Rebuttal Witnesses Challenge Defense Contamination Theory
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Jan. 16, Noon) -- The plaintiffs, preparing to wrap up their rebuttal case in the O.J. Simpson civil trial, presented two experts Thursday morning to debunk defense theories that evidence was planted and contaminated.
Research scientist Terry Lee, testified that traces of EDTA, a chemical used to preserve blood, most likely came from contamination in the FBI laboratory. Bradley Popovich, a molecular geneticist, told jurors that none of the blood evidence in the case was contaminated.
Court will continue Thursday afternoon with two final plaintiffs' witnesses: photo expert Gerald Richards and FBI shoe print expert William Bodziak. Both are expected to testify about the newly discovered Bruno Magli photographs. Although this afternoon's court session was scheduled to be scrapped because lead defense attorney Robert Baker has a conflicting obligation, the plaintiffs will now finish their case without Baker in the courtroom.
The plaintiffs' first witness of the morning was Angelica Guzman, an LAPD officer, assigned on the day after the murders to watch over Simpson's Bronco, which was parked outside his Rockingham home. Guzman, who's partner, Donald Thompson, testified earlier this week, filled out an impound report for the Bronco, noting that the car's battery and alternator were in operable condition. The defense contends that Guzman's report proves that officers were inside the Bronco -- or at least popped open the hood. But Guzman, who admitted she was a rookie at the time and still in training, said she assumed the car was in working order because it had four wheels, no damage, and was not cluttered with debris. She insisted that she did not go inside the Bronco, nor did any other police officer while she was watching.
Lee was called to testify about experiments conducted by Roger Martz, an FBI scientist who testified during the criminal trial that small amounts of EDTA found in blood stains on Simpson's socks and on the back gate at Bundy were normal and did not show signs of planting. The defense has suggested that those blood stains were planted using blood samples that police took from Simpson and his ex-wife. Lee disputed that claim, saying that only traces of EDTA showed up in Martz's tests of the evidence. If the evidence was contaminated by the reference blood, Lee told the jury, Martz's experiments would have shown a much greater presence of EDTA, perhaps 100 times more. Lee further noted that EDTA is not present in human blood, so the most likely source of the chemical was from leftover traces on the FBI lab's equipment.
"Is it your opinion that there is no way EDTA in those evidence samples could have come from a [blood sample]?" plaintiffs lawyer Thomas Lambert asked.
"That is my opinion," Lee replied.
For his testimony, Popovich reviewed all the blood evidence collected in the case and checked over the work of the laboratories that performed DNA tests. Popovich vouched for all three laboratories, and he said nothing was wrong with the evidence handling techniques used by the technicians.
"My opinion is that there's absolutely no evidence of any contamination whatsoever," Popovich said.
He also defended LAPD lab technician Collin Yamauchi, who was unceasingly attacked by the defense for bungling his lab tests and using improper safeguards to protect the evidence.
"I think that the work Collin did was reliable and I see no reason not to trust any of it," said Popovich. "And I think it's good data."
-Robert Schmidt
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