THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 4, 1995 TAG: 9510040589
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Associated Press
LENGTH: Long : 205 lines
1994
JUNE
12: Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman are
stabbed to death outside her condominium.
13: Simpson arrives in Chicago. Detectives go to Simpson's estate
and conduct warrantless search. Simpson is told of the killings and
flies back to Los Angeles. Undergoes questioning at police
headquarters.
16: Simpson accompanies children Sydney and Justin to ex-wife's
funeral; friends and family attend Goldman's funeral.
17: Simpson is charged with murder. Failing to surrender as
promised, he is declared a fugitive. He's later spotted in white
Ford Bronco with friend Al Cowlings driving. Police follow for 60
miles across Southern California freeways, ending at Simpson's home,
where he is arrested.
JULY
8: After six-day preliminary hearing, Municipal Judge Kathleen
Kennedy-Powell finds ``ample evidence'' for trial.
22: Simpson pleads ``absolutely, 100 percent not guilty''; case
is assigned to Superior Court Judge Lance Ito.
27: Goldman's estranged mother files wrongful death lawsuit
against Simpson, alleging he ``willfully, wantonly and maliciously''
killed her son.
30: Grand jury transcripts depict Simpson as a jealous man who
stalked his ex-wife.
AUGUST
18: Defense files motion, later denied, seeking Detective Mark
Fuhrman's personnel and military records. Defense sources earlier
said they might portray Fuhrman as racist police officer who moved
bloody glove from slaying scene to Simpson's estate.
22: Court papers disclose that some DNA tests show Simpson's
blood has same genetic makeup as samples from blood trail leading
from slaying scene.
SEPTEMBER
2: Prosecutors file motion for jury sequestration.
9: Prosecutors announce they will seek sentence of life without
parole rather than death penalty.
19: Ito rejects defense claims of sloppy detective work, says
police acted properly when they searched Simpson's house without
warrant.
26: Jury selection begins.
NOVEMBER
3: Jury of eight women, four men selected. Panel composed of
eight blacks, one white, one Hispanic and two people of mixed race.
DECEMBER
8: Alternate jury selected; nine women and three men; seven
blacks, four whites, one Hispanic.
1995
JANUARY
4: Defense abandons challenge of DNA evidence.
11: Jurors sequestered; court releases explosive prosecution
documents accusing Simpson of beating, degrading and stalking Nicole
Simpson throughout their 17-year relationship. Documents are
released as hearing begins on defense bid to bar evidence of
domestic violence. Defense accuses prosecution of character
assassination.
12: Prosecutors withdraw 18 of 62 abuse allegations.
13: At hearing to determine whether defense will be permitted to
question Fuhrman about alleged racial slurs, prosecutor Christopher
Darden and defense attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr., both black, engage
in emotional exchange over role of race in trial.
17: Prosecution documents allege Simpson hit his first wife,
Marguerite Thomas Simpson. Officer who responded to domestic call
some 20 years earlier says Simpson's then-wife said Simpson hit her
and she was taken to hotel for the night. In June police interview,
Thomas denied Simpson ever abused her.
18: Ito rules jurors can hear evidence of domestic violence in
Simpson's relationship with Nicole Brown Simpson; dismisses two
jurors. After highly publicized bickering between Simpson attorneys
Robert Shapiro and F. Lee Bailey, Cochran takes lead on defense
team.
20: Ito allows possibility of Fuhrman racism introduced if
defense can prove it's relevant.
24: Ito rejects Simpson's request to speak directly to jurors
before defense opening statements but allows him to show scars on
knees. Darden and prosecutor Marcia Clark begin opening statements.
27: Simpson's book, ``I Want to Tell You,'' is released. He
responds to more than 300,000 pieces of mail sent to him in jail.
31: First prosecution witness testifies. Sharyn Gilbert, a 911
operator and dispatcher, testifies she answered call from Simpson's
home on New Year's Day 1989.
FEBRUARY
3: Denise Brown sobs on witness stand as she testifies how
Simpson humiliated her sister Nicole in public and once hurled her
against a wall.
7: Juror Katherine Murdoch dismissed.
12: Jurors make daytime tour of Simpson's estate and homicide
scene.
MARCH
1: Juror Michael Knox dismissed.
15: Fuhrman denies under cross-examination he used racial slur in
past 10 years.
17: Juror Tracy Kennedy dismissed.
APRIL
5: Juror Jeanette Harris dismissed.
11: Criminalist Dennis Fung testifies and concedes he didn't
detect blood on socks at Simpson's home or on back gate of slaying
scene until weeks later.
