had been quiet in '79 when she walked out of that bedroom after Simpson had thrown her clothes out the bedroom also, wasn't she?
Like that New Year's Day I mean, her and I had small talk. It wasn't like she wasn't talking. You know, her and I had small talk before O.J. got back, and she asked me what I did the night before, and I said I was out to a few clubs around the area, and I don't know if she said they went out to dinner or went for drinks or whatever. I don't know, but
I don't know. I assume that they went out. She didn't go into details. You know, it was just small talk, nothing that significant, you know, in the conversation.
Okay. Do you know whether you spoke to Nicole at all between that day and her birthday, which would have been May 19th?
I could have. She you know, I would call her. If I wasn't, you know, by her house or wasn't something at O.J.'s house for her or whatever like what or somebody called and said, "We gonna have something for Nicole," normally her and I you know, I would call her to wish her a happy birthday. Vice versa, on my birthday she'll call. So I don't know if I did or not, to be honest with you.
Okay. Could you tell me when at all you spoke to Nicole after May 8th and prior to her murder?
I probably was talking to her. There was one time I remember. It was the day of the earthquake. I was seeing after Marcus' house, seeing what damages were done, and when I got home...
When I got home there was a message from Faye and a message from Nicole. Nicole was wanted me to come by. She was scared. The kids wasn't the kids were in Laguna. So I drove by her place
And she was there, and she was saying how frightened she was because, you know, the kids were down in Laguna, and she didn't want to she didn't want to ride on the freeways. She wanted to know if I knew of a way of getting to Laguna without getting on the freeways, and I said
No, not really. You could go the back way of beach cities south, and eventually you got to get back on, you know, on the freeway.
So I took her as far as Hermosa Beach. She followed me. And I told her, I said no. She was concerned about overpass. That's what she was concerned about, on the freeways. So I took her as far as I thought that I took her to Hermosa Beach.
Then it was probably before then. Then I don't remember talking to her, anything that sticks out. Maybe I had. Maybe I didn't. I really don't know.
That could have been the time when I went by that night and O.J. and her could have been that time she was sick.
No, no, I don't know if she was sick or not. I went by to see him and her because I hadn't seen either one of them in a long time, and I went by and they were up in the bedroom. He was laying across the bed. The kids were on the bed with them, and Nic was they were just one big, happy family.
Okay. Were you aware that Mr. Simpson had had a fund-raiser for Justin's school at his house in May of that year?
There was something going on. I went by there. I didn't know what it was, but I went by one day and I saw a lot of kids, so I just assumed that it was that time of the year when they would have this event for Justy's Sunshine whatever the name of the school is. They hosted that thing a couple times.
Was the night that you went by Bundy and saw Simpson over there with Nicole and the kids did it happen to be that same night to the day they had had the fund-raiser?
I don't know. I don't think so. I can't put them both together. I couldn't give you an honest answer.
Okay. But to the best of your recollection, you had seen them together once after Mother's Day in May of 1994?
That could have been after Mother's Day or it could have been before Mother's Day. I can't give you
Okay. But on Mother's Day, May 8th, 1994, Simpson had told you he and Nicole were through. Correct?
Okay. And to the best of your recollection, you were over at Bundy at least once after that and Simpson was over there up in the bedroom with Nicole and the kids?
Okay. Did you ever talk to Simpson about an incident where Nicole returned a bracelet to him that he had given her for her birthday?
Did you ever talk to Simpson about an incident where he had taken back diamond earrings he had given Nicole previously?
Could you tell me whether there came a time in late May that you drove Sydney and Justin down to Palm Springs to be with Mr. Simpson?
I did drive them down. I don't know exactly it was during it would have had to be during the season, the season of Palm Springs, so it had to have been before December, before the season's over. Palm Springs is seasonal for people who wants to take advantage of the months there, because it gets too hot during the summer months.
Could you tell me how long before approximately how long before Nicole's murder was that you drove the kids down to Palm Springs?
Did he ever tell you about having any sort of fight with Paula that weekend he was in Palm Springs?
The one time that stands out in my mind was I was back East the week of that week before the 12th. I was scheduled to come back on a Wednesday. I think I talked to O.J. on a Tuesday. I said, "Hey, man." I had called him because I hadn't spoken with him.
And he said, "I'm coming back to New York. "
And I said, "When?" I said, "I'm back here now."
I'm in New York. I called O.J., and he didn't I don't know if he knew I was in New York. Anyway, he said he was coming to New York. I said, "Well, I'm here now, but I gotta come back."
He says, "I gotta come in and I gotta be here for a couple days, and I gotta get back to the West Coast because of some event for Sydney."
