THE O.J. SIMPSON MURDER TRIAL

UCLA law professor Peter Arenella and Loyola University law professor Laurie Levenson offer their take on the Simpson trial. Joining them is Santa Monica defense lawyer Brian Lysaght, who will rotate with other experts as the case moves forward. Today’s topic: Peter Neufeld’s cross-examination of Andrea Mazzola concludes and Hank Goldberg’s redirect examination begins.

PETER ARENELLA

On the prosecution: “Goldberg used his redirect to offer innocent answers to some of the questions raised during the cross-examination of Mazzola. The delay in booking O.J.’s blood sample was not due to its belated receipt, but because of the time needed to dry all the blood swatches. Mazzola’s contradictory testimony concerning evidence collection arose from her initial inattention to details she saw as insignificant until the defense tried to use them.”

On the defense: “Neufeld tried to paint Mazzola as a partisan willing to change her testimony to conceal flaws in how she and Dennis Fung handled evidence. Initially, he covered familiar ground with little apparent effect. But Neufeld struck pay dirt when he used a prosecution tape of a meeting between Mazzola and her superior to force Mazzola’s admission that she might have discussed defense allegations of evidence tampering--something she’d previously denied.”

LAURIE LEVENSON

On the prosecution: “The prosecution must be breathing a sigh of relief. Mazzola held up fairly well during cross-examination and seemed to surprise Neufeld when she testified that she had placed additional items in the garbage bag used to carry the blood vial. Goldberg must be careful, however, not to be too flippant in asking questions about defense theories. Mazzola’s claim that the name O.J. Simpson did not ring a bell may be a bit hard for jurors to swallow.”

On the defense: “Neufeld often hit a brick wall as he questioned Mazzola on issues about which she had already testified. Neufeld’s new line of attack--questions about a tampering investigation--stalled when Judge Ito limited how much the defense could use an investigation of their own creation. Overall, as Mazzola’s testimony nears an end, the defense contamination and conspiracy theories seem no further along than they were at the end of Fung’s testimony.”

BRIAN LYSAGHT

On the prosecution: “The prosecution is not driving its case forward with aggressiveness and precision. It is engaging in damage control and losing. Mazzola is starting to get that ‘deer in the headlights’ look. Goldberg’s role has been reduced to cleaning up after the Barry Scheck-Peter Neufeld New York parade. If this is a harbinger of DNA days to come, the prosecution case should be taken off the griddle; it’s done.”

On the defense: “Neufeld took too long but he further eroded the prosecution’s version of what happened with Simpson’s blood vial. In August, Mazzola said she was with Fung all the time. But Wednesday she had to do some back and fill. Mazzola said she was briefly in another room with her eyes closed on Simpson’s couch, making it possible for Fung to put the vial in the garbage bag without her seeing it. It’s getting curiouser and curiouser.”

Compiled by HENRY WEINSTEIN / Los Angeles Times