The People V. . . . OJ's alibi

Marcia Clark presented the narrative that OJ, after he left his daughter's recital around 6:30 pm on the 12th of June, 1994, went home angry and fuming, building a rage in him that around 10 pm took him in his Bronco to the condo of his wife Nicole.  Using a key not found by the police, he got into the condo's gated area, lured Nicole out of the condo, and was cutting and slashing at her when Ron came by with her mother's glasses.  In his rage, by 10:15, he had dispatched the two, was chased by the Akita, got back to Rockingham after changing out of the bloody clothes and disposing of them by 10:54 pm when the limo driver saw him entering the mansion.

In the book KILLING TIME, one can find both the transcript of the interview of OJ and Vannatter and a summary of his deposition for the civil trial that later found him financially liable for the deaths of Nicole and Ron.

The interview shed little light on what he was doing because the questioning detectives failed to press him for details.  He spoke about the recital, about his relationship with Nicole and how they had tried but decided the decision to divorce was the right thing for them, and that he was very careful with his clothes, hanging them up for reuse if they did not need to be cleaned.  Perhaps the most important thing that came out of the interview, however, was an explanation for the drops of blood seen in the Rockingham driveway and inside in the kitchen.  OJ said that in his rushing around as he got ready to leave for Chicago, he went to the Bronco, reached for his cell phone which he had left in there, and jammed his finger.  He discovered it was bleeding when he went back in the house to help Kato find a flashlight for checking about those odd bumps on his back wall.

The deposition provided many more details.  After the recital, he headed home hoping to contact his girl friend with whom he'd had a date the night before.  He phoned her but got no answer.  He was hungry, not having accepted the invitation of Nicole's parents to go out with them after the recital.  So he and Kato went and got McDonalds, getting home about 9:35.  He went outside to his car where he kept his golf bag, checked his golf clubs for the Chicago trip, practiced a little with one of the clubs, quit when he thought he might dent his Bentley, and went back inside.  He killed time petting his dog, watching a little TV, and then going to the toilet.  While he was in there, someone called from the gate but only let it ring four times.  At 10:36, he realized his ride was coming soon and he better shower.  While he was in the shower, he again heard the phone but had no chance of answering because it only rang a few times.  When he went out to find his golf shoes, he saw the limo, and back inside he answered the gate phone to let the limo in.  He finished packing, leaving everything in the bedroom in order, asked Kato and the driver to put his golf clubs and suitcase in the limo because his finger might start bleeding again, and left about 11:15 for LAX.

The title of the Freed and Briggs book KILLING TIME is most fitting.  Both narratives, the prosecution's and the defense's, describe the time between 10 and 11 pm and depending on how the words are defined, covers both.  The jury decided OJ's description of killing time fit the facts best.