THE O.J. SIMPSON MURDER TRIAL

UCLA law professor Peter Arenella and Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson regularly offer their take on the Simpson trial. Joining them today is defense attorney Albert De Blanc, Jr., who will rotate with other experts as the case moves forward. Today’s topic: Blood and gloves.

PETER ARENELLA

On the defense: “The defense’s Mr. Wizard, Herbert MacDonell, mitigated some but not all of the damage done by the prosecution’s rebuttal. Agent William Bodziak had insisted the one unexplained shoe print on the walkway June 25 was not present in June 12 crime scene photos. MacDonell suggested that a faint bloody print might get darker over time--providing one plausible explanation why the print might not be apparent in the June 12 police photos.”

On the prosecution: “Bodziak’s competence and integrity puts in context one of the prosecution’s major problems--the absence of these qualities in some LAPD witnesses. First, Mark Fuhrman self-immolates; Now the jury may hear that Det. Philip Vannatter lied to them about not considering O.J. a suspect when the police went to Rockingham. Needless police lies about collateral issues may be the prosecution’s undoing by lending credence to conspiracy theories.”

LAURIE LEVENSON

On the defense: “Barry Scheck fought to defend Dr. Henry Lee’s honor. In cross-examining Bodziak, Scheck suggested that it was the prosecutors who mislead the jury about Lee’s testimony. But there was an ironic side-effect. To show Lee had not mislead anyone, Scheck emphasized that Lee never said there was a second killer. When the defene moved back to the glove issue, MacDonell gave it his all, including his own blood, to show the gloves wouldn’t shrink.”

On the prosecution: “The prosecution rests. . .for now. Marcia Clark ended her first round of rebuttal with Bodziak, a shoeprint expert who is adamant that there was only one set of prints at the crime scene. As he put it, unless the killer could fly, there wasn’t a second murderer at the scene. By and large, the prosecution has put the double-killer theory to rest. But their real challenge always has been to convince jurors that O.J. was that sole killer.”

ALBERT DE BLANC

On the defense: “You couldn’t ask for more from Scheck against Agent Bodziak, but it’s clear the defense needs desperately to call back a reluctant Dr. Lee. Without more from him, the second pair of shoe prints suggested by the defense may have walked right out of this case. It also would help a lot if the defense could provide some evidence to explain what happened to the gloves purchased by Nicole Brown Simpson. They didn’t just evaporate.”

On the prosecution: “The prosecution rebuttal has taken the second assailant theory and pretty much stomped it out. The defense’s problem is, whether one or two assailants committed these brutal killings. O.J. Simpson’s contention is that he didn’t do it no matter how many people were at the Bundy crime scene. The blood, hair, fiber and trace evidence comprise the prosecution’s core. That’s why the rush to judgment and conspiracy theories are a continuing battle ground.”

Compiled by TIM RUTTEN / Los Angeles Times