…figure out that somebody who's been sent to prison for 25 years
Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown.
We begin with Jeff Toobin. He's a lawyer and former prosecutor.
He felt feelings of rage and anger
at the minority communities in which he had been assigned.
It is basically Fuhrman saying that he felt the urge to kill people.
We're getting ready to prepare for trial.
The man who will decide on how to go about prosecuting O.J. Simpson
is the Los Angeles District Attorney, Gil Garcetti.
Our concern here truly is that you have 12 jurors, whoever they may be,
gender, race, doesn't make any difference,
that are truly fair.
Not guilty of the crime of assault.
We think it's absolutely essential that O.J. Simpson be tried by a jury
that's representative of the immense diversity of this city,
including African Americans.
Do you honestly feel that you can get
12 people who can put everything they've seen and read about this case
outside the courtroom door and consider only the evidence?
I'm hopeful that we can, yes, very hopeful.
The most interesting thing about this entire process…
and I never, ever, in my life looked at race.
When I sit in that jury room, I'm counting the Blacks in the room.
I never knew how many Blacks was in a room.
Now I'm counting the Blacks in the room. I'm counting the Asians in the room.
The system has forced me to look at things racially.
The lengthy process of picking a jury for the O.J. Simpson trial
moves into its second day.
The jury pool is very diverse
in ethnic and racial background.
A grueling day of chess-like moves…
Lawyers settled on a panel composed of eight Blacks,
one white, one Hispanic, and two people of mixed race.
Naming the trial judge
in this explosive case,
that judge is vital to both sides.
I'm assigning the case to Judge Lance Ito.
Both defense and prosecution welcomed Ito,
a former prosecutor well-regarded as smart, tough, and fair.
The 41-year-old prosecutor was stricken by chest pains.
Any questions for Chris?
Come on, man. Come on. Look at this guy. Come on. We have to drag him over.
Lo and behold, he shows up here.
Why is that, after we have eight African Americans? I don't know.
We've been concerned about it.
The media continues to buy on to any defense mention of race.
They want to continue to play that card.
Chris Darden is on the case, plain and simple,
because he is a fabulous trial lawyer.
We're looking at everything, uh,
and I can't comment on the evidence with regard to that.
No comments on that. No comments on that.
The key question for the judge in the O.J. Simpson murder trial today was
whether to bar cameras and microphones from the courtroom.
Having cameras in the courtroom allows everyone to see how a trial proceeds.
They see the actual evidence as it's being brought out,
and that's a good thing.
It has been said that no American so prominent has been charged with murder.
It will be a legal spectacle.
Now the whole world finally gets to see
what we have been waiting seven months to see.
Juice! Juice!
What did O.J. say to you?
Tell him we love him! Tell him we love him!
Are both sides prepared to go forward? Mr. Cochran?
- We are, Your Honor. - Mrs. Clark?
Yes, Your Honor.
Do the People wish to make an opening statement?
Yes, we do, Your Honor.
All right, you may proceed. Mr. Darden?
I think it's fair to say that I have the toughest job in town today.
And we're here today, obviously, to resolve an issue,
to settle a question,
a question that has been on the minds of people throughout the country
these last seven months.
Did O.J. Simpson really kill Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman?
I am here in front of you this morning… to answer that question.
We will expose to you in this trial the other side of O.J. Simpson,
a wife beater, an abuser.
He killed her to control her.
Control is a continuing theme.
And I submit to you,
that as the trial proceeds on,
that motive will become clear.
Why did Mr. Darden spend all that time on domestic violence
if this is a murder case?
He's not charged with any domestic violence.
They're trying to dredge up some theory to give you a motive
because they don't have a motive.
The defense will talk to you about possibilities.
And they'll insinuate many sinister things based on those possibilities.
This case is about a rush to judgment.
An obsession to win at any cost and by any means necessary.
There were a couple of pictures of an officer leaning down, pointing
at the glove and the cap and everything.
That was Officer Fuhrman.
The prosecution never once mentioned his name yesterday.
It's like they just want to hide him.
But they can't hide him.
Two people have been brutally murdered.
And the evidence consistently will point to the guilt
of only one person as their murderer.
I guess Dr. Martin Luther King said it best when he said that,
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
And so we are now embarked upon this search for justice.
This search for truth.
This search for the facts.
It's a great way to make new friends, right, fellas?
