The People V. . . . What if he confessed?

My friends that believe OJ did it wonder if anything could change my mind.

"What if he confessed, admitted that he had done it?" they ask.

My answer is that he'd have to answer several questions because I couldn't believe him based on the evidence.  Where did he remove the bloody shoes, and clothes?    When did he change out of them?  Where did he hide them and the knife?  How did he get the coroner to write phony autopsies?  How did he hide the dog bites when Kato charged out after him?  How did he hide the bruises and abrasions from Ron's "hell of a fight?"  How did he get the bloody right hand glove onto the walkway behind Kaelin's guesthouse?  How did he get the Bronco back to the Rockingham gate without the limo driver seeing or hearing him drive up?

Give me time and I could come up with more questions.

There are things I take as facts: the police photographer's video from the morning after the murders that showed OJ's bedroom to be orderly, immaculate, and no socks on the floor; the autopsies as printed in the book KILLING TIME are duplicates of the coroner's actual reports; Ron and Nicole were not passive victims but would have fought back;  OJ did not have a mark on him from a fight to the death;   the detectives involved in the case presumed OJ was guilty and planted evidence to implicate him; and there wasn't time for OJ to do everything required if he were the killer.

 I have already explained some of these when I was critiquing the various episodes so let me focus on the video, the autopsies, and the timeline.

During the Esquire playing of segments of the original trial, a video taken of OJ's bedroom the first thing on the morning of the 13th was shown to the jury by the defense.  The video was taken by the police photographer when he first arrived at Rockingham.  The camera panned from the entrance to the bedroom all the way across the room to the headboard of the bed.  It showed the room to be completely in order as if the maid had just finished cleaning it, nothing on the floor, not even a ripple on the bedspread, no dark smudges, and no clothes hastily thrown about the room.  It showed that after showering, dressing, and packing for the Chicago trip, OJ took time to make sure the wrinkles on the bedspread had even been smoothed out and everything he might have rejected as unnecessary for the trip was put away.

The video shows that OJ was a neat freak, that he would have taken time to be sure the room was neat, and that there were no bloody socks lying in the middle of the floor.  (As pointed out earlier in this blog, the bloody socks appear in another police photo taken around 5 pm.)  If it can be shown that the video was taken at a different time such as days before or after the house had been cleaned after the police were done with their investigation, then I would reconsider my  opinion.

The autopsies to me are absolutely critical to my argument that OJ didn't do it.  Upon review, the two show three different knife blades, they show stabbing and not slashing as the way the killings occurred, and they show the two victims fought back, causing some real injury to whomever attacked them.  If it can be shown that those autopsies were not authentic and the real autopsies provide different information, then I would reconsider my opinion.

There was insufficient time between when OJ tried to call Paula Barbieri at 10:03 pm on his cell phone and 10:54 when the limo driver saw him go into the mansion.  He would have had to kill two energetic, physically trim younger people; fight off a dog; walk slowly to the front at Bundy and also to the back leaving the Bruno Magli bloody tread marks both ways; leave only trace amounts of blood in the Bronco; stop the Bronco to get out of the bloody clothes and change into the dark outfit the limo driver saw at 10:54: go behind the house to accidentally drop one of the murder gloves; hide the knife, clothes, and shoes someplace no one has found them to this day, and bleed profusely on the driveway at Rockingham.  From 10:54 to 11:15, OJ would have had to change out of the dark clothes he wore according to the limo driver's testimony, hang them up, take a shower, get into his travel clothes which included a white shirt, straighten up the bedroom, stop the bleeding of his finger, talk with Kaelin briefly about the bumps on the wall, help load the limo, and leave in the limo by 11:15.

