CJ211: Criminal Investigation OJ Simpson Case Case Study: Physical Evidence

CJ211: Criminal Investigation OJ Simpson Case Case Study: Physical Evidence INTRODUCTION: On Sunday, June 12, 1994, just Before 11:00PM Steven SchwaB was walking his dog in the Brentwood section of northwest Los Angeles when he was confronted by an excited and agitated dog, an Akita. As the dog followed Steven home, he noticed what appeared to be blood on the dog’s paws and belly. When Steven arrived home, the dog still behaved in an unusual manner. Steven alerted his neighBor, Sukru Boztepe, and asked if he could keep the dog until the morning when Steven would search for the dog’s owner. Boztepe initially agreed but then decided to take the dog for a walk and see if he could find its owner. He proceeded to follow the dog and it took him to the front walkway of 875 South Bundy Drive. As Boztepe looked up the dark walkway, he saw what appeared to be a lifeless human body surrounded By a massive amount of Blood. At 12:13AM the first police officers arrived at the scene. Officers found the body of a woman clad in a short black dress. She was Barefoot and lying face down with wounds to her throat and neck area. Next to her was the body of a man. He was lying on his side and his clothes were also saturated with Blood. The woman was quickly identified By the police as the owner of the house, Nicole Brown Simpson, thirty-five years old and the ex-wife of pro football player and sportscaster O.J. Simpson. The dead Body of the man next to her was identified through identification in his wallet, still in his back pocket, as Ronald Goldman, age twenty-five, a waiter at a restaurant Nicole and her family had visited earlier in the evening. Police also discovered the 2 children of Nicole and Simpson, ages 9 and 6, asleep in their beds in the house. At 2:10AM Detective Supervisor Phillips and Detectives Fuhrman and Roberts had arrived at the scene. Shortly thereafter, Phillips was notified that Detectives Tom Lange and Phil Vannatter from the Homicide Special Section of the LAPD’s RoBBery Homicide Division were assigned as the lead investigators in this case; these detectives were on the scene By 4:30AM. In examining the area in which the Bodies lay, the detectives noticed several items: a set of keys (determined to Belong to Goldman), a dark Blue knit cap (believed to Be the perpetrator’s), a Beeper (Goldman’s), a Blood-splattered white envelope that contained the eyeglasses of Nicole’s mother, who left them at the restaurant earlier that night; Goldman was at Nicole’s house to return the glasses. There was also a Blood-soaked left-hand leather glove (also Believed to Be the perpetrator’s). Leading away from the bodies towards the back of the property were shoe prints transferred to the concrete surface from Blood on the shoes. Alongside the shoe print trail were drops of Blood. The shoe prints and the blood drops appeared to be from the perpetrator. Detectives decided to try to make contact with Simpson to notify him of the murder of his ex-wife and to arrange for him to collect his children, who were still at the house. It was a five minute drive from the South Bundy address to Simpson’s estate on Rockingham Avenue. It was now about 5:00AM. Once at Simpson’s property, detectives observed a white Ford Bronco, front wheels on the curB, with the Back of the vehicle sticking out into the street. It was determined to Be a vehicle that Belonged to Simpson. CJ211: Criminal Investigation OJ Simpson Case Case Study: Physical Evidence On closer examination of the vehicle, Detective Fuhrman noticed what appeared to be a spot of blood inside the vehicle near the door handle. Detectives called the phone number to the house to gain entry over the 5-ft. high stone wall that surrounded the property, But no one responded. With no response, Fuhrman climBed the wall and let the other detectives in by unlatching the lock of the gate. (According to detectives, this action was taken because of the belief that someone in the house may have Been Bleeding and in grave danger; however, defense attorneys later argued that this action constituted an illegal search and seizure and hence, any evidence collected as a result of the search should Be excluded from the trial.) The detectives knocked on the front door of the main house, but there was no answer. They proceeded to the small guest houses located on the property. After they knocked on the door of the first house, a man By the name of Kato Kaelin, a friend and house guest of Simpson’s, answered the door. At the next house, they found Arnelle Simpson, Simpson’s daughter. Fuhrman stayed with Kaelin while the other detectives accompanied Arnelle to the main house to confirm that no one else was home or in any sort of danger. The detectives