I will always be remembered for being the first guy to go over 2,000 yards.
The People call Ron Shipp to the stand. Ron?
Do you and the defendant remain friends today?
Well, I still love the guy, but, um… I don't know.
I mean, this is a weird situation I'm sitting here in.
You had this conversation with Nicole Brown at the house.
Relay to us the content of that conversation, please.
Nicole had advised me that he had hit her.
There was some swelling about her head.
I remember she… It was covered up pretty good.
I looked at her, I saw bruises on her face and everything.
And I said, "Hey, man, you hit her. She's got marks. You're a batterer."
And that's when he kind of agreed and said, "I guess you're right."
Mr. Douglas, your cross-examination.
You're not really this man's friend, are you, sir?
- You ever been golfing with him? - Never.
- Ever been to a Raider game with him? - Not one.
- You drink a lot, don't you? - I used to.
Didn't you receive a discipline as a result of that conduct?
Yes, I did.
It is true, is it not, that when you are under the influence of alcohol,
your ability to recall facts and events is affected?
If you're drunk.
You have, in the past, told Mr. Simpson's friend,
if Mr. Simpson weren't around,
you might have a shot at Nicole Brown-Simpson yourself?
I didn't--
That's totally false, totally false.
Mr. Douglas, I hope you get your facts straight, okay?
Hold on. Hold on.
- You're attacking me, let me answer. - Hold on, Mr. Shipp.
This is sad, O.J.
Your Honor, I move to strike that.
Ladies and gentlemen, you are to disregard
Mr. Shipp's direct comment to the defendant.
- Mr. Shipp, please. - I'm sorry.
You're instructed not to do that.
You must have expected some kind of backlash, Ron.
And it's probably been a little bit more than I expected.
I'm doing this for my conscience and my peace of mind.
I will not have the blood of Nicole on Ron Shipp.
What we have here in the side of the head is a penetrating injury.
To the temporal bone…
These photographs clearly demonstrate the bloodflow pattern.
The neck is not as stable as it should be because the spine has also been cut.
One must keep in mind the dependent drainage of blood
from the chest cavity.
Four sharp force injuries to the neck…
The neck stab wound Ms. Simpson suffered being the last wound.
O.J.!
- Good morning, sir. - Good morning.
Sir, on January 1, 1989, did you receive a radio call?
It was around 3:30 in the morning.
The 911 operator could overhear the woman being beaten on the phone.
- Was she hysterical? - Oh yes.
With the court's permission, I'd like to play the 1989 911 tape.
911, emergency…
Hello?
When I arrived, a woman came running out of the bushes to my left
and started yelling, "He's going to kill me."
I said, "Who is going to kill you?" She said, "O.J."
She was beat-up.
We were all drinking and goofing around
and being loud and dancing and having a great time.
And then at one point, O.J. grabbed Nicole's crotch and said,
"This is where babies come from, and this belongs to me."
Did you say something to the defendant?
- Yes, I did. - What did you say to him?
I told him he took Nicole for granted.
And he blew up,
grabbed Nicole, threw her against a wall.
What did the defendant say about your sister's weight
while she was pregnant?
He used to call her a fat pig.
The next witness expected to take the stand
is Simpson houseguest Brian Kato Kaelin.
I came in, and they were… There was an argument going on.
And how angry was he that day, Mr. Kaelin?
Angry. He was yelling. The police came.
First of all, he broke the back door down to get in.
What is he doing? Is he threatening you?
He's going nuts. He's going to beat the shit out of me.
Wait a minute.
O.J… O.J… O.J…
Has this happened before, or no?
Many times.
Okay.
He seemed to be attempting to observe
something that may have been occurring within the house.
And who was that man?
It was Mr. Simpson.
And it's your offer, Mr. Darden, that these came from a safe-deposit box
belonging to Nicole Brown Simpson?
That's correct, Your Honor.
It's our position that Ms. Brown left a trail of evidence
indicating that there had been a pattern,
a history of abuse between her and the defendant.
A dance recital was held in Brentwood for the defendant's daughter, Sydney.
The entire Brown family went to the recital.
The defendant arrived a short time later.
- Did he sit directly behind you? - Yes, he did.
After a few minutes, he just abruptly got up and moved.
Nobody said anything to offend him.
Why is he so angry?
And you saw him at about 6:00 or 6:30, after the recital? Right?