Let's look at the things a little more closely.  It would take about five minutes each way to go from Bundy to Rockingham.  It takes about ten minutes to change from one set of clothes and shoes to another.  That leaves about 31 minutes to stab to death two active people fighting back; drop the bloody glove behind Kaelin's guest house; hide the bloody clothes, shoes and weapon(s) so that they have never been found.  And that is presuming a killing time of 10:15.  It also presumes that everything goes right like all the stop lights being green, no one interrupts him, the shoes laces not snaggling, and the cuffs not hanging up on hands or feet, etc.

If the killing time is 10:35, that means OJ would have had five minutes to get back to Rockingham and 14 minutes to do the rest, with the same potential for disruptions.  If he did not stop to change and hide the weapon et al, he would have had to do those at Rockingham between 10:54 and joining Kaelin in the kitchen at 11:05 to look for the flashlight before he could get the suitcase and clubs into the limo.  Even my friends who claim to take a two minute shower would not have been able to disrobe, shower, dress, clean up his bedroom, get rid of the bloody stuff, drop the glove out back, stop the finger's bleeding, etc. and leave by 11:15.

If it can be shown how OJ could have done all that in either time frame, and still get out to the limo immaculately dressed for the Chicago trip, then I would reconsider my opinion.

I do not think I set too high a bar here.  I can be proven wrong.  But please bring proof on those three points.  You too, OJ, if you want to confess.

The People V. . . Where Are We?

Before we move into the last episode on Tuesday, April 5, we may want to look again at the time line of the murders and the actions of the LAPD.  We will need to review the evidence against OJ and any of the grounds for reasonable doubt, the standard of proof the jury must meet in order to not convict.

The drama depicted in the series has been wonderful TV but it is definitely not a documentary.

Let me do as simple a timeline as possible based on details offered by the series:

June 12, 1994

10 or 10:15 pm  OJ's Bronco was seen at the Rockingham gate.

10:15 pm  A "wailing dog" was heard near the Bundy murder site.

10:40 pm  Kato Kaelin heard three bumps coming from his back wall.

Between 10:20 and 10:54 pm, the limo driver saw no Bronco at Rockingham, but did see a black man approach the mansion door about 10:54, and when the driver called inside, someone finally answered.  OJ then left for a flight to Chicago.

11:55 pm  A barking dog led to the discovery of Nicole's body and the calling of the police.

June 13, 1994

Soon after midnight, police arrived on the scene of the murders.

Dets. Fuhrman, Vannatter, and Lange begin work on the crime.

Before sun-up, the detectives arrive at Rockingham to tell OJ his ex-wife is murdered and to get his children.  Fuhrman finds a drop of blood on the Bronco door and they decide to enter the estate over the wall, fearing someone may have been hurt here as well.  Kato Kaelin meets them saying OJ is out of state and tells of the three bumps in the night.  While the others contact OJ in Chicago, Fuhrman finds the bloody glove laid out on the ground on a pathway beside the mansion.  (At the trial, Fuhrman takes the Fifth when asked if he planted the glove at Rockingham.)  Vannatter sees blood drops running from the Bronco to the front door of the mansion.

OJ returns from Chicago, is invited to talk with Vannatter and Lange at the police center in downtown LA.  OJ does not know where the cut on his finger is from.  Nor does he have anyone who can vouch for where he was between 10 and 11 the night before.  Vannatter takes a blood sample from OJ.

Blood on socks that DNA tests show were from OJ, Nicole, and Ron are found at Rockingham that evening.  (At trial, Vannattter admits he does not turn in all of OJ's blood sample.  At trial, Lange admits he takes OJ's shoes home overnight.  At the trial, Criminalist Dennis Fung admits several errors were made during the investigation at both sites.)

Sometime  OJ does poorly on a lie detecter test.

Sometime  The Bronco is taken into custody.

Sometime  The funeral of Nicole is held.

Sometime  A warrant is signed to arrest OJ.  

June 17, 1994

In the morning, OJ is examined by his doctors and found to have no sign of bruises or injury.

