Simpson's Lawyer: 'Our Client Is No Murderer'
SANTA MONICA, Oct. 24 (Evening) -- Defense Attorney Robert Baker finished his opening statement in the O.J. Simpson Civil trial Thursday afternoon, contending that much of the blood evidence was contaminated, that Simpson didn't have enough time to commit the murders, and telling jurors to listen carefully to Simpson when he takes the witness stand. Baker also claimed that Nicole Brown Simpson specifically asked Ronald Goldman to bring her mother's glasses on June 12, 1994 because they had a date that night.
"If you believe Mr. Simpson, if you believe O.J. Simpson, you must find him not liable," Baker said in closing. "Our client is no murderer."
Court will begin at 9:00 a.m. Friday with six scheduled witnesses, all of whom will speak to the events and timeline leading up to the murders. Due to be called are Mezzaluna manager Karen Crawford; Mezzaluna bartender Stuart Tanner; and Robert Heidstra, a dog walker who heard a young male voice say 'hey, hey, hey;' heard a gate clang shut, and then saw a sports utility vehicle driving away. Three other dog walking neighbors of Nicole are also scheduled to take the stand: Louis Karpf, Steven Schwab, and Sukru Boztepe.
While continuing his opening statement Thursday afternoon, Baker said he will present evidence that shows it was impossible, according to the plaintiff's timeline of the murders, for Simpson to have killed Goldman and Nicole. The plaintiffs are relying on the testimony of Heidstra, which places the murders around 10:35 or 10:40 p.m. But Baker said his experts will show that the struggle resulting in the double murder lasted between 10 and 15 minutes and was so violent that the assailant would have been covered in blood. Even "gunning his Bronco, that gets him to the house at 10:54," Baker told the jury, noting that Simpson was seen by limousine driver Allan Park at 10:55 p.m.
Baker also attacked a key piece of the plaintiffs' evidence, the photo of Simpson wearing size 12 Bruno Magli shoes, calling it doctored. It was raining the day the picture was taken, Baker said, but in the photo the shoes are clearly dry. As expected the defense brought up the familiar theory of contaminated evidence, even borrowing a phrase from Simpson criminal lawyer Johhnie Cochran, telling the jury the LAPD crime lab is "a cesspool of contamination." The defense, also in a manner that imitated Cochran, revealed it will call some surprise witnesses--two people Rollerblading by Nicole's home hours before the killings who will say they saw a white or Hispanic woman.
Outside the courthouse, only one protester greeted Simpson as he walked into court -- a Howard Stern fan and holdover from the criminal trial. He's a
well-know event chaser in the Los Angeles area.Find out about Court TV's coverage of the civil trial, and take a look at the witness lists provided by both sides.
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Documents and Depositions from the Pre-Trial Civil Proceedings
A Look Back at the Criminal Case
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