Yes.
Nicole was wearing a black halter dress and a black blazer.
The Brown family decided to go to the Mezzaluna restaurant for dinner.
They made it clear to the defendant that he was not invited.
He had a very bizarre look in his eyes.
It was a very faraway look.
Back at Rockingham, Mr. Simpson told Kato he was going out to get something to eat.
Kato invited himself.
You got to McDonald's at approximately what time?
9:22.
So you last saw the defendant standing by the Bentley at 9:35?
About 9:35.
The defendant had an hour and ten minutes
in which his whereabouts are unaccounted for.
I became aware of a barking.
And all of a sudden I heard two voices that said, "Hey, hey, hey!"
Ms. Clark kept telling you that she had fixed the time of death in this case
at about 10:15,
because she wants to give enough time for her theory about O.J. Simpson to work.
A limo driver said he saw a large Black man going across the driveway.
Again, it's 10:15 p.m., September 25, 1994,
at the rear of 875 South Bundy, starting north in the alley to the rear.
Arriving at the Rockingham Gate at 360 North Rockingham
and stopping at the curb.
Had a little window of time.
No time lost making your flight.
A world exclusive.
A key witness in the case against O.J. Simpson breaks her silence.
We cannot police people once they leave our building.
We can't follow them around and say don't talk to the press.
Tom Lange, T-O-M L-A-N-G-E.
So what time did you arrive at 875 South Bundy, sir?
4:05 in the morning.
I was satisfied, in my mind, that the crime scene was indeed secured
by what I saw, yes.
This was a very, very bloody crime scene.
You don't want to contaminate the area. The area has been secured.
This appeared to me to be an overkill or a rage killing.
Did you ever, as the investigating officer in this case,
ever consider any other theory
than that O.J. Simpson was the only perpetrator in this case?
Any other theory?
Yes, any other theory, any other possibility?
I had absolutely no other evidence that would point me in any other direction.
You don't want to rush to judgment in these things, do you?
Certainly not.
So you want to gather all the facts you possibly can, is that correct?
Yes.
These white people, excuse me,
but that's the way I feel about this here situation,
trying to set the brother up,
just for the simple fact that it was a white female that got killed.
So they're going to put it on the brother, you know?
Did you at any time ever investigate any relationships
Mr. Goldman may have had
to determine whether or not he had any enemies, anything of that nature?
Objection.
Overruled.
I did not.
Isn't it true that you, in your experience,
know about drug killings where knives have been used?
Isn't that correct?
I do have knowledge of knives being used, yes.
Now many suspect that drug use
may have played a role in the furious homicides.
The fact that the victim may have a friend who uses drugs,
and in light of no other evidence in that regard,
has very little consequence to me.
The fact that every bit of evidence that I have in this case
points towards the defendant has a lot more to do with this.
So you would follow any particular lead,
and any such lead regarding possible drug involvement
would be important to you as an investigator, isn't that correct?
If I felt that this case involved drugs or drug dealers, it would.
The fact is, it doesn't.
Have you ever heard of a Colombian necktie?
A person's throat is slashed
and their tongue is pulled down through their neck area.
- You ever heard of that? - No.
This is the same thing that Mr. Cochran's been doing throughout this trial.
This is another distortion. This is another deception.
The most compelling murder trial ever.
This is the most talked about murder case in American history.
No matter where you turn,
it seems the trial of the century is popping up everywhere.
Circus is a very good way to describe what's going on.
It's just fantastic drama, and it's live, unscripted drama.
You want more O.J. coverage.
Circulation is up, ratings are up.
It wasn't O.J. No way was it O.J.
I don't think he did it.
He was there, and he did it.
Cochran has done a terrific job, I think, with smoke and mirrors
and spinning a conspiracy theory.
In this case, these police officers left a lot of stones unturned.
What O.J. got was a presumption of guilt, not a presumption of innocence.
If you can't trust the police, you can't trust the case.
Except for the one case of wife beating, he's got an impeccable reputation.
We've got an investigative reporter with a story about a mystery car,
a possible accomplice.
O.J. on the cover still guarantees 10 to 20% more tabloids sold.
This is the first time where journalism's hypocrisy
has really been shaken out of the bushes,
where the difference between The New York Times
and the National Enquirer has gone from this big to this big.
A root beer company promotes a DNA scratch-off contest.
