Redirect examination of Philip Vannatter

📄 Redirect examination of Philip Vannatter — Thursday, July 7, 1994

Address:

C:\DEPT103\PRELIMINARY\1994\JUL\7\REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-PHILIP.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 5 of 6

◀ Continued cross-examination of Philip Vannatter Recross-examination of Philip Vannatter ▶

Witness: Det. Philip Vannatter
Examiner: Marcia Clark
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Thursday, July 7, 1994 • Lines: 41

On redirect, Marcia Clark clarified that the Ross Cutlery knife was not crime-scene evidence, that only Dennis Fung among the named criminalists conducted field collection, and that the bloody shoe prints at Bundy faded before reaching the alley. Vannatter also explained a mistaken burglary-call notation and gave qualified testimony that police impound yards are generally secured, while admitting no personal knowledge of the West Los Angeles yard.

# 1

REDIRECT EXAMINATION

# 2

BY MS. CLARK:

# 3 Q:

Detective Vannatter, can you think of a reason why you would want to show the knife purchased from Ross cutlery to a criminalist?

# 4 A:

No.

# 5 Q:

It's not a knife recovered from a crime scene, was it?

KEY QUOTE

# 6 A:

No.

# 7 Q:

And with respect to the three people you named as criminalists in this case, of the three you named, how many were involved in the field work which -- by which, I mean, outside at crime scenes collecting evidence?

# 8 A:

Only one, Dennis Fung.

# 9 Q:

Did you see any bloody shoe prints on the driveway of 360 Rockingham?

# 10 A:

No.

# 11 Q:

As a matter of fact, by the -- you were at the original crime scene at 875 south Bundy; is that correct, sir?

# 12 A:

Yes.

# 13 Q:

And you followed, I think you indicated yesterday, the blood trail that led from the body of the victim -- bodies of the victims, out to the alleyway behind the residence?

# 14 A:

That's correct, yes.

# 15 Q:

Were the bloody shoe prints to the right of those blood drops visible the entire path next to the blood drops that were found all the way to the back of the residence?

# 16 A:

You could see portions of the shoe prints, yes.

# 17 Q:

Were they equally dark from the beginning of the trail to the end?

# 18 A:

No.

# 19 Q:

By the time you got out to the alley, could you see shoe prints at all?

KEY QUOTE

# 20 A:

No.

# 21 Q:

Are you familiar, sir, with a report or a paper with notes on it pertaining to a "459 at 874 south Bundy, suspects there now"?

# 22 A:

Yes, I have some knowledge of that.

# 23 Q:

Can you tell us -- enlighten us as to what that pertains to or how that came about, if you know?

# 24 A:

I can tell you what I was informed of.

# 25 Q:

Yes.

# 26 A:

I was informed by a uniformed officer -- and I can't recall his name -- that night at the scene, that that call was generated because the two original people that found the crime scene knocked on a person's door who wouldn't answer the door, and this person called the police and reported that they thought there were burglary suspects there.

KEY QUOTE

# 27 Q:

And those two people -- were those the witnesses that you located for the preliminary hearing, sukru boztepe and Bettina Rasmussen?

# 28 A:

That's correct, yes.

# 29 Q:

Sir, do you have any knowledge of the nature of the West L.A. impound yard in terms of its conditions of security?

# 30 A:

Personal knowledge?

# 31 Q:

Yes.

# 32 A:

No.

# 33 Q:

Have you -- in general, are police impound yards secure with respect to having some kind of barricade or gate within which vehicles that have been impounded can be locked?

# 34 A:

Yes. Definitely.

# 35 Q:

To your knowledge, is that the case with every police impound yard?

# 36 A:

Every one I've ever seen, yes.

KEY QUOTE

# 37 Q:

And is it your information that that is the same condition for the West L.A. impound yard, that that is also an area that is secure with respect to cars that have been impounded and placed there?

# 38 A:

I'm sure that it is, yes.

# 39 MS. CLARK:

I have nothing further.

# 40 THE COURT:

Mr. Shapiro.

# 41 MR. SHAPIRO:

Yes.

Temperature

routine

Key Quotes (5)

Marcia Clark

It's not a knife recovered from a crime scene, was it?

Clark distinguished the Ross Cutlery knife from physical evidence actually recovered in the investigation.

Marcia Clark

By the time you got out to the alley, could you see shoe prints at all?

The question established that the bloody shoe impressions faded along the escape path and were no longer visible at the alley.

Det. Philip Vannatter

No.

Vannatter confirmed that the shoe prints could not be seen by the end of the trail, addressing why prints might not appear elsewhere.

Det. Philip Vannatter

I was informed by a uniformed officer -- and I can't recall his name -- that night at the scene, that that call was generated because the two original people that found the crime scene knocked on a person's door who wouldn't answer the door, and this person called the police and reported that they thought there were burglary suspects there.

Vannatter explained that the "459" notation reflected a mistaken burglary report rather than evidence of actual suspects at the scene.

Det. Philip Vannatter

Every one I've ever seen, yes.

Vannatter supported the prosecution's claim that police impound yards are ordinarily secured, while limiting his answer to his own experience.

Evidence (4)

Informal

A knife purchased from Ross Cutlery that was not recovered from a crime scene and that Vannatter said he had no reason to show to a criminalist.

discussed

Informal

Bloody shoe prints and an accompanying blood-drop trail leading from the victims' bodies at 875 South Bundy toward the rear alley; Vannatter said the prints faded and were no longer visible by the alley.

discussed

Informal

A report or paper bearing notes stating, "459 at 874 south Bundy, suspects there now," which Vannatter explained arose from a neighbor's mistaken burglary report concerning the two people who discovered the crime scene.

discussed

Informal

Vehicles held in police impound yards, including the security conditions at the West Los Angeles impound yard; Vannatter lacked personal knowledge of that specific yard but said every police impound yard he had seen was secured.

discussed

Notable Exchanges (3)

Marcia Clark•Det. Philip Vannatter

Clark elicited that only Dennis Fung among the three named criminalists performed field evidence collection.

clarifying

Marcia Clark•Det. Philip Vannatter

Vannatter explained that bloody shoe impressions beside the Bundy blood trail became progressively less visible and disappeared before the alley.

revealing

Marcia Clark•Det. Philip Vannatter

Clark asked about security at the West Los Angeles impound yard; Vannatter admitted he had no personal knowledge of that facility but inferred it was secure from his general experience with police yards.

qualified

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 9138 • 41 lines • Prosecution witness

Preliminary Trial

Department 103