Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson and...

Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson and defense lawyers Brian Lysaght and Albert De Blanc Jr offer their take on the Simpson trial. UCLA Law School professor Peter Arenella, a regular Legal Pad commentator, will be off most of this week. Today’s topic: Blue-black threads looming on the horizon as the prosecution tries to finish its case.

LAURIE LEVENSON

On the prosecution: “The end is in sight. Maybe. Barring any surprises, an FBI agent may be their last witness. Through hair and fiber evidence, prosecutors hope to show that O.J. was at the crime scene, wearing an outfit in which he was previously photographed. The evidence may be microscopic, but in a circumstantial case it’s the little things that count.”

On the defense: “Same cross, different witness. Returning to familiar themes of sloppy evidence-handling and cross-contamination, Bob Blasier launched a strong preemptive attack on the trace evidence results. But he offered something new: innocent reasons why O.J.’s hairs might be found at the crime scene, including contact with his children.”

BRIAN LYSAGHT

On the prosecution: “The case-in-chief should end with a bang, not a whimper. Marcia Clark knows that better than anyone. Yet the prosecution followed a day of turgid chain-of-custody testimony with a day of turgid argument about evidence boards. The trail of blue-black threads is important but just got diluted by an unnecessary discovery dispute.”

On the defense: “The defense used Susan Brockbank to preempt the expected chain-of-thread testimony from Agent Deedrick. She explained that trace analysis is at best a subjective exercise lacking standards. Deedrick will not place blue-black threads on the socks and gloves. Yet, like the shoe prints, it will be hard to conclusively link the threads to O.J.”

ALBERT DE BLANC JR.

On the prosecution: “FBI agent Deedrick may present powerful and compelling evidence linking O.J. to the killer through a trail of hair and fibers from the Bundy Drive murder scene to his bedroom. It’s unfortunate that prosecutors were unable to go forward with their exhibits Wednesday because of their failure to sit down with the defense and preview all this material.”

On the defense: “Blasier’s greatest achievement with Brockbank was getting her to admit that the evidence gloves were smaller at one point, consistent with the defense contention that the gloves don’t fit O.J Simpson. F. Lee Bailey’s criticism of prosecution photo displays apparently won the day. But it may be short-lived.”

Compiled by HENRY WEINSTEIN / Los Angeles Times