So I said, "Well, if you coming back, why don't we have dinner either Friday or Saturday?"
He said, "Okay." He says, "Let's make sure we talk when we get back" "when I get back Friday."
So I said "Okay," but him and I never made contact.
Would you be able to tell me when you had spoken to him prior to this conversation you just told me about?
Okay. Mr. Cowlings, did Simpson ever tell you that he was sending a letter to Nicole regarding the IRS?
Did Nicole ever tell you Simpson was threatening to have her and the kids thrown out of the house at Bundy?
Did Simpson ever tell you he wanted to see Nicole and the kids thrown out of the house at Bundy?
The fact that because of or due to IRS problems, Nicole would have to vacate the house at Bundy.
Other than the period between June l3th and June 17th, 1994, did Judy Brown ever discuss with you the fact that Simpson had sent a threatening IRS letter to Nicole?
You say "threatening IRS letter." You mean a letter on the topic that you have talked about previously?
Okay. Now he is talking about, other than that period of time, did you talk to Judy Brown? Okay?
Can we just have could we just take we don't even have to go off the record. Just two seconds, let me take him out on in the hallway?
I want to make a quick call, too, because we are going to there and get finished, so this a good time to stop. Two minutes.
Go off.
THE VIDEOGRAPHER: This is the end of tape No. 2 of Volume III. The time is approximately 3:20, and we are off the record.
Other than roles he played in his acting career, did you ever see Mr. Simpson wear a disguise?
Okay. I had asked you earlier or you had indicated earlier you had a conversation with Judy Brown regarding an IRS letter Simpson had sent Nicole?
Object to the characterization "IRS letter." I think that misstates the evidence in the case.
That the letter bothered Judy. She said hat that was the first time or she felt that O.J. was wrong. I don't know the contents of the letter, but it upset Judy, too.
She didn't I don't know if she used those words, but I know she said that Nicole was bothered by the letter, was upset by the letter.
Okay. On the morning of June 13th prior to Simpson getting back to Rockingham, were you confident that Simpson knew that Sydney and Justin were down at the Browns and in good hands?
I really didn't know. As a friend and a close friend, I felt it was my duty to do whatever I could, and, you know, I felt as long as I was with them, they was gonna be okay.
Okay. On June 13th after Mr. Simpson had arrived back to L.A., did you have any conversation with him that day?
Is it your intention to assert your Fifth Amendment right to every question I ask on June 13th, 1994 from any time after Mr. Simpson arrived back from Los Angeles?
Other than the people I just asked you about, was there anybody else you spoke to that day that you recall after Mr. Simpson arrived back from Chicago to Los Angeles?
Now, Mr. Re, you earlier responded that he was going to assert the privilege to any question of that kind.
Is it your intention to assert the privilege for any conversation he had on June 13th, 1994 with anybody he spoke to after Mr. Simpson arrived back to Los Angeles?
Unless I am given a specific person, yes. I mean, there maybe for example, we let him talk about the conversation with Judy Brown.
I understand. It's potentially possible that there could be someone that he talked to, but it would have to be something that would really probably you would not be interested in with regard to this case. So with regard to any material area, yes.
At any time on June 13th between June 13th and June 17th, did you speak to anybody in the Bahamas?
Because we are taking the privilege with regard to this time period, to be consistent I suggest you assert the privilege.
Privilege. Why don't you just give me immunity, and I can answer all these questions for you?
Okay. On June 14th now, okay, did you have any conversations on the morning of the 14th with Judy Brown regarding Mr. Simpson?
He took a look at the xerox that was just brought down here, and he remembers where that photograph was taken, 178. Do you want to ask him?
Now, Mr. Re, earlier last Wednesday I asked your client about the morning of the 14th and ; conversations he had with Lou Brown, and he answered those questions.
You know something? I really don't have too much problem with your questions regarding the Browns and what he had to do with that if we can get through it relatively quickly.
My question was: Did you have any conversations with Judy Brown the morning of June 14th regarding Mr. Simpson?
We had conversations. I couldn't tell you exactly what the conversations were about 'cause there was a lot of talking. You know, it was a mourning period. People were very sad, mourning, you know, the loss of their loved one, and sometimes there was no talking; other times they were talking. So it was I couldn't tell you exactly what, you know, the contents of the conversation.
You know, if it speeds it up, I am willing to stipulate that you asked those same questions regarding each of the succeeding days and he asserts the privilege to each of those questions regarding each succeeding day up until what, June 17th?
