Further redirect examination of Det. Tom Lange

📄 Further redirect examination of Det. Tom Lange — Thursday, July 7, 1994

Address:

C:\DEPT103\PRELIMINARY\1994\JUL\7\FURTHER-REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-O.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 5 of 6

◀ Recross-examination of Det. Tom Lange Direct examination of Philip Vannatter (part 1) ▶

Witness: Det. Tom Lange
Examiner: Marcia Clark
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Thursday, July 7, 1994 • Lines: 12

In a brief further redirect, Marcia Clark asked Detective Tom Lange why using one criminalist across all crime scenes in a case could be preferable. Lange cited chain of custody, continuity of knowledge, and having one person familiar with all scenes. Robert Shapiro declined further questions, and Lange was excused.

# 1 THE COURT:

Ms. Clark, anything else?

# 2 MS. CLARK:

One question, your honor, I'm sorry. further REDIRECT EXAMINATION

# 3

BY MS. CLARK:

# 4 Q:

Sir, is it preferable to use one criminalist in a case to process all the scenes related to one case?

# 5 A:

Yes.

# 6 Q:

And why is that?

# 7 A:

To maintain a certain order and custody of evidence, to have one person with knowledge of more than one scene, someone who is up on everything that's going on with both scenes. It's important for chain of custody of evidence. It's important to be on the same page with the criminalist, and it would be very difficult to employ more than one criminalist unless it was absolutely necessary.

KEY QUOTE

# 8 Q:

And if you have one criminalist who processes all scenes, he's going to know what's important at each scene because he's seen them all and he may pick up things that you haven't?

KEY QUOTE

# 9 A:

Oh, yes.

# 10 MS. CLARK:

I have nothing further.

# 11 THE COURT:

Anything further?

# 12 MR. SHAPIRO:

This witness may be excused.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (2)

Tom Lange

To maintain a certain order and custody of evidence, to have one person with knowledge of more than one scene, someone who is up on everything that's going on with both scenes.

Directly supports the prosecution's framing of the evidence collection as methodologically sound, preemptively defending against chain-of-custody attacks.

Marcia Clark

And if you have one criminalist who processes all scenes, he's going to know what's important at each scene because he's seen them all and he may pick up things that you haven't?

Clark rehabilitates the single-criminalist approach, implicitly defending Dennis Fung's role processing both the Bundy and Rockingham scenes.

Notable Exchanges (1)

Robert Shapiro•Kathleen Kennedy-Powell

Shapiro declined further recross, and Lange was excused.

strategic

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 8976 • 12 lines • Prosecution witness

Preliminary Trial

Department 103