Witness List - Preliminary Hearing
JUNE 30, 1994 (DAY 1)
Michelle Kestler--LAPD Asst. Lab Director/Serology
Kestler actually testified at an evidentiary hearing before the preliminary hearing started, in order to establish what evidence was gathered at the crime scene and whether there was enough evidence to share with the defense. Kestler was the first to establish the scope of forensic evidence against Simpson.
Allen Wattenberg--Owner of Ross Cutlery Store
Wattenberg testified that Simpson bought a 14-inch Stiletto knife from the store, though Wattenberg had no receipt for the sale.
Jose Camacho--Employee of Ross Cutlery
It was Camacho who sold his story to a supermarket tabloid for $12,500. He testified that he sold it to the highest bidder. He was paid following his grand jury testimony. Camacho said he sold the knife to Simpson, who allegedly bought it with a $100 bill.
John DeBello--Manager of Mezzaluna Restaurant
Mezzaluna was where Ronald Goldman worked for four months as a waiter. DeBello testified that when he arrived for work on June 12, 1994, Nicole Simpson was already dining there. Goldman punched out at 9:33 p.m., and DeBello spoke to him for about 12 minutes afterward. DeBello said Goldman left the restaurant no later than 9:50 p.m.
JULY 1, 1994 (DAY 2)
Karen Crawford--Bartender at Mezzaluna
Crawford worked the evening of June 12. She testified that Nicole Simpson was with a party of ten and left between 8:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Afterwards, a woman in the party called the restaurant, saying she had left a pair of prescription eyeglasses. Crawford testified she placed the glasses in an envelope marked "Nicole Simpson." Nicole later called the bar and spoke to Goldman, who took the glasses to Simpson when he left.
Stewart Tanner --Waiter/Bartender at Mezzaluna
Tanner was tending bar at Mezzaluna the night of June 12. He testified that he saw Goldman and Nicole Simpson in the restaurant. On cross-examination, the defense attempted to impeach Tanner with a statement he had given police, where he said Goldman told him he was taking the glasses to Nicole. In court, Tanner said he did not recall Goldman volunteering to take the glasses to her, but noted that many people were talking at the same time when police were present.
Pablo Fenjves--Neighbor of Nicole Simpson
Fenjves testified that he was watching the 10 p.m. news on television the evening of June 12 when he heard a dog barking at about 10:15 p.m. The dog was still barking when he went to his bedroom at 11 p.m., and when he went to bed a half-hour later. Fenjves looked out his window toward Nicole Simpson's condo, but did not go outside.
Steven Schwab --Neighbor of Nicole Simpson
Schwab testified he walked his dog every night at 11:30 p.m. except for Sunday, when he walked the dog earlier because he watched different television programs. At about 10:55 p.m., he encountered a barking Akita with bloody paws and legs. Schwab called police, who offered to call the Animal Control Board. The defense attempted to impeach Schwab, who had initially told police he found the dog at 11:15 p.m. Schwab testified that was an error, which he said he had already reported to police.
Sukru Boztepe--Neighbor of Nicole Simpson
Boztepe testified at the preliminary hearing that he arrived home on June 12 at 11:40 p.m. and saw Schwab with the dog. Boztepe offered to take the Akita for the evening. Afterwards, he and his wife took the dog for a walk, thinking it might lead them to its home. The dog led them to Nicole Simpson's body. Boztepe then called police from a neighbor's home.
Bettina Rasmussen--Neighbor of Nicole Simpson
Rasmussen is Sukru Boztepe's wife. At the preliminary hearing, she testified that she briefly saw Nicole Simpson's body. Rasmussen also testified that the walkway where Simpson's body lay was lit only by street lights.
JULY 5, 1994 (DAY 3)
NOTE: The final witness on this day, Det. Marc Fuhrman, was testifying in connection with a motion by the defense to suppress evidence police obtained during a search of O.J. Simpson's home the morning after the two killings.
Alan Park--Limousine Driver
Park drove O.J. Simpson to the airport for a flight to Chicago the night of June 12. He testified that he arrived at 10:25 p.m., some 20 minutes early. Park rang the buzzer/intercom at the gate and got no answer. There were few or no lights on in the house. Soon after, Park said he spotted a black person wearing dark clothes walk into the house and turn on some lights. He rang the intercom again. This time Simpson answered. He explained that he had just gotten out of the shower after oversleeping and would be down in a few minutes. Simpson appeared five minutes later. Park testified nothing appeared unusual about Simpson, who upon arriving at the airport took his black duffel bags with him, rather than put them on a luggage cart.
Brian "Kato" Kaelin --Caretaker/guest of Simpson
A friend of Nicole Simpson, Kaelin had worked as a live-in babysitter of sorts until he began living in one of the Simpsons' guest houses in exchange for being a caretaker. Kaelin testified he spent a lot of time with O.J. Simpson on the day of the killings. Simpson told Kaelin he was planning to go later that day to see his daughter perform in a dance recital. In passing, Simpson said his relationship with Nicole was over. At about 9 p.m. Simpson borrowed $20 from Kaelin for dinner and to tip the skycaps, as he only had $100 bills. The two picked up food at McDonalds. Kaelin testified that while on the phone at 10:40 p.m. he heard loud thumps, went outside to investigate and found nothing. He did not see Simpson again until he got into the limo to go to the airport.
Rachel Ferrara--Friend of Brian "Kato" Kaelin
Kaelin was talking on the telephone with Ferrara when he heard the thumps, which Ferrara said scared Kaelin. Ferrara testified that Kaelin called her back 15 minutes later and told her he ran into Simpson while investigating the noise. During this conversation, Kato's other line rang, and Ferrara said it was Simpson asking him to set the house alarm.