I pulled up. Just as I was approaching the building, the garage of the mortuary, one of the garages opened up and a black Mercedes pulled out, which was Bob Shapiro's car, and O.J. was sitting in the back.
Could you tell me who, if anybody else, you saw at the wake on June 15th after you had seen Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Simpson?
Is it your intention to assert the Fifth with regard to any conversations Mr. Cowlings had on June 15th, 1994?
Okay. Could you tell me where you were that morning before going up to the funeral mass in Los Angeles?
Could you tell me who you or how you got down to Orange County to the burial from the mass up in Los Angeles?
Okay. Do you recall going back to the Browns' house after the burial service at the cemetery?
Did you switch any clothing with Mr. Simpson when you were at the Browns after the burial?
Did you take Mr. Simpson's limo back to Rockingham after switching clothes with him at the Browns?
Did you go back to Mr. Simpson's house on Rockingham after switching clothes with him and taking his limousine back there?
Okay. On June 16th, 1994 did anybody ever discuss with you the fact that Mr. Simpson may be arrested for Nicole's murder?
No. I'm going to ask some different questions. Is it your intention with regard to June 16th to assert the privilege with regard to each and every material conversation he might have had that day?
By the way, do you know who picked up Mr. Simpson at the airport when he got back on June 13th?
Do you have any knowledge of Mr. Simpson going back to the airport to pick up his golf clubs on June 14th with Mr. Kardashian?
Do you know what was in Mr. Simpson's golf bag that he picked up at the airport on June 14th, 1994?
Did you ever have the opportunity to see inside any of the luggage Mr. Simpson brought back from Chicago on June 13th, 1994?
I will tell you that we will assert the Fifth Amendment to every material question regarding that entire day.
Okay. Did you have any conversations with Mr. Simpson the morning of June 17th at Kardashian's house?
Did you overhear any conversations between any other parties that morning at Kardashian's house?
Could you tell me what, if anything, you observed Mr. Simpson do that day of June 17th at Kardashian's house?
Did you observe Mr. Simpson write any letters that day of June 1 7th at Kardashian's house?
Did you overhear any conversations Mr. Simpson had on the telephone that day at Kardashian's house?
Okay. On June 17th did you at any time that day discuss Mr. Simpson's guilt or innocence with regard to Nicole's murder?
On that day did you have any information as to Mr. Simpson being arrested prior to the time he was?
Could you tell me where Mr. Simpson wanted to go that day when you left Kardashian's house?
You don't think you have a sufficient record? I mean, I realize you have within your control to ask him one question he asserts the privilege to or a thousand questions he asserts the privilege to. If the point is only to get him to assert the privilege a thousand times
I want to go into one more area, series of questions, and then I'm done. Okay? The record has to be complete.
Could you tell me, when you left Kardashian's on June 17th, 1994 with Mr. Simpson, why Mr. Simpson had his passport?
Okay. Did Simpson ever indicate to you he needed someone with him to commit suicide that day?
Did Simpson ever indicate to you that he couldn't take his own life at Kardashian's that day?
Okay. When you got back to Rockingham the night of June 17th, 1994, could you tell me who was there?
Is it your intention to assert the Fifth regarding any material conversations Mr. Cowlings had that day?
Okay. Is it his intention to assert the Fifth with regard to any of his actions that day?
Is it his intention to assert the Fifth with regard to any of his observations that day?
Okay. I'm done. I just want to reserve the right to any further questions should Mr. Cowlings ever be granted judicial immunity of one sort of another in the future.
Okay. Prior to June 12th,1994,did you ever have any discussions with (name deleted) regarding Mr. Simpson?
Okay. Subsequent to June 12th first of all, I will ask you at any time between June 13th and June 17th, 1994, did you have any conversations with (name deleted)?
The other girl didn't show, and I said, "What's going on here?" And she says, "Well, don't you want me?"
So she says, "Well, don't you want me?" Because she was telling me how excited she was about the events that had happened and she was getting off on it, and
Did you have any substantive conversations with her at all during that hour and a half, two hours?
I think she asked me was I all right and everything, and I said, "No, I was just concerned," and we had sex.
Did you discuss with her Mr. Simpson's state of mind prior to the murders of Nicole and Ron on June 12th,1994?
Any discussion as to how Mr. Simpson had been behaving in the months prior to Nicole's murder?
Any discussions where you told her conversations you had had with Simpson after the murder of Nicole and Ron?
Any discussions with [her] as to the location of any clothing, shoes or knife Mr. Simpson may have had the night of June 12th, 1994?
Any indication that you knew the knife had been thrown in water somewhere by Mr. Simpson that night?
And it's your testimony that you had no conversation with (name deleted) regarding anything related to the facts and circumstances of this murder?
