Direct examination of Arnelle Simpson

📄 Direct examination of Arnelle Simpson — Wednesday, July 6, 1994

Address:

C:\DEPT103\PRELIMINARY\1994\JUL\6\DIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-ARNELLE-.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 4 of 6

◀ Resumption of afternoon proceedings Cross-examination of Arnelle Simpson ▶

Witness: Arnelle Simpson
Examiner: Gerald Uelmen
Called by: Defense • Date: Wednesday, July 6, 1994 • Lines: 160

Arnelle Simpson described being awakened by two detectives at the Rockingham home around 5:30 a.m., leading them inside, and learning from an officer that Nicole had been murdered. She detailed her calls to Cathy Randa, Al Cowlings, and Nicole's mother, her retrieval of the children, and the early-morning timeline. The defense also established that she never gave police permission to search or seize property and refused Detective Lange's request to take an envelope.

# 1 MR. UELMEN:

Thank you, your Honor. The defense would like to call Arnelle Simpson.

# 2 THE COURT:

Face the clerk, please, and raise your right hand.

# 3 THE CLERK:

You do solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give in the cause now pending before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god?

# 4 ARNELLE SIMPSON:

I do. Arnelle Simpson, called as a witness by and on behalf of the defendant, was examined and testified as follows:

# 5 THE CLERK:

Please be seated. State and spell your name, for the record.

# 6 ARNELLE SIMPSON:

Arnelle lorraine Simpson, A-r-n-e-l-l-e L-o-r-r-a-i-n-e. Simpson, S-i-m-p-s-o-n.

# 7 THE COURT:

Thank you. You may inquire.

# 8

DIRECT EXAMINATION

# 9

BY MR. UELMEN:

# 10 Q:

Miss Simpson, are you related to Mr. O.J. Simpson?

# 11 A:

Yes, I am.

# 12 Q:

And how are you related?

# 13 A:

His daughter.

# 14 Q:

And how old are you?

# 15 A:

25.

# 16 Q:

Now, do you live with the -- Mr. Simpson at the family home on Rockingham?

# 17 A:

Yes, I do.

# 18 Q:

And how long have you lived there?

# 19 A:

For a year and four months.

# 20 Q:

And we have a chart to your left there that lays out the premises. Could you show us where on that chart your room is located?

# 21 A:

Right here.

# 22 Q:

All right. And you are pointing to the portion of the guest quarters marked "Arnelle's room"?

# 23 A:

Yes.

# 24 Q:

Now, were you in that room on the morning of Monday, June 13?

# 25 A:

Yes, I was.

# 26 Q:

And were you awakened that morning by police officers?

# 27 A:

Yes, I was.

# 28 Q:

Approximately what time of the morning did they wake you up?

# 29 A:

It had to be about 5:30 in the morning.

# 30 Q:

5:30?

# 31 A:

Yes.

# 32 Q:

And did the officers tell you why they were there?

# 33 A:

No, they did not.

# 34 Q:

Could you recount for us what was said?

# 35 A:

They were knocking on my door. I went and opened the door. There were two detectives standing there. They asked me who I was. I told them I was Arnelle Simpson. They said they had been outside, trying to get inside the house; that they were ringing the bell. I said I didn't hear them. Then they asked me where my father was, and I said that I believed he was out of town. They said, "do you know how to get in touch with him?" I said, "yes, I do." They said, "can you get in touch with him?" I said, "yes, I can."

# 36 Q:

Now, how were you dressed at this point?

# 37 A:

I was in pajamas.

# 38 Q:

And did you lead the officers then into the house?

# 39 A:

Yes, I did. I walked outside my house, outside the door of my room, and went to the front of the house, turned off the alarm and walked in the house.

# 40 Q:

So you walked all the way around outside, around the perimeter of the house?

# 41 A:

Yeah.

# 42 Q:

Do you want to indicate with the pointer the path you followed?

# 43 A:

I walked from here, this way, into the front door.

# 44 Q:

Indicating you crossed the rear patio area?

# 45 A:

Yes, right here.

# 46 Q:

And then around the -- a Uh-huh.

# 47 Q:

Did you go into the front door of the house or the door to the kitchen?

# 48 A:

the front door.

# 49 Q:

The front door?