Det. Marc Fuhrman--Los Angeles Police Department
Fuhrman testified that he arrived at the scene of the killings at 2:10 a.m. and spotted a bloody heel print, plus a dark, stocking knit cap and a brown leather glove near one of Ronald Goldman's feet. After the crime scene was secured, Fuhrman and three other detectives drove to O.J. Simpson's house to inform him that his wife was murdered. After ringing the intercom for 10 or 15 minutes, the detectives later phoned Simpson's house and received no answer.
Fuhrman testified he then walked toward a white Ford Bronco parked outside Simpson's home. He noticed it was parked in a strange way. With his flashlight Fuhrman noticed what appeared to be blood on the driver's side door. Fuhrman told the lead detective, Philip Vannatter, there was a "real problem," and speculated that someone inside the house might be in danger. Fuhrman jumped the wall and opened the electronic gate for the others. Police later found Kaelin and Simpson's daughter Arnelle inside the bungalows in separate rooms. After Kaelin related the story of the thumping, Fuhrman investigated and found a bloody leather glove which matched the one found at the crime scene.
JULY 6, 1994 (DAY 4)
NOTE: All witnesses on this day gave testimony in connection with the motion to suppress, which was decided at the end of the day in favor of the prosecution.
Det. Philip Vannatter--Los Angeles Police Department
Vannatter's testimony echoed much of Fuhrman's. In addition, he noted that after waking Arnelle Simpson, she was surprised to find out her father was not home. She took the detectives inside her father's house, where she called Simpson's assistant to find out where he was. Vannatter said the detectives did not search the house, aside from looking for the maid in her room. Vannatter, like Fuhrman, justified the police jumping the fence for fear that someone else was dead or injured inside. After Fuhrman found the glove and other detectives spotted red stains on the driveway, Vannatter declared the house a crime scene and went to get a search warrant.
On cross-examination, the defense attempted to show Vannatter was lying and that concerns about an emergency were little more than an attempt to explain away an illegal entry and search. Vannatter also testified that while he believed there could be a hostage situation, he and his men did not enter Simpson's house with guns drawn, nor were they wearing bulletproof vests or call for backup.
Brian "Kato" Kaelin--Caretaker/guest of Simpson
Kaelin testified that after police awoke him they did not express concern about a murder or suicide at the house.
Arnelle Simpson--O.J. Simpson's daughter
Simpson's daughter testified for the defense she told police that her father was out of town. This contradicted Vannatter's testimony that she had expressed surprise upon being told that her father was not home. Arnelle also testified police did not talk of a murder or suicide.
Cathy Randa--O.J. Simpson's assistant
Randa, an employee of O.J. Simpson for 20 years, testified she received a call from Arnelle asking the whereabouts of her father. Randa said the trip to Chicago had been planned for two months.
Dennis Fung--Los Angeles Police Department Criminalist
Fung was called to the Simpson house at 5:30 a.m. on June 13 and arrived at 7:10 a.m., he testified. Fung gathered "red stain" evidence and the glove. Fung said at least one stain on the Bronco tested positive for blood.
JULY 7, 1994 (DAY 5)
NOTE: Regular testimony in the preliminary hearing resumed on this day.
Det. Tom Lange--Los Angeles Police Department
Lange is with the robbery/homicide unit. Lange gave a detailed description of the crime scene, including bloody droplets and footprints going away from the bodies. Lange believed both came from the suspect. He also noted the button inside Nicole Simpson's apartment to automatically open the outside gate was broken. This testimony was apparently elicited to show Nicole had to manually open the gate when a visitor came over.
Det. Philip Vannatter--Los Angeles Police Department
Vannatter returned to the stand and testified that he attended the autopsies of both victims and obtained blood samples. He also had photographs taken of a cut on O.J. Simpson's knuckle. Vannatter said he first saw Simpson when he was handcuffed at his home after returning from Chicago. Vannatter drove him to the police station and took a statement. On cross-examination, Vannatter said that while he believed the murderer was wearing gloves and that the murderer took the second glove to where it was found at Simpson's house, he conceded no bloody footprints or droplets were located near the second glove.
Thano Peratis--Registered Nurse
Peratis testified at the preliminary hearing he took blood from Simpson and bandaged his cut knuckle. Peratis said the small cut looked to be twelve to twenty-four hours old and did not know what caused it.
Dennis Fong--Los Angeles Police Department Criminalist
Upon returning to the stand, Fong testified that sometimes tests results can be wrong, but that he had never encountered any errors in some 10,000 tests which he has conducted.
JULY 8, 1994 (DAY 6)
Gregory Matheson--Los Angeles Police Department Supervising Criminalist
Matheson testified how criminalists look at genetic markers in blood to match blood to an individual. He noted that a blood droplet found at the murder scene match's Simpson's blood. Matheson said only one in 200 people have blood that matches the droplet found at the murder scene. Matheson conceded during defense questioning that this meant 40,000 to 80,000 people in the Los Angeles area alone have the same blood which matches the droplet.
Dr. Irwin Golden--Deputy Medical Examiner, L.A. County Coroner's Office
Golden performed the autopsies on both victims. At the preliminary hearing, he testified Nicole Simpson's most serious injury was a cut across her neck which severed her larynx, both corrated arteries, one jugular and one deep enough to nick her spinal column. She suffered four other knife wounds to the neck, a blow to the head
and defensive wounds on her hands. Goldman was stabbed multiple times to the head, neck and body. Golden said Goldman's defensive stab wounds indicated he put up a fight. On cross-examination, Golden said both victims died between 9 p.m. and midnight, but could not say who died first.