I do not know whose body that is. It could be your body, for all I know.
Facially that's O.J. Simpson. Anywhere down from there, I don't know.
I was trying to find out who the players were, what type of people that they were hanging out with.
The only concrete thing I know pertaining to anything pertaining to drugs was Faye being... in rehab.
I guess everybody knows through the leaks in here. Geraldo gets it before anybody.
Mr. Cowlings, my name is Daniel Petrocelli. I represent Fredric Goldman. You have asserted the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination a number of times throughout this deposition. I would like to ask you some questions about that.
Were you aware that your lawyer, Mr. Re, made comments to the press to the effect that you wanted to talk, you wanted to tell your story? Are you aware of that?
Are you aware that your lawyer made comments on your behalf that you wanted to testify fully and completely and wanted to tell the complete story that you have?
Whatever. That you wanted to be able to tell your story. Yeah, if you had immunity, you would talk.
Well, wait a second. He has no obligation to get immunity, he cannot get immunity, and under Kauffman and Daly you are the one who can get him immunity. So there is nothing that he can do in any event.
Well, the question is: Have you done anything, have you taken any effort, made any effort to obtain permission from the D.A.'s office or go to court, seek relief, or do anything to enable you to come here in this case and give full and complete testimony?
There is no procedure for him to do that. That's an improper question. I direct him not to answer it.
He is not a lawyer. He can't instruct me what to do under the law. It's an improper question. There is nothing that can be done in that regard, and it's totally improper. I direct him.
Have you had any discussions with anybody about whether or not you would testify fully and completely in this deposition in this lawsuit, other than counsel?
Okay. You understand that the Fifth Amendment is a right that belongs to you and not to your lawyer. Right?
And you can choose not to exercise it and testify fully and answer all the questions. Right?
Anyone who implies that there is something wrong with asserting the Fifth Amendment is doing it for grandstanding and grandstanding only, because there is nothing wrong with that.
KEY QUOTEOkay. And have you taken any significant breaks from your employment in the last five years since you've been there?
Just in the last two years with this unfortunate situation. He's been more than people I work for have been very supportive.
We talk. We've known each other. We talk off and on. Not all the time, but every once in a while.
She's an entertainer, she's on the road a lot, and she was on tour with the Rolling Stones for a couple years, I guess, this last tour they had.
I could have. And most of the time when I go to New York, I may call her to see if she's in town or something. I don't know if I did or not.
I don't know if it was no, I don't know when it was. I had a lot of phone calls, and I was returning phone calls to the people that I knew.
No, no. He said, "Who else did you talk to in New York..." I am asking you to assert a privilege to it.
And you spoke to Mr. Bender about the fact that Mr. Simpson stayed with him a couple days before the murder. Right?
or June let me see yeah, the week of June 5, June 5 being a Sunday, you were there what days that week in New York?
I was there the week before I was there before that before the weekend all that happened, I was in New York. I came in the week yeah, I guess.
I came in I think on like on a Thursday or a Friday. Yeah, I guess that date that you earlier
The week I think I came in like the following week. Could have been a Wednesday or a Thursday.
Okay. And, now, you said you had a telephone call with Mr. Simpson I believe on Tuesday when you were in New York and he was in Los Angeles. Is that right?
Yes, I think no. The phone call no, I take that back. The phone call came into Bob Bender's house, and Bobby and I were there. O.J.
Okay. And then you told Mr. Simpson you were going back to L A., and he was coming out to Bender's, actually. Right?
Yes, he was coming in to New York. I didn't know if he was going to stay there. He was coming into New York.
Okay. Now, you've spoken to Bender about Simpson's stay with him those couple of days that week, didn't you?
Isn't it true that Mr. Bender described to you what O.J. Simpson was like during those couple of days at his house?
of ever having spoken with Mr. Bender about Mr. Simpson's behavior and his demeanor during those few days?
Okay. Did you have any conversation with Paula Barbieri in the month of June prior to June 12th?
There was one I stopped by O.J.'s one night to get a ball autographed, and Paula was there, Paula, Arnelle, O.J. When that happened, I don't know. It would have been before June.
And was it your understanding when you saw Mr. Simpson there with Paula Barbieri that he had resumed his relationship with her?
In other words, from the first time he met Paula Barbieri and started to date her, you never understood that he broke up with her for an extended period of time. True?
And you never became aware of a time in his relationship with Miss Barbieri where he stopped seeing her for an extended period of time. True?
Well, that's what I'm saying. You don't have any knowledge that he ever stopped seeing her for a lengthy period of time. Correct?