When OJ is to be taken in for arrest, he and Al Cowling leave in Al's white Bronco and OJ threatens suicide when they are approached by police.  They return to Rockingham after a long slow chase on the LA freeways.  After spending a little time with his mother and family, he turns himself in.

At the trial, there is some question as to whether the motive of extension of spousal abuse is proved beyond a reasonable doubt.  The sloppiness of the investigation is shown by the detectives' responses to questions about their possible errors.  The weapon and bloody clothes are not found.  The bloody gloves that were found at Bundy and Rockingham do not fit OJ.  Fuhrman's racism is confirmed and may lay behind what was done by the LAPD in their handling of the case.  

OJ's "escape" in the Bronco is not brought up at trial.  Nor is his lie detector test.  The decision of the civil trial is still months off and no one on the mixed racial jury is aware the wrongful death suits are in the works nor are they aware of the efforts to keep OJ from custody of his children. 

Is that enough grounds to believe the jury wisely voted not guilty because of reasonable doubt?  Or were they influenced by their prejudice against the LAPD and Johnny Cochran's "effective use of the race card?"

We await closing arguments, the verdict, and how the series' writers dramatize them.

The People V. . . . The Detectives’ Actions

As was described in an earlier posting, the activities of the detectives related to the case can be drawn with some accuracy, showing some gaps that should concern us.  Some of the details from the book KILLING TIME by Freed and Briggs.  The outline and familiar details come from the series.

As Episode Six showed us, Detective Lange admitted to holding evidence overnight, something he never did otherwise, opening the door to seriously doubting how scrupulous he and the others were.  

Vannatter’s ignorance of a common Colombian cartel killing technique intended to intimidate anyone crossing them, as shown in Episode Seven, also was a chink in the prosecution’s belief the officers were competent.

Let’s review the detective’s actions to see where they say they were, when they did what they did, and see if they showed sound police skills or something else.  The detectives involved testified to the actions below.  I will try to add when the press became involved, since Marcia Clark was shown to argue in Episode Seven that their presence would have spotted police shenanigans.  Where I can, I will also add police photographers and other specialists as they became involved.  

1985        Fuhrman responded to a domestic dispute call between OJ and Nicole at Rockingham.  No arrest was made at the time.

Sometime     Fuhrman, along with other LAPD officers, may have availed himself of the hospitality of the Simpsons.

Sometime     Fuhrman bragged around the LAPD of knowing about Nicole’s breast augmentation “up close and personal.”  (This is from KILLING TIME but may come up in the last episode of the series.)

Based on these, Fuhrman was known in the department as knowledgeable about Rockingham and the Simpsons.

June 13, 1994

12:17 am       Police respond to a 9-1-1 call at Bundy.

2:10 am         Over a dozen officers are already at the crime scene when Fuhrman and his partner sign in at Bundy.  One of the officers is a friend of his and is playing with Nicole’s dog, Kato, which is still covered with blood from the crime scene.  Fuhrman is shown around and then goes inside Nicole’s condo and makes notes about the crime scene he has just toured.  

2:30 am         Fuhrman’s boss arrives and tours the site.  Fuhrman’s partner comes in and lets Fuhrman know that downtown is sending two homicide detectives to take over the case.  He is officially being dropped from handling it.

2:50 am         Fuhrman ceases “detecting” and waits with the other officers on the corner near Bundy for the two detectives.

3:25 am         Police photographer arrives, gets pictures of Fuhrman and others around the crime scene.  (Pictures are from Fuhrman's book MURDER IN BRENTWOOD.)

4:05 am         Detective Vannatter arrives, views crime scene, and then joins the other officers on the corner.

Sometime      Fuhrman is photographed again at Bundy only without his jacket on.  (This is from Fuhrman's book.)

4:25 am         Lange arrives, tours the crime scene, joins the others at the corner, and learns the captain wants them to contact OJ about the crime and to come get the two children.  Lange and Vannatter ask Fuhrman and his partner to lead the way to Rockingham but Fuhrman pauses to get directions from one of the other police.