21: Jurors wear black to court and refuse to hear testimony for
day, after three deputies who guarded panel are reassigned amid
charges of giving preferential treatment to white jurors.
MAY
1: Juror Tracy Hampton dismissed.
4: Goldman's father and sister file wrongful death lawsuit.
10: Testimony about DNA blood analysis begins; scientist Robin
Cotton is first witness to link Simpson to killings through genetic
tests.
26: Juror Francine Florio-Bunten dismissed.
JUNE
5: Jurors Farron Chavarria and Willie Cravin dismissed. Juror
makeup now nine blacks, one Hispanic and two whites; 10 women, two
men.
12: Estate of Nicole Simpson files lawsuit accusing Simpson of
``brutally and with malice aforethought stalked, attacked and
repeatedly stabbed and beat'' his ex-wife.
15: Simpson struggles to pull on bloody gloves found at murder
scene and his estate. Prosecutors suggest the gloves had shrunk.
JULY
6: Prosecution rests.
10: Defense calls its first witness - Simpson's grown daughter,
Arnelle.
AUGUST
15: Clark says she'll ask Ito to remove himself from trial
because of appearance of conflict of interest stemming from tapes
Fuhrman made with scriptwriter as part of screenwriting project
about LAPD. In tapes, Fuhrman makes derogatory comments about Ito's
police-captain wife and minorities.
16: Clark backs down from threat. Ito says he'll rule on
admissibility of Fuhrman tapes but allows another judge to determine
whether his wife is relevant witness.
18: Superior Court Judge John Reid rules Ito's wife has nothing
relevant to add to trial.
29: Excerpts of recorded interviews between Fuhrman and
screenwriter played with jury absent.
31: Ito rules that jurors will hear only two of 61 excerpts
defense wants to present. Cochran calls Ito's ruling cruel and
unfair. Lawyer Robert Tourtelot says he will no longer act as
Fuhrman's spokesman or represent him in civil matters.
SEPTEMBER
5: Jurors hear Fuhrman on tape using racial epithet.
6: Fuhrman returns to witness stand, out of jury's presence, and
invokes Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. Black
witness Roderic Hodge tells jurors that when Fuhrman arrested him in
1987, he used racial slur.
7: Defense ends months of speculation by saying Simpson won't
testify. Judge agrees to defense request that jurors be told Fuhrman
had become ``unavailable'' and they could consider that in weighing
his credibility. Prosecutors appeal.
8: Appeals court rejects Ito's jury instruction about Fuhrman.
11: Defense refuses to rest case pending appeal of Fuhrman issue;
judge orders prosecutors to begin rebuttal.
13: Cochran announces he wants FBI agent Frederic Whitehurst to
testify about problems in FBI crime lab.
14: Appeals court rejects defense request to recall Fuhrman so he
can be cross-examined in front of jurors about racist statements in
taped interviews.
18: Prosecution conditionally rests.
19: Detective Philip Vannatter is grilled in court about
statements he allegedly made to mob informants. Ito blacks out trial
for first time in case, so informants can testify. Craig and Larry
Fiato and FBI Agent Michael Wacks testify that Vannatter said he
suspected ``the husband'' from the start.
20: Ito bars Whitehurst testimony. LAPD Cmdr. Keith Bushey
testifies he gave orders for investigators to go to Simpson's estate
and notify him of his ex-wife's slaying.
21: Ito gives jurors option of finding Simpson guilty of
second-degree murder.
22: Defense and prosecution rest. Simpson tells judge, ``I did
not, could not and would not have committed this crime.'' Ito reads
jury instructions.
26: Prosecution begins closing arguments. Ito blacks out trial
when court camera pans to Simpson's hand as he is writing a note.
Judge eventually allows camera back on but fines broadcast group
$1,500.
27: Prosecution finishes closing arguments; defense begins.
28: During summation, Cochran upsets Goldman family when he
compares Fuhrman to Adolf Hitler. Goldman's father, Fred, tells a
live TV audience that Cochran ``is the worst kind of human being
imaginable.'' Simpson's family counters with news conference saying,
``It's wrong for someone to get up and personally attack our
lawyers, and say that they are liars.''
29: Prosecution presents rebuttal arguments. Judge gives final
jury instructions and the case goes to the jury. A forewoman is
selected in about three minutes.
Oct. 2: Jury deliberates less than four hours before reaching
verdict.
Oct. 3: Simpson acquitted on both counts of murder.
KEYWORDS: O.J. SIMPSON VERDICT REACTION by CNB