| The duffle bag that all of the lawyers and the
judge agreed to call by that name was the "small, black duffle bag" This
sidebar shows why there was so much confusion about it and a large bag
often compared with it -- the other bag. A careful reading also
shows you why evidence numbers and counting the bags only cause more
confusion.
March 29, 1995 MR. COCHRAN: LET ME ASK YOU THIS: TALK ABOUT A FOUNDATIONAL ISSUE, JUST AS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CLOTHES AND WHAT THE ISSUE WAS, IT IS OUR CONTENTION THAT THE O.J.S. BAG WAS THE OTHER BAG AND IT HAD CLOTHES IN IT AND SO I THINK I SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO ASK HIM IF THIS WAS SIMILAR, IF IT HAD CLOTHES IN IT OR HAD SOMETHING IN IT, WOULD BE SIMILAR. THE COURT: WELL, ASK HIM SOME MORE FOUNDATIONAL QUESTIONS BECAUSE HE'S THE ONE WHO PUT IT IN THE LIMOUSINE. IF IT HAD HANDLES ON IT, WAS HE ABLE TO DESCRIBE WHAT A DUFFLE BAG IS. IF WE HAVE TO, I MEAN, I GOT AN L.L. BEAN CATALOG IN THE BACK AND YOU CAN ASK HIM PICK WHAT LOOKS LIKE IT. MR. COCHRAN: YOUR HONOR -- THE COURT: THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GARMENT BAG AND A DUFFLE BAG. MS. CLARK: THE EASIEST THING TO DO IS TO HAVE THE DUFFEL BAG HERE. DID THEY BOTH LOOK LIKE THIS. MR. COCHRAN: I AM GOING TO DO THAT AT SOME POINT AND I'M GOING TO ASK A FEW MORE QUESTIONS. MR. DARDEN: I KNEW HE HAD MORE THAN FIFTEEN MINUTES. MR. COCHRAN: NO, THIS -- (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT:) MR. COCHRAN: SHALL I BRING THEM IN? THE COURT: YES, AND A COUPLE MORE FOUNDATIONAL QUESTIONS. MR. COCHRAN: MAY I PROCEED, YOUR HONOR? THE COURT: YES. MR. COCHRAN: THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR. Q: MR. PARK, JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS WITH REGARD TO THE TWO DUFFLE BAGS THAT WERE ON THE GROUND WHEN YOU PULLED IN WITH THE LIMOUSINE THAT WERE OUT IN FRONT OF MR. SIMPSON'S HOUSE. DO YOU RECALL THAT? A: YES. Q: CAN YOU DESCRIBE FOR US AND GIVE US A WORD PICTURE OF THE DUFFLE BAGS? YOU TOLD US THEY WERE BLACK IN COLOR; IS THAT CORRECT? A: YES. Q: AND AS BETWEEN THE TWO BAGS, WAS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO BAGS? A: UMM, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER, THEY WERE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME. Q: ALL RIGHT. AND WITH REGARD TO -- I HAVE TO ASK YOU WHETHER THERE WAS ANY WRITING ON EITHER ONE OF THEM AND DO YOU RECALL ANY WRITING AT ALL? A: NO. Q: AND DID THEY BOTH APPEAR AS THOUGH THEY HAD SOMETHING INSIDE OF THEM? A: YES. Q: CAN YOU DESCRIBE FOR US ANYTHING ABOUT THE HANDLES OF THESE TWO BAGS? A: NO. Q: ALL RIGHT. AND DID YOU PUT THE TWO DUFFLE BAGS INSIDE THE CAR? A: YES. Q: AND YOU ONLY HAD THEM FOR A VERY SHORT TIME, I PRESUME; IS THAT CORRECT? A: YEAH, SECONDS. Q: AND THAT WASN'T SOMETHING YOU WERE CONCENTRATING ON, I PRESUME? A: NO. Q: ALL RIGHT. BUT WITH REGARD TO -- WHAT ELSE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THESE BAGS, THAT YOU HAVEN'T TOLD US THUS FAR? YOU TOLD US THE COLOR, YOU TOLD US THERE IS NO WRITING THAT YOU RECALL? A: I'M NOT POSITIVE IF ONE HAD A SHOULDER STRAP OR NOT. Q: IS IT POSSIBLE THAT ONE COULD HAVE BEEN CARRIED UP OVER ONE'S SHOULDER; IS THAT CORRECT? A: YES. Q: AND AS WITH SOMETIMES -- AS SOMETIMES HAPPENS WITH THOSE BAGS WITH THE SHOULDER STRAPS, THEY CAN ALSO SOMETIMES BE FOLDED; IS THAT CORRECT? A: YES, I GUESS. Q: AND DO YOU RECALL ON THAT PARTICULAR NIGHT WHETHER OR NOT, AS IT APPEARS, THE DUFFEL BAG HAD BEEN FOLDED OVER WITH CLOTHES INSIDE OF IT? DO YOU RECALL? A: NO. Q: YOU DON'T RECALL? A: NO. Q: ALL RIGHT. IF YOU WERE TO SEE BOTH OF THESE BLACK DUFFLE BAGS AGAIN, DO YOU THINK YOU COULD TELL US WHETHER OR NOT IT APPEARS TO BE SIMILAR TO THE BAG YOU SAW THAT NIGHT? A: YES. Q: YOUR BEST TEST WOULD BE TO ACTUALLY LOOK AT IT, RIGHT? A: YES. Q: ALL RIGHT. CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU HAVEN'T TOLD US THUS FAR ABOUT THE TWO BLACK DUFFLE BAGS? A: THAT IS ABOUT ALL I REMEMBER, OTHER THAN ONE WAS UNZIPPED. Q: OF THE TWO OF THEM, ONE WAS UNZIPPED? A: YES. Q: WHERE WERE THE ZIPPERS ON THAT PARTICULAR BAG, IF YOU RECALL? A: THEY SEEMED TO BE IN THE MIDDLE. Q: ALL RIGHT. ANOTHER ONE -- DID THE OTHER DUFFEL BAG HAVE ZIPPERS ALSO? A: IT WAS CLOSED. I DON'T KNOW IF IT HAD A ZIPPER OR NOT. I DIDN'T ASK THEM TO -- Q: THIS WAS JUST A QUICK THING BECAUSE YOU WERE LATE? A: YES. MR. COCHRAN: I UNDERSTAND. I UNDERSTAND. YOUR HONOR, MAY I SHOW THE WITNESS A COUPLE OF BAGS? THE COURT: THE FIRST TWO, YES. MR. COCHRAN: THEY ARE NOW THREE, YOUR HONOR. THE COURT: I'M SORRY? MR. COCHRAN: THEY ARE NOW THREE. THE COURT: THE FIRST TWO.
For total confusion consult the transcripts pertaining to Allan Park's entire "bag" testimony in the grand jury, the preliminary hearing, the criminal trial and the civil trial. |