From: Jasper
Date: 1/29/01
Time: 3:43:55 PM
Charlie,
I didn't miss the bit about the "object." I know Fuhrman was talking about the blue plastic. Police evidence bags were made of blue plastic and the defense was trying to use the plastic as evidence that Fuhrman took the glove from a plastic bag. And, yes, I noticed his goofy story in his book to explain its connection to O.J. and the ineptitude of Vannatter and Lange in not checking it out. I did know that it was BS just like his story about not knowing whether or not he had his gun drawn when he went back to check out the noise. Some of the jurors had trouble with that one, too.
The bag wasn't the big thing to me. After I saw how beneficial it was for Fuhrman-the-murder-suspect to be seen as Fuhrman the man who FOUND the glove on Bundy and planted it on Rockingham, it wouldn't have surprised me if the blue plastic was planted, too. It's not easy to tear off a piece of plastic like that and leave it where it will do the most good.
The big thing to me was Fuhrman's claim that he was looking for a body or a killer in hiding. Why on earth did he go alone? That sort of thing is what partners are for. Where the hell was Brad Roberts? In addition, there were enough uniformed cops available with big flashlights to put all the light on the area he would have needed. Why didn't he have one or two of them join him? And why didn't he do his search from the Salinger's side of the fence where the path was smooth all the way to the back and a man with a knife on the other side of the fence would have been no threat?
Planting the idea that he planted the glove and the stick (it was a package deal) was a very, very smart move. You have to go through several iteration of cost/benefit analysis to see why it was ultimately beneficial - and most people simply will not do that. To even suggest that he was smart to invite the charge that he planted the glove, is a sure way to start a fight… Right, John? -- Jasper