DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. SHAPIRO
MR. SHAPIRO: Good morning,
Mr. Mandel, and thank you for coming.
MR. MANDEL: Good morning.
MR. SHAPIRO: Are you
a little nervous?
MR. MANDEL: Definitely.
MR. SHAPIRO: Have
you ever had the occasion to testify before?
MR. MANDEL: No, I
have not.
MR. SHAPIRO: Would
you briefly tell the jury what your education and background consists of.
MR. MANDEL: I have
a BA from UCLA, I graduated in 1990, and currently I work at Sony Pictures
in television finance. MR. SHAPIRO: I want to draw your attention and ask
you to tell the jury if anything unusual happened to you on June the 12th
and if there is any reason to recall that date of 1994.
MR. MANDEL: Well,
just that I was in this--at Mezzaluna that evening and then happened to
walk by Nicole Simpson's house that evening.
MR. SHAPIRO: So you
have--you are--obviously you are aware of what has been going on in the
trial of Mr. O.J. Simpson?
MR. MANDEL: Yes, I
am....
MR. SHAPIRO: Would
you tell the ladies and gentlemen of the jury where you were just prior
to going to Mezzaluna restaurant?
MR. MANDEL: I picked
up--I was on a first date and I picked up Ellen Aaronson in her apartment.
MR. SHAPIRO: And where
did Ellen Aaronson live?
MR. MANDEL: She lives
on Darlington in Brentwood.
MR. SHAPIRO: And do
you recall where Darlington is in relationship to a location that you--did
you at some point become aware of where Nicole Brown Simpson lived?
MR. MANDEL: Yes, I
did.
MR. SHAPIRO: Where
in relationship to Nicole's condominium was Miss Aaronson's apartment?
MR. MANDEL: It is
approximately one block south and one block east.
MR. SHAPIRO: What
time did you arrive at Miss Aaronson's apartment?
MR. MANDEL: At a little
past eight o'clock.
MR. SHAPIRO: And did
you leave there at some point in time?
MR. MANDEL: Yeah,
shortly thereafter.
MR. SHAPIRO: Where
did you go upon leaving the apartment?
MR. MANDEL: We walked
to the restaurant....
MR. SHAPIRO: And did
you have dinner at the restaurant?
MR. MANDEL: Yes, we
did.
MR. SHAPIRO: Do you
know what time you left the restaurant?
MR. MANDEL: I would
approximate 10:15 or so. . . .
MR. SHAPIRO: Which
route did you take going home?
MR. MANDEL:
We left from Mezzaluna's back door, which is on Gorham, and we walked Gorham
west onto Bundy and continued Bundy until Darlington.
MR. SHAPIRO: At some
point in time did you become aware of the precise location of Nicole Brown
Simpson's condominium?
MR. MANDEL: Yes.
MR. SHAPIRO: Do you
recall whether or not you walked by that location on June the 12th in the
evening with your date, Miss Aaronson?
MR. MANDEL: Yes.
MR. SHAPIRO: When
you walked by that area did you notice anything unusual?
MR. MANDEL: No.
MR. SHAPIRO: Did you
hear anything unusual?
MR. MANDEL: No.
MR. SHAPIRO: Did you
hear any barking dogs?
MR. MANDEL: None.
. . .
MR. SHAPIRO: When
you walked by that location on the 12th, did you see any blood in the area
that is depicted in the photograph?
MR. MANDEL: No, I
did not.
MR. SHAPIRO: Did you
see the shape or silhouette of the body of a person when you walked by?
MR. MANDEL: No, I
did not.
MR. SHAPIRO: How can
you relate what time it was?
MR. MANDEL: Well,
both by knowing the credit card time and having approximation of how long
I sat before I left, and then also when I was on Darlington a few houses
down from Ellen's apartment I happened to glance at my watch and--
MR. SHAPIRO: What
time was it when you glanced at your watch?
MR. MANDEL: It was
at the bottom of the hour, approximately 10:30. It could be a minute or
two before or after.
MR. SHAPIRO: And how
far was that location from 875 south Bundy when you looked at your watch?
MR. MANDEL: In time
it is probably about three--three-minute walk, three or four-minute walk.
MR. SHAPIRO: Was there
anything unusual whatsoever, at approximately 10:30 on June the 12th, that
you recall when you walked by the condominium of Nicole
Brown Simpson?
MR. MANDEL: No. .
. . .
CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MS. CLARK
MS. CLARK: Now, tell
us, is it your testimony, sir, that you walked past 875 south Bundy sometime
between 10:20 and 10:30?
MR. MANDEL: I would
say approximately 10:25.
MS. CLARK: Or between
10:25 and 10:30?
MR. MANDEL: I would
say it is probably closer to 10:25 than 10:30.
MS. CLARK: So if you
were walking down Bundy, passing 875 south Bundy at about 10:25, that means
that you would have gone--you would have crossed Dorothy at what, at about
10:26?
MR. MANDEL: Dorothy,
correct.
MS. CLARK: That means
that would have been just above 875 at about 10:23?
MR. MANDEL: Sounds
reasonable.
MS. CLARK: And if
someone was in their home just south of Dorothy looking north on Bundy,
he should have been able to see you; isn't that right, walking south on
Bundy?
MR. SHAPIRO: Objection,
calls for speculation.
THE COURT: Sustained.
MS. CLARK: To your
knowledge, sir, are you aware that someone testified that they looked out
their window from that location I just pointed to south of Dorothy, looking
north on Bundy, and saw no one walking down south Bundy at approximately
10:25?
MR. MANDEL: I hadn't
heard that, no.
MS. CLARK: I have
nothing further.