returned to Kaelin and interviewed him. He told the detectives that Before Simpson caught a late flight to Chicago the previous night, he went with him to a McDonald’s, and then returned home. Kaelin said that when they returned Simpson went into the house and he, Kaelin, went to his bungalow. At about 10:45PM, Kaelin heard several loud banging noises outside near the bungalow’s air conditioning unit. He said he thought it was an earthquake. He then went outside to investigate and saw a limousine parked at the gate to take Simpson to the airport. A few minutes later, according to Kaelin, Simpson was off to the airport in the limousine. While talking to Arnelle, police were aBle to determine that Simpson was staying at the Chicago O’Hare Plaza Hotel. While Fuhrman checked the area around the air conditioning unit, Detective Phillips called Simpson in Chicago and notified him of the homicide. According to Phillips, Simpson appeared very concerned about what Phillips told him, but Simpson never asked for any details about what happened, nor did he even ask which ex-wife had Been killed. (Simpson had 2 ex-wives.) Simpson told Phillips that he would return to Los Angeles on the next availaBle flight. CJ211: Criminal Investigation OJ Simpson Case Case Study: Physical Evidence Shortly after this phone call, Detective Fuhrman returned to the house and told Vannatter of his discovery along the side of the house near the air-conditioning unit in the Back of the Bungalow occupied By Kaelin. There, lying on the ground among some leaves, was a Blood-stained leather glove. (The defense later argued that not only was this “search” conducted without a warrant, But the glove was “planted” there By Fuhrman, a racist cop. Their claim was that Both gloves were found at the crime scene, and Fuhrman took one of them with him to Simpson’s.) It appeared to Be the right-hand match of the one found at the crime scene on Bundy. All of the detectives except for Vannatter then left to notify investigators at the Bundy address of another possible crime scene, or an extension of the Bundy crime scene. Still at Rockingham, Vannatter discovered what appeared to be blood drops in the driveway. They led to the Ford Bronco. Inside the Bronco, he saw other red spots on the driver’s side door and on the console between the 2 front seats. He discovered more blood leading to the front door of the main house. (The defense later argued that this Blood was also planted and that it actually came from the sample that was drawn from Simpson at the police department after the initial interrogation by Vannatter and Lang. Interestingly, the nurse who drew the Blood from Simpson testified he drew 8 ccs of Blood. The LAPD could only account for 6.5ccs.) All this evidence was later photographed, the glove was seized, the Bronco was impounded, and the entire area was secured. Fuhrman returned to the Rockingham scene to supervise, and Vannatter proceeded Back to Bundy, and then, with his partner, went to the West Los Angeles Police Station to prepare a warrant to search Simpson’s house and vehicle. With search warrant in hand, the detectives returned to the Rockingham property. While they were conducting their search of the premises, Simpson arrived home. Simpson and his attorneys agreed that it would Be OK for Simpson to talk with Detectives Lang and Vannatter aBout what he knew aBout these crimes and to do so without his attorneys present. At 1:35PM, June 13th, the “interrogation” of Simpson by Detectives Lang and Vannatter began. After the interrogation was over, Simpson was fingerprinted, wounds on his left hand were photographed, and a sample of his Blood was drawn. CJ211: Criminal Investigation OJ Simpson Case Case Study: Physical Evidence The vial of Blood was labeled and was placed in an evidence envelope. Vannatter then took the sealed envelope Back to Simpson’s home and gave it to Dennis Fung, the criminalist who was responsiBle for collecting and recording the evidence at the Bundy and Rockingham scenes. To maintain chain of custody, Fung checked the contents of the envelope and, according to procedure, wrote on the outside, “Received from Vannatter on 06/13/94 at 1720 hours.” IT was then placed in the LAPD’s crime scene truck. This whole sequence of events was done in full view of the numerous media film crews who were at the scene. (As far as the defense was concerned, this showed that Simpson’s Blood was taken Back to the scene where his Blood was said to have Been discovered By the police.) Meanwhile, Back at Rockingham, the search of Simpson’s residence revealed additional evidence of interest including blood-stained Black socks and additional Blood drops inside the house (more planted evidence according to the defense).

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