Simpson's Lawyers Challenge The Police
SANTA MONICA, Dec. 10 (Noon) The defense in the O.J. Simpson civil trial Tuesday morning began to set forth its theory that blood evidence in the case was planted and contaminated by the Los Angeles Police Department. On the stand, LAPD criminalist Andrea Mazzola faced a withering attack from the defense about the evidence she collected from the Bundy and Rockingham crime scenes.
Before Mazzola, retired Det. Philip Vannatter finished his testimony, coming under fire for his possession of the reference vial containing Simpson's blood. Thano Peratis, the nurse who drew Simpson's blood at the police station, is currently on the stand. The next scheduled witnesses are DNA expert Gregory Matheson and Det. Tom Lange, who co-supervised the murder investigation with Vannatter. LAPD criminalist Dennis Fung, who is on the defense witness list, has apparently been scrapped by the defense.
Defense attorney Robert Blasier launched into his examination of Mazzola, by noting that she was designated as the officer-in-charge of the investigation, although she was a rookie. The Simpson case was the third crime scene she worked on. Mazzola testified that the she was not actually in charge, but had the designation because she was slated to receive emergency phone calls that evening. Blasier also pointed out that Mazzola, not her supervisor Dennis Fung, collected most of the blood stains.
Next Blasier turned to sloppy procedure. Mazzola admitted that all of the blood evidence collected at Simpson's home was left unrefrigerated for about 10 hours in the back of the crime scene truck, even though there was a refrigerator in the vehicle. In another error, the criminalists forgot to place a ruler next to bloodstains they photographed, Blasier noted. The defense also showed jurors a videotape of Mazzola collecting evidence at the Bundy crime scene. She could clearly be seen picking up the bloody glove and the knit cap -- without changing gloves in between.
"Do you agree you did not change your gloves between collecting the glove and the knit cap?" Blasier asked.
"Correct," Mazzola replied, adding that she could not remember how often she changed gloves while she collected the evidence.
Later on cross examination by the plaintiffs, Mazzola said that she often changed her gloves, noting "to us changing gloves is the same as blinking, we don't think about it."
Fired back Blasier: "Ms. Mazzola, apparently you didn't blink between the glove and the knit cap, did you?"
"No, I did not," Mazzola conceded.
Blasier also asked Mazzola why she did not collect blood from the back gate of Nicole Brown Simpson's condominium. That blood was collected about a month after the crime and contained rich amounts of DNA similar to Simpson's type. The defense contends it was planted. Mazzola told the jury that she did not know that the condominium had a back gate when she was collecting evidence.
The defense sharply questioned Mazzola about her dealings with Simpson's blood reference vial. Blasier used the reference vial to raise the issues of planting and contamination. The plaintiffs contend that Vannatter brought the vial to the Rockingham crime scene on June 13 and gave it to Fung. The senior criminalist then put it into a bag and gave it to Mazzola who carried it to the lab and left it overnight on an evidence table, the plaintiffs say. Mazzola said she did not see Vannatter give the sample to Fung, and that she did not know if it was in the bag she brought back to the lab.
The reference vial was given the reference number 18 in Mazzola's notes. However, a pair of Simpson's tennis shoes -- turned into police the day after the blood sample -- was given number 17. Mazzola said she later switched the evidence numbers after Fung directed her to make the change. The defense contends that the numbering was not a mistake, and that Vannatter may have kept the blood overnight before turning it in to the lab.
But, if Simpson's blood sample was in the lab overnight, it could have been used to contaminate blood swatches that were in the same room, Blasier pointed out.
"So all the swatches were in open test tubes in the cabinet, in the same room with Mr. Simpson's reference blood, presumably in the trash bag?" Blasier asked.
"Correct," Mazzola answered.
-Robert Schmidt Court TV Law Center-Robert Schmidt
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