# 50 A:

Yeah.

# 51 Q:

And you disarmed the alarm?

# 52 A:

Yes.

# 53 Q:

And you led the officers into the kitchen?

# 54 A:

Into the kitchen.

# 55 Q:

How many officers were with you at that point?

# 56 A:

There were two officers with me.

# 57 Q:

Now, when you entered the kitchen, did they ask you to make a telephone call?

# 58 A:

Yeah, they did.

# 59 Q:

And who did you indicate you were going to call?

# 60 A:

I said I didn't know exactly where my father was, but I could call somebody who would know where he was.

# 61 Q:

Who is that?

# 62 A:

Cathy Randa.

# 63 Q:

And who is Cathy Randa?

# 64 A:

My father's assistant.

# 65 Q:

Did you have Cathy's number right there?

# 66 A:

Not right there. I had to walk out of the kitchen door to my car to get my phone book.

# 67 Q:

Where was your car parked?

# 68 A:

My car was parked right here.

# 69 Q:

And could you describe the car?

# 70 A:

It is a black Saab.

# 71 Q:

Now, you are indicating a little indented portion of the driveway leading out to Rockingham?

# 72 A:

yeah; right here. My car was parked towards this end.

# 73 Q:

And after you obtained your telephone or address book, you went back into the kitchen?

# 74 A:

Yes, I did.

# 75 Q:

And did you place the telephone call?

# 76 A:

Yes, I did.

# 77 Q:

And do you recall about what time you placed that call?

# 78 A:

A quarter to 6.

# 79 Q:

And did you speak to Cathy Randa?

# 80 A:

Yes, I did.

# 81 Q:

Now, at this point were you aware of why the officers were there?

# 82 A:

Yes, I was.

# 83 Q:

How did you become aware of that?

# 84 A:

When I was walking out to my car, one of the officers followed me; and I had told him, "I need to know what is going on." and he then told me that nicole was murdered and somebody else was with her.

KEY QUOTE

# 85 Q:

all right. At any time up to this point, did any of the officers indicate to you that they were concerned that a suicide or murder might have taken place on the Rockingham premises?

# 86 A:

No, they did not.

# 87 Q:

Did they indicate they were concerned that anyone might be hurt or bleeding on the premises?

# 88 A:

No.

# 89 Q:

Did they ask you whether anything unusual had happened the night before?

# 90 A:

No.

# 91 Q:

You placed the call to Cathy Randa?

# 92 A:

Yes, I did.

# 93 Q:

Would you describe the conversation you had with her.

# 94 A:

I called Cathy and I said, "Cathy, I have some really horrible news"; and I started to cry and I handed the phone over to the detective.

KEY QUOTE

# 95 Q:

And the remaining conversation was with the detective and Cathy?

# 96 A:

And Cathy.

# 97 Q:

At the conclusion of that conversation, did you place any other telephone calls?

# 98 A:

Yes, I did.

# 99 Q:

Who else did you call?

# 100 A:

I called al Cowlings, A.C.

# 101 Q:

And did you at some point leave the kitchen area to get dressed?

# 102 A:

Yes.

# 103 Q:

You went back to your room?

# 104 A:

I went back to my room. In fact, I made the phone call from my room to A.C.

# 105 Q:

And did you at some point leave the premises to retrieve the children?

# 106 A:

Yes, I did.

# 107 Q:

And where did you go to retrieve the children?

# 108 A:

I went down to the police station to pick up the kids.

# 109 Q:

And you brought them back to the premises?

# 110 A:

Brought them immediately back to the house.

# 111 Q:

At any point, then, in this process, did you place a call to Nicole's mother?

# 112 A:

Yes, I did.

# 113 Q:

And did you tell her the news?

# 114 A:

I attempted to tell her, and then the detective ended up telling her.

# 115 Q:

Now, at some point were you asked to leave the premises at 360 north Rockingham?

# 116 A:

Yes, I was.

# 117 Q:

Do you recall about what time that was?

# 118 A:

It had to have been around 7:15, 7:30.

# 119 Q:

So about 7:15 to 7:30, you had already retrieved the children and brought them back to the premises?

# 120 A:

Right.

# 121 Q:

And the officers at that point asked you to leave?