Another firm markets the O.J. crime watch.
Time to create a new O.J. for the Hollywood Wax Museum.
Have you seen folks out there hawking T-shirts and bumper stickers?
I bought the Lance Ito Jell-O mold.
Ronald Goldman's father calls it a disgusting attempt at commercialism.
And sales of white Ford Broncos have doubled at some dealerships.
If you want one today, you should expect to pay full sticker price.
Everybody look over there.
The first to hit the bookshelves will be Green Eggs and Ham and O.J. is Guilty.
My name is Kramer. You know who I am, damn it!
You know who I am, goddamn it!
With so many reporters trying to scoop the rest of the reporters,
big stories often turn into feeding frenzies.
Mr. ******. Move away! Move!
- That's horrible. - What would you pay for a story?
I'll give them my American Express card number, because there are no limits.
Remember the victims! Remember the victims!
All right, back on the record in the Simpson matter.
Mr. Darden. Good morning.
Good morning, Judge.
Detective Fuhrman is going to play a very, very small role in this case.
This wasn't his case.
He was not the investigating officer
or the lead investigating officer in this case.
He just happened to find a glove.
Now when the man is called to the witness stand,
we're going to go 15 years back or 14 years back, and ask him
if he ever made a racial slur?
It is a dirty, filthy word.
It blinds people.
It'll blind the jury. It'll blind them to the truth.
We can't win.
No matter what.
Because now we're trying a race case.
We're not trying O.J. Simpson,
and we're not trying the issue of whether he killed two people on Bundy.
I would be remiss were I not at this time
to take this opportunity to respond to my good friend, Mr. Chris Darden.
His remarks this morning
are perhaps the most incredible remarks I've heard in a court of law
in the 32 years I've been practicing law.
His remarks are demeaning to African Americans as a group.
And so I want to apologize to African Americans across this country.
Nobody wants to introduce race into this case, Your Honor.
But as Mr. Darden has pointed out,
race plays a part of everything in America.
What we're going to be talking about this afternoon, Your Honor,
is words out of the mouth of Mark Fuhrman.
And I am ashamed that Mr. Darden
would allow himself to become an apologist for this man.
Detective Fuhrman,
can you tell us how you feel about testifying today?
Nervous.
- Reluctant. - Can you tell us why?
I've seen a lot of the evidence ignored
and a lot of personal issues come to the forefront.
In the early morning hours of June the 13th,
when you arrived at the location of 360 North Rockingham,
what happened next?
Walking down the path and I saw a dark object.
Could you tell what that dark object was?
It looked similar to the glove on the Bundy scene.
It appeared to be the same texture of leather, same color.
The prosecution has opened this door rather deliberately,
knowing full well that there would be questions
as to whether or not the someone, and there has to be someone,
who transported that glove to Rockingham could have been Detective Fuhrman.
This package
could easily have been kept in a man's sock, short or tall.
Mr. Bailey, you may resume with your cross-examination.
Detective Fuhrman, did you believe
that you would be an essential witness
if you were the first to find an important piece of evidence?
I couldn't make that determination at that time.
I didn't even know what the implication of the glove was.
You told us the minute you saw it,
you thought it looked like the one on Bundy, didn't you?
Yes, sir.
Was it not your purpose to be in the area along the south wall alone?
No, it wasn't.
It just worked out that way, is that it?
I didn't even know the south wall was accessible.
Did you say, while in the recruiting station,
at any time during those years,
that when you see "a nigger driving with a white woman,"
you pull them over?
No.
Is it possible that you have forgotten that act on your part?
No, it's not possible.
Are you therefore saying that you have not used that word
in the past ten years, Detective Fuhrman?
Yes, that's what I'm saying.
So that anyone who comes to this court
and quotes you as using that word
in dealing with African Americans would be a liar, Detective Fuhrman?
Yes, they would.
- All of them, correct? - All of them.
All right, thank you.
The jurors sat transfixed at that exchange
and most certainly tonight have questions about Fuhrman.
Suddenly, Fuhrman is the most famous cop in America.
If he was the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan,
he couldn't have planted this glove.
I think he did set O.J. Simpson up. That's what I think.
I'm not saying he did, but it's a possibility.
It does not show anything more that he planted any evidence
against O.J. Simpson.
I mean, who hasn't uttered a racial statement before?
I have. Everybody has.
I heard a thumping noise.