I don't know. I don't know. I couldn't answer that. I wasn't around a lot, so I couldn't tell you what status the y were.
Well, you know he was seeing Miss Barbieri during his divorce with Nicole, right, back in 1992 when he first met her?
If that much. I really didn't see a lot of Paula and O.J. because I wasn't coming around that much.
Okay. So let me make sure we're clear on this. As you sit here today, prior to the murders I am only referring to prior to the murders on June 12 you have no knowledge or information about the status of his relationship with Paula Barbieri, when it was on, when it was off, and so forth?
He had called me that's when he was involved with Swiss Army knives and he said he he put my name down as something pertaining to a deal that he was involved in. And he said he couldn't go into details at this point in time, but, you know, he let me know that he was thinking of me, and once it was finalized or everything was put in it's proper place, he would be able to explain to me a little more detail what it was about.
So within five years prior to Nicole's death, did you have any common business investments with Mr. Simpson?
Okay. Has O.J. Simpson transferred any financial investments or instruments to you in the last two or three years?
Okay. Do you know whether he has transferred any financial investments or instruments to anyone?
Okay. Do you have any photographs of O.J. Simpson taken, let's say, within five years before Nicole's death in your possession?
Okay. Do you have any other pictures of Mr. Simpson taken within five years before Nicole's death?
Okay. Is this deposition the first time you've ever been examined under oath concerning the circumstances of Nicole and Ron Goldman's death?
You mean questions he has answered, not people have questioned the press have questioned him repeatedly.
Okay. Have you ever been videotaped in answering questions, practiced, rehearsing, anything like that?
Some film work. I worked as a T.A. on a number of commercials, worked on two features as a technical adviser on anything related to football.
I was involved in advertising; I was involved in a restaurant, worked for Public Storage; done commercial work, film work.
I ran their I came in as a district manager, and then I got appointed to head up start up a maintenance program in maintaining the projects in the Los Angeles County area.
I got involved with a restaurant. I started it up, and then the restaurant opportunity came. I was made partners of a restaurant over in Hollywood called Fellini's, and then so I left Public Storage.
A guy by the name of Fred Levinson, who was the commercial director who I been knowing for a long time.
One was I don't know one was they were brothers, and one was named Alan and I forgot the other one's name. So we didn't see eye to eye, so I left.
What did I do. I think I did commercial work. I did a trying to think, figure out when would this fall in. I was the Kool man, Kool cigarettes print ad, black model for Kool for two years. They had a cigarette campaign. I did billboards, print ads, and I did that for about two years, off and on.
I don't know where it falls in there. Could have been, or it could have been before. I really couldn't tell you.
It was July or was it November. It's been a couple years. I couldn't give you the exact date.
Her and I went together for about a year almost. He met her, been out with her. Nicole, too.
Okay. How many times did you think that Nicole and Marion had come into contact with each other?
Went by the house once, went to dinner with O.J. and Nicole and two other couples. Could have been two or three times.
We just thought that it would have been best because I wanted to keep her out of all this craziness, so I just tried to keep some sanity, you know, with us. It was just before it happened we kinda like we were having some problems. Then after it happened I just told her, you know, just, you know, be best that we just, you know, try to maintain some privacy.
Okay. Let me get this straight. You still had a place on San Vicente in Santa Monica while you were living with your wife
No. Her and I lived on Centinela, but I still had my apartment on San Vicente, 7th and San Vicente.
When her and I split up, I went back. Then when the earthquake hit and damaged my apartment, I moved up to the Palisades.
Okay. We will have to break now. I was hoping that we could commence again on Monday. Mr. Leonard informs me he is not available on Monday, so I guess we are going to have to schedule this at the next best date for everyone.
Well, I just want to say on the record that I would like to get this done as soon as possible.
And perhaps you can rearrange your schedule to make yourself available sometime next week?
Okay. Well, because of all the objections on the record, I just think it's important that we get this transcript completed as soon as possible.
Because I have to stop at 4:30, and I can't finish in a half an hour, anyway.
And I asked Mr. Re and he is not available tomorrow, although I'm willing to come in tomorrow to do this.
Okay. So I guess we will have to adjourn at this point.
THE VIDEOGRAPHER: This concludes the deposition of Allen Cowlings, Volume III. The number of videotapes used was three. We are going off the record, and the time is approximately 4:26.
With the grant of immunity?
Do you have something to hide, sir?
The phone call came into Bob Bender's house, and Bobby and I were there. O.J. had called from his carphone.
Anyone who implies that there is something wrong with asserting the Fifth Amendment is doing it for grandstanding and grandstanding only.