# 122 A:

Yes.

# 123 Q:

Now, at the time the officers arrived at -- between 5 and 5:30 in the morning, was anyone else on the premises other than yourself and Kato Kaelin?

# 124 A:

No.

# 125 Q:

Is there a maid who lives on the premises?

# 126 A:

Yes, there is.

# 127 Q:

And what is her name?

# 128 A:

Gigi.

# 129 Q:

And gigi was not on the premises?

# 130 A:

No, she was not.

# 131 Q:

And why is that?

# 132 A:

she has the weekends off.

# 133 Q:

Every weekend?

# 134 A:

So far, yes.

# 135 Q:

And did you explain that to the officers?

# 136 A:

I believe I did, yes.

# 137 Q:

I believe -- you had returned to the premises late the night before?

# 138 A:

Yes. I did.

# 139 Q:

And where had you been?

# 140 A:

At the movies.

# 141 Q:

And about what time did you get back?

# 142 A:

About 1 o'clock.

# 143 Q:

And you were asleep, then, from 1 o'clock until the officers woke you up?

# 144 A:

Yes, I was.

# 145 Q:

all right. Anything that caused you concern about what was going on on the premises during that entire period?

# 146 A:

Huh-uh, no.

# 147 Q:

You were unaware of any strange noises or any strange occurrences?

# 148 A:

No.

# 149 Q:

At any time did you tell the officers that they had your permission to search the premises or to seize any property on the premises?

# 150 A:

No, I did not.

# 151 Q:

At any point did any officer ask you if he could take any item of property from the premises?

# 152 A:

No.

# 153 Q:

How about any documents, letters, envelopes, anything of that nature?

# 154 A:

Yeah. At one time the officer had asked me if they could take an envelope that he had written on, and I said "no" because it was a bill of mine.

KEY QUOTE

# 155 Q:

And that was in the kitchen?

# 156 A:

Yes, it was in the kitchen.

# 157 Q:

Do you recall which officer that was?

# 158 A:

Lange, officer Lange.

# 159 MR. UELMEN:

Thank you. Nothing further.

# 160 THE COURT:

Miss Clark.

Temperature

routine

Key Quotes (4)

Arnelle Simpson

When I was walking out to my car, one of the officers followed me; and I had told him, "I need to know what is going on." and he then told me that nicole was murdered and somebody else was with her.

This explains when and how Simpson first learned why police were at the property.

Arnelle Simpson

I called Cathy and I said, "Cathy, I have some really horrible news"; and I started to cry and I handed the phone over to the detective.

This was the examination's clearest emotional moment and describes police taking over the notification call.

Arnelle Simpson

No, I did not.

Simpson denied ever giving officers permission to search the premises or seize property, supporting the defense's challenge to police authority at Rockingham.

Arnelle Simpson

Yeah. At one time the officer had asked me if they could take an envelope that he had written on, and I said "no" because it was a bill of mine.

This provided a specific example of Simpson refusing police permission to remove property.

Evidence (4)

Informal

A chart of the Rockingham property on which Simpson identified her bedroom, the route she took into the main house, and where her car was parked.

displayed and used to illustrate testimony

Informal

Simpson's telephone or address book, which she retrieved from her car to find Cathy Randa's telephone number.

discussed

Informal

An envelope in the kitchen on which Detective Lange had written; Simpson refused permission to take it because it was her bill.

discussed and requested by police but withheld

Informal

Simpson's black Saab, parked in an indented portion of the Rockingham driveway and containing her telephone or address book.

discussed and located on the premises chart

Notable Exchanges (3)

Gerald Uelmen•Arnelle Simpson

Using the property chart, Uelmen had Simpson trace how she led two detectives from her room, around the exterior patio, through the front door, and into the kitchen after disarming the alarm.

revealing

Gerald Uelmen•Arnelle Simpson

Simpson said officers initially gave no reason for their presence and expressed no concern that anyone at Rockingham might be injured, bleeding, murdered, or suicidal.

strategic

Gerald Uelmen•Arnelle Simpson

Uelmen established that Simpson never consented to a search or seizure and specifically refused Detective Lange's request to take an envelope from the kitchen.

strategic

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 9127 • 160 lines • Defense witness

Preliminary Trial

Department 103