Opening statements, testimony set to begin in O.J. Simpson road-rage trial

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Opening statements, testimony set to begin in O.J. Simpson road-rage trial

Sun-Sentinel Link

By Catherine Wilson, Associated Press, Posted October 18 2001

An eight-member jury was selected behind closed doors Wednesday in the Miami-Dade County road-rage trial of football great O.J. Simpson.

The judge and attorneys questioned a pool of 110 potential jurors over six days about everything from Simpson's acquittal in the 1994 killings of his ex-wife and a friend to the running back's big college football games.

Simpson faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted of felony auto burglary and misdemeanor battery charges over an angry road encounter with another motorist on Dec. 4, 2000. Opening statements were set for Thursday.

Simpson had no comment on his jury, but attorneys on both sides said they were pleased with the panel of six men and two women.

"We're happy with the makeup of the jury," said prosecutor Abbe Rifkin. "It actually went a lot quicker than we thought it would."

After the jury was chosen in the judge's chambers, defense attorney Yale Galanter said Simpson "absolutely had significant input in it."

In the final round of defense questioning Wednesday, 41 jury candidates were asked about any odd encounters they've had on the road and whether they have used cell phones to call for help in emergencies.

Galanter asked if anyone thought Simpson was "required to walk on eggshells just because he's a celebrity." No prospective jurors spoke up. Others who saw Simpson's fame or his past as an issue were weeded out earlier.

Galanter seemed to be preparing jurors for trial testimony by asking whether they thought celebrities are commonly followed in traffic, and by delving into any 911 calls they've made from the road.

The other motorist in the case, Jeffrey Pattinson, called police after getting home, saying he flashed his lights and honked his horn after Simpson rolled through a stop sign.

Both drivers pulled over, and Pattinson said Simpson reached in the driver's window of Pattinson's car and scratched his forehead tearing off his eyeglasses.

Key prosecution evidence is Simpson's thumbprint on Pattinson's glasses. Testimony is expected to last two or three days.

Copyright © 2001, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2001

Answers

Let's see if his defense attorney will try to "discredit" fingerprint evidence, like his team did with DNA to the satisfaction of 12 idiots.

-- Anonymous, October 19, 2001

Actually, they did say that the other guy had the glases in his hand outside the car and that OJ 'brushed against them' at some point.

-- Anonymous, October 19, 2001

MiamiHerald

Published Friday, October 19, 2001

O.J. `very, very angry,' driver testifies

Road-rage trial gets under way

DAVID GREEN dgreen@herald.com

One evening last December, a shaken Jeffrey Pattinson walked into his suburban Miami house and announced to his wife, ``You'll not believe who just assaulted me.''

Those words triggered a chain of events that culminated Thursday with Pattinson taking the witness stand against O.J. Simpson. The football great is accused of reaching into Pattinson's SUV during a traffic altercation, snatching Pattinson's glasses and scratching his eye.

``He was very, very angry,'' Pattinson, a native of Jamaica, told the jury. ``The look on his face, his demeanor. . . . I was very concerned.''

BREAKING HIS SILENCE

For the first time, Pattinson spoke publicly about the incident. Despite a horde of reporters initially camped on his front lawn, offers of cash from tabloids and even death threats, the former lawyer has refused to share his account.

Pattinson finally got his opportunity Thursday. It was the first day of Simpson's trial before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis J. Murphy on felony auto burglary and misdemeanor battery charges.

Pattinson said he was driving home from buying Christmas lights for his son when a black Lincoln Navigator breezed through a stop sign. He was forced to brake his Jeep Grand Cherokee, he testified.

Miffed, Pattinson said he flashed his lights and honked his horn. The Navigator then stopped abruptly in the road and a man jumped out and rushed toward Pattinson's SUV, he testified.

The identity of that man, according to Pattinson: O.J. Simpson.

``So I ran the damn stop sign,'' Simpson shouted at him, according to Pattinson. ``What are you going to do, kill me and my kids?''

``Are you a madman?'' Pattinson said he replied. ``You just ran the stop sign, and now you're threatening me?''

Simpson then reached in through Pattinson's open window and snatched his glasses off his face, Pattinson told the court. The gesture left Pattinson with a scratch over his left eye, according to testimony from Miami-Dade Officer Ruth Dobson.

The former football star backed off only after his daughter Sydney shouted ``No, Daddy, no!'' Pattinson testified.

Prosecutors depicted Simpson as a man unable at that moment to contain his rage.

``Jeffrey Pattinson had nothing on his mind other than getting some Christmas lights for his son,'' Assistant State Attorney Abbe Rifkin said during opening statements. She is prosecuting the case with Paul Mendelson. ``Mr. Simpson was enraged . . . enraged because he was caught breaking a traffic law.''

Simpson could face up to 16 years if convicted.

He has adamantly denied assaulting Pattinson. His attorneys insist he did nothing wrong, and questioned Pattinson as to why he did not call 911 immediately from his cellphone but instead waited until he got home.

Pattinson's answer: He first wanted to consult with his wife about the publicity filing a complaint would attract.

MISTRIAL SOUGHT

Simpson's lawyers also asked for a mistrial at the end of the day Thursday after jurors admitted talking about that day's testimony among themselves. It violated the judge's instructions not to discuss the case.

Murphy will rule on the matter when testimony resumes Monday.

-- Anonymous, October 19, 2001


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