Plaintiffs' Photo Expert Turns To Bundy Glove
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Jan. 15, Noon) -- Plaintiffs' photo expert, Gerald Richards, continued on the stand Wednesday morning in the O.J. Simpson civil trial. But his testimony was disrupted by legal maneuvering as the defense filed an emergency writ in the court of appeals, asking that the expert not be permitted to discuss the newly discovered Bruno Magli photos. Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki agreed to pause Richards' testimony on that point, but said if the appellate court did not rule by the end of the day, the expert could address the new shoe photos Thursday.
Wednesday afternoon, LAPD crime laboratory assistant director Gregory Matheson, who is testifying about the Bundy glove and blood found Simpson's Bronco, will continue on cross-examination. Also scheduled are criminalist Dennis Fung and three police photographers.
The defense's appeal centered on two main points. First, that the plaintiffs could not bring up the 30 new photos in rebuttal because it was outside the scope of the defense case. And second, that the defense was not given adequate discovery.
In the appeal, the defense also asked that FBI shoe print expert William Bodziak be barred from testifying about the pictures. Judge Fujisaki earlier ruled that Richards and Bodziak could testify about the photos, taken Sept. 26, 1993 by freelance photographer E.J. Flammer. The appeals court has not yet ruled on the matter.
On Tuesday, Richards declared that a photograph taken by freelance photographer Harry Scull, on the same day as the Flammer pictures, was genuine.
Wednesday morning, the expert turned his attention to another set of photographs -- of the Bundy glove. The defense has contended that the glove found at the crime scene may not have been the same glove booked into evidence -- because a picture of the glove appeared to show a hole in the ring finger. But Richards, who looked at the picture under high magnification, said the hole was actually debris.
"I was asked to examine this particular white spot," Richards said referring to the photograph. "In this particular case, it was my determination that it was a piece of debris sitting on top of the glove itself."
On cross-examination, defense attorney Daniel Leonard attempted to poke holes in Richards' long resume, pointing out that this was the first case Richards had ever testified in concerning a forged photo. Leonard also contended that Richards, when analyzing the Bruno Magli photo, should have looked at the history of the picture -- namely, that it was sold to the National Enquirer and that the negative was flown to London at one point. However, Richards could not be shaken from his determination.
"In my mind, I'm 100 percent certain it is not a fake," Richards said.
Matheson, the assistant director of the LAPD crime laboratory, testified about his collection of blood evidence taken from Simpson's Ford Bronco. The defense contends the blood, which was collected at the end of August 1994, more than two months after the murders, may have been planted. Matheson took the jury through a series of photographs, taken in early August that showed the inside of the Bronco. Matheson pointed out bloodstains that he collected several weeks later. Jurors were handed the photographs and they inspected them using a magnifying glass.
Matheson was also asked about the Bundy glove, which he also collected blood samples from. He pointed out at least five blood spots and patterns that were both on the glove in evidence and on photographs from the crime scene.
"Do you believe this glove, here in court, is the same glove depicted in the crime scene photographs," asked plaintiffs lawyer Thomas Lambert.
"Yes I do," replied Matheson.
-Robert Schmidt
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