Sometime      The press may have already arrived at Bundy before detectives leave for Rockingham.  But they would have been subject to restriction of their movements to protect the crime scene’s integrity and they would have seen a dozen or more police coming and going around the site.  

5:05 am         The four detectives and another car with four officers arrive at Rockingham.  They try for 10 to 15 minutes to get someone inside to answer the gate phone to let them in.  They contact the mansion’s security company seeking help.

5:20 am          Fuhrman checks out the Bronco to see if an owner can be determined.  He sees a package with OJ’s company name on it and some other stuff.  He learns it belongs to Hertz and is available to OJ because of his doing ads for them..

5:30 am         Vannatter joins him and they find what looks like a blood spot on the driver’s side door.  They take that as a sign that more victims may be inside the estate.  

5:45 am         After discussing the matter and trying to call the phone inside (a number they got from the security company) with no luck, Fuhrman is sent over the wall to open the gate.  OJ’s watchdog, Chachi, offers friendly greetings.  The detectives go to the front door, ring the bell, and get no response.  They walk around to the left and follow the walkway to the guesthouses behind the mansion.  

6:00 am         They find Kato in one.  He refers them to OJ’s daughter Arnelle who is asleep in the other guesthouse.  While Vannatter and Lange go to wake her and contact OJ, Fuhrman questions Kato alone.  Kaelin tells of the bumps on his wall at 10:40 or so the night before.  

6:05 am         (The sun has been up about an hour but) Fuhrman testifies he took his flashlight and worked his way back along the walkway next to the garage on the other side of the mansion to behind Kaelin’s apartment.  (In his book, Fuhrman is even more graphic, saying the walkway was dense with cobwebs and that he made his way to the backyard through cobwebs all the way before turning back and finding the bloody glove near Kaelin’s AC).  He checks further, he testified, for bodies or something to go with the glove he found there.  

6:30 am         Fuhrman shows the other detectives the glove, which he left in place.  

6:45 am         Vannatter sends Fuhrman and his partner back to Bundy to see if the glove matches the one at Bundy.  He sends Lange back to take charge at Bundy.  Vannatter stays at Rockingham.  (In his book, Vannatter wrote that he saw the blood drops up the driveway to the front door – though not to the walkway where the glove lay – and connects the blood trail at Bundy to Rockingham).  

7:00  am         Fuhrman and the police photographer return to Rockingham to photograph the glove there for comparison with the one at Bundy.

7:10 am          Criminalist Fung arrives at Rockingham to gather blood evidence off the driveway and in the kitchen.  There is so much blood he is busy there for three hours.

Sometime      The following was not testified to at the trial: Fuhrman’s police officer friend who had played with Nicole’s bloody dog at Bundy was asked by Fuhrman to help check the Bronco by sliding in and popping the hood.  (This is from KILLING TIME.)  

9:00 am          The coroner arrives at Bundy.  Massive searches are underway in Chicago at the hotel where OJ stayed, at Ohare Airport, at LAX, and in the neighborhood around Rockingham for the bloody clothes, shoes, and knife. 

   

10:10 am        The criminalist arrives at Bundy.

Sometime        A photograph is taken of OJ’s bedroom and shows nothing out of place.  (This is from KILLING TIME).

Sometime       The press would probably not have come to Rockingham prior to setting up for OJ’s return and would not at that time have known Rockingham was a LAPD-designated crime scene like Bundy.  Again, they would have seen many police officers coming and going and would have had their own movements restricted.

Noon               OJ returns from Chicago.  

!:30 pm           Fuhrman remains at Rockingham while Vannatter and Lange meet with OJ downtown at the LAPD center.  OJ volunteers blood which Vannatter keeps.  (The series does not mention this but it is in KILLING TIME.) 

2:20 pm         The interview ends.

