THE O.J. SIMPSON MURDER TRIAL

UCLA law professor Peter Arenella and Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson offer their take on the Simpson trial. Joining them is defense attorney Albert DeBlanc Jr., who will rotate with other experts as the case moves forward. Today’s topic: Brian Kelberg leaves no stone unturned with the coroner.

PETER ARENELLA

On the prosecution: “If ‘the devil is in the details,’ then Kelberg has been possessed by immersion in mind-numbing forensic minutiae. He offered a reason for why O.J. had no marks on his body: The bruises on Ronald Goldman’s hands might well have come from hitting a tree stump. But will jurors trust this speculation or be angry at Kelberg for overkill?”

On the defense: “The prosecution has already done some of Robert Shapiro’s work for him by demolishing the competence of the coroner who actually did the autopsies. Shapiro’s task is to show the jury why the chief coroner’s review of the autopsy photos and reports cannot make up for Dr. Irwin Golden’s obvious sins of commission and omission.”

LAURIE LEVENSON

On the prosecution: “Just when things bogged down, Kelberg detailed a murder scenario. The coroner described how the killer may have poked Goldman repeatedly in the face to determine if he was still alive. Then, he described deep knife plunges into the chest and lower abdomen. These wounds look horrifying but envisioning the attack is even worse.”

On the defense: “The defense suddenly has an amazing concern for Golden’s reputation. Shapiro accused Kelberg of sacrificing Golden’s career by using another coroner to testify. But Shapiro is unlikely to be so charitable if and when he calls Golden to the stand. The defense wants to use his notes and mistakes to offer alternative murder scenarios.”

ALBERT DeBLANC JR.

On the prosecution: “On a scale of one to 10, Kelberg and the coroner get a 10. Kelberg appears to have successfully led the jury into respecting the coroner and triggered reliance on the coroner’s opinion on a host of issues affecting the manner and cause of death: single killer, single-edged knife, time of death and the killer’s power and control over the victims.”

On the defense: “Shapiro should try to show that the coroner is trying to protect the reputation of his office and is striving to give the impression that nothing went wrong in the autopsies that would affect any of the ‘big ticket’ issues, when, in fact serious mistakes were made that affect many of his opinions.”

Compiled by HENRY WEINSTEIN / Los Angeles Times