Petrocelli In Closing Points At Simpson And Calls Him 'A Killer'
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Jan. 21, Noon) -- Pointing to O.J. Simpson, lead plaintiffs attorney Daniel Petrocelli told jurors that "there is a killer in this courtroom" and said the jury should find him liable for the murders of his ex-wife and Ronald Goldman.
A stern and determined Petrocelli, making his closing argument Tuesday morning in the O.J. Simpson civil trial, methodically discussed the physical evidence found at the Bundy crime scene, at Simpson's house, and in his Ford Bronco, noting time and time again that the former football star had "no innocent explanation" for any of it.
Tuesday afternoon, Petrocelli, who represents Fredric Goldman, will continue his argument. He will be followed by the Brown's attorney John Kelly, who will likely discuss domestic abuse and play recordings of Nicole Brown Simpson's calls to 911. Michael Brewer, Sharon Rufo's lawyer, is expected to briefly talk to the jury about the verdict form they are supposed to fill out.
Petrocelli began his closing argument by showing the jury pictures of murder victims Ronald Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson when they were alive, noting that "these two vital people had most of their lives ahead of them." Goldman would have been 29, Petrocelli noted, and would have probably opened the restaurant that he had dreamed about. Nicole would have been 37 and still taking care of her kids, shuttling them to dance lessons and karate classes, Petrocelli said.
"Ron Goldman will never get to open his restaurant, and Nicole Brown Simpson will never see her children grow up," Petrocelli said. "Here they are in death," he continued, showing the jury pictures of their crumpled bodies at the Bundy crime scene.
Petrocelli then turned to the physical evidence, which he contended is the key evidence in the case. Simpson's DNA matched blood found at Bundy, a glove found at his house matched another discovered at Bundy, and a knit cap at the crime scene had nine hairs similar to Simpson's, Petrocelli noted. Yet when Simpson was on the stand, the plaintiffs' lawyer said, he could not explain away any of the evidence.
"Did he explain any of that?" Petrocelli asked. "Not one word."
In fact, the evidence is so great, Petrocelli claimed, that the plaintiffs have gone way beyond their burden of proof for the civil trial -- a preponderance of evidence showing that Simpson committed the murders.
"We proved it to a certainty," Petrocelli argued. "We proved it beyond any doubt."
Throughout his argument this morning, Petrocelli flashed pictures up on a large television monitor in the courtroom. The plaintiffs' lawyer, in effect, dressed Simpson in the clothes that police say the murderer was wearing on June 12, 1994. Petrocelli showed pictures of Simpson wearing Aris Leather Light gloves, a dark sweatsuit, and, of course, wearing Bruno Magli shoes.
"You're looking at the gloves that were used when Mr. Simpson killed Ron and Nicole," Petrocelli said at one point. "You're looking at them on his hands, ladies and gentlemen."
Simpson denied owning the rare Italian shoes or a dark sweatsuit at the time of the murders. He may have owned at some point gloves similar to those found at the crime scenes, Simpson said. However, Petrocelli argued that the pictures proved Simpson owned those items of clothing -- and then lied -- because he was the murder. The shoe photos were especially important, the plaintiffs' lawyer contended, because the defense admits that the killer left size 12 Bruno Magli footprints at the crime scene.
"The shoes are on his feet," Petrocelli told the jury as he showed them a photograph taken by freelance photographer Harry Scull. "If that photo is real, O.J. Simpson is the killer. That's the end of the ball game."
Petrocelli attacked Simpson's testimony earlier in the case, which he said was an effort for the football hero and corporate spokesman to sell himself to the jury.
"This was his chance to tell us what the answers were...and what did he say?" Petrocelli asked. The plaintiffs' attorney then answered his own question, noting Simpson spoke about his football accomplishments, his character, and about asking his mother for advice. Mostly, Petrocelli said derisively, Simpson "talked and talked and talked about golf."
Simpson also came under attack by Petrocelli for specific parts of his testimony, especially having to do with domestic violence. In a long string of questions to the jury, Petrocelli hammered away at Simpson:
"What kind of man takes a baseball bat to his wife's car, right in front of her, and says she was not upset even though she called the police for help?"
"What kind of man kicks in a door and says it was just a reflex?"
"What kind of man says his wife was lying on that tape when she says he was going to, in her words, beat the shit out of her?"
"What kind of man says his deceased wife is lying when you heard her voice trembling on that tape?"
"What kind of man says cheating on his wife is not a lie, which is what he said?"
Petrocelli finished his list of questions with an answer: "Let me tell you what kind of man, ladies and gentlemen. It doesn't take a rocket scientist. A guilty man."
-Robert Schmidt
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