4:00 pm         Vannatter and Lange takes over the investigation at Rockingham from Fuhrman.  

5:30 pm         The criminalist returns to Rockingham and begins going over the house.  A picture taken in OJ’s bedroom shows a pair of socks on the floor, later identified as the bloody socks OJ allegedly wore during the crime.   Lange takes a pair of OJ’s shoes and takes them home with him.

6:30 pm         Fuhrman leaves Rockingham, his responsibility of keeping the site secure having ended.

Sometime       Several hours later, Vannatter turns (what is left of) OJ’s blood sample over to the criminalist (KILLING TIME).

June 14           Vannater and Lange observe the autopsies of Nicole and Ron, perhaps taking blood samples of each with them (KILLING TIME).  Sometime, Lange turns over the shoes he kept overnight to the criminalist.  

June 15            OJ’s Bronco is taken to a police parking area and left unsecured.

June 17            OJ is arrested after the slow Bronco chase

July 5               Blood evidence is gathered from the Bundy back gate (KILLING TIME, but may be shown in the series).

August 26         Criminalist Fung begins examining the Bronco for evidence, checking the blood on the door and inside (KILLING TIME, but may be shown in the series).

Those accustomed to the precise and prompt investigative techniques of contemporary crime shows will shudder at the loose way things happened in 1994.  And there were few if any of the press able to be close enough to the investigation at this point to know whether or not the four detectives handling things were acting properly.

The defense offered a scenario that had Fuhrman manipulating the evidence by planting the glove at Rockingham.  That will be handled in another posting summarized from this timeline.  There is a chance that will be shown during the ninth or tenth episodes of “The People V. O. J. Simpson.”

The People V. OJ . . . Time Line So Far

When the series on the case of OJ Simpson began, I urged you to keep a time line of the events as they unfolded.  I suspect you did not because except for a few dates, there were few specific times given for anything by the writers of the series.

There is a progression of the story that we can list and at least are pretty sure what the date was for several things.  Forget the times I have been indicating for now and concentrate on the times we have from the TV program.  Episode Six adds some times and information that help us.

TIME LINE

Sometime OJ was very hospitable to local police officers (LAPD) at Rockingham.

Sometime Nicole had pictures taken of her bruised face and OJ pleaded no contest in a court action to hitting her.

June 12, ’94

10:00 or 10:15 pm  Rosa Lopez said she saw OJ’s Bronco at the Rockingham gate.

10:15 pm  Prosecution said the murders occurred because of the wailing dog.

10:45 pm Kaelin says he heard bumps against his outside back wall.

Sometime OJ left for Chicago in the limo

Sometime A barking dog led someone to the crime scene at Bundy.

June 13, ’94

Sometime Detectives arrive at Rockingham.  They see a blood drop on the Bronco door and send Fuhrman over the wall to get in to the estate.  The officers suspect OJ but they use the blood drop on the Bronco as their excuse to enter the property without a warrant, saying they feared for the life of people inside.  They awaken Kaelin.  Vannatter and Lange find OJ’s daughter and call OJ in Chicago.  Fuhrman finds a bloody glove behind Kaelin’s guest house on the walkway.  He shows it to the other detectives.  Vannatter spots the trail of blood drops from the Bronco into the mansion.

Sometime OJ returns from Chicago, goes to the police station without a lawyer, and talks with detectives.  He is released.

Sometime Detective Lange takes OJ’s shoes home with him overnight, something he never did with evidence otherwise.

Sometime OJ’s Bronco is impounded by LAPD.

June 17, ‘94

Sometime OJ did not turn himself in as promised and is declared a fugitive by the DA.

Sometime OJ, holding a gun to his head, rides at slow speeds on the expressway in Al Cowling’s white Bronco, followed by many police cars.

Sometime upon arriving at Rockingham, after being given time with his family, OJ is arrested.

January, ’95 Trial begins.

Let me know if you found any other key times.