Witness Admits Lack Of Expertise Can’t Pinpoint Source Of Bloody Imprints On Goldman’s Jeans

Bloody imprints on Ronald Goldman’s jeans appear to have been made by his shirt, an FBI expert testified at the O.J. Simpson murder trial Thursday. But the witness conceded his lack of expertise and said one print could have been the edge of a shoe.

Special Agent Douglas Deedrick, called by the prosecution to debunk the defense’s multiple-killer theory, quickly came under defense attack.

Attorney Barry Scheck accused the witness of having insufficient qualifications to testify about the bloody imprints, and Deedrick acknowledged that he did not consider himself a blood pattern expert.

In the end, Deedrick said he could establish just one thing for sure from the marks: “I placed the victim, Ronald Goldman, at the crime scene.”

Defense expert Henry Lee told jurors earlier that the mysterious imprints found at the murder scene could be from the shoe of a second killer.

Under prosecution questioning, Deedrick said Goldman’s shirt may have touched the jeans in “a swiping motion,” which could have happened if Goldman’s sleeve brushed against his pants.

The witness also said he believed lines seen on an envelope and a piece of paper at the crime scene were made by the fabric in Goldman’s blue jeans.

Deedrick, a hair and fiber expert at FBI headquarters, said he saw the imprints identified by Lee once they were pointed out by another FBI expert, William Bodziak, on photographs.

Deedrick said he later made a “test imprint” to duplicate the pattern on Goldman’s shirt, jeans and shoes for comparison.

Prosecutor Marcia Clark pointed out that Lee, who testified the shirt could not have made the imprint on the jeans, failed to conduct such comparisons.

“If that shirt was to be excluded by an expert without a test impression … what would your opinion be of the scientific procedure?” Clark asked.

“I think it’s inadequate,” Deedrick replied.

But under cross-examination, Deedrick said he couldn’t tell if the imprints came from Goldman’s clothes or the clothes of someone else. And he acknowledged that a print on Goldman’s jeans that he identified as coming from his shirt “may be the edge of a shoe.”

Jurors took some notes as Deedrick testified but not with as much animation as they did when Lee was telling his interpretation of the imprints. The jurors appeared interested, but their attention has been lagging in recent weeks as the trial drags on.

The judge assured the anxious panel that the prosecution rebuttal was nearly over, although the defense had yet to rest the case prosecutors were rebutting. Despite the announcement from the judge, jurors were left waiting most of the morning while attorneys went over exhibits.

In another of many bizarre twists in the murder trial, the defense was pushing to call an FBI agent to attack bureau scientific lab work while the prosecution had Deedrick and Bodziak on hand to rebut defense testimony.

Judge Lance Ito has been pressing lawyers to move quickly because the jury, sequestered for over eight months, is stressed-out. At least one member is having financial problems and others have been complaining about their long stint away from home.

When they were sequestered last January, they were told they might be living in a hotel for six months, but all estimates in the case have proved to be inadequate.

Simpson is charged with the June 12, 1994, slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. The murder scene has been the subject of inch-by-inch examination by a small army of scientists.