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Did O.J. Dispose Of Item At Airport? Prosecution To Haul Trash Can Into Court, Question Witness

Associated Press

Prosecutors plan to haul an airport trash can into court along with a new witness to suggest O.J. Simpson disposed of something before leaving town the night his ex-wife and a friend were murdered, according to a court transcript released Thursday.

Deputy District Attorney Marcia Clark said a witness has come forward with recollections of seeing Simpson standing by a trash can at Los Angeles International Airport before his late-night flight to Chicago on June 12, 1994.

“This witness will state that he saw Mr. Simpson reach down, then reach back up and go into his bag and zip it up,” Clark told attorneys.

The witness’s name was not released, but Clark said his testimony would support limousine driver Allan Park’s statement that Simpson placed a duffel bag on a trash can as he checked his luggage about 11:30 p.m.

Airport skycap James Williams also has testified that Simpson stood near the trash can as he was checking his luggage, but Williams said he didn’t see Simpson do anything involving the can.

Only one witness testified at the double-murder trial Thursday - Susan Silva, a Westec Security Inc. employee who explained the workings of the alarm system at Simpson’s estate.

The prosecution wanted to show jurors that Simpson would have set off an alarm if he had tried to enter his home through the garage or laundry room the night of the murders. He had to use the front door, Silva’s diagram showed, and prosecutors suggested he may have dropped a bloody glove while circling the property to reach that door.

With jurors dismissed for the day, DNA lawyers set the stage for a battle over the heart of the prosecution’s case - the analysis of blood found at the crime scene, at Simpson’s home, in his Bronco and on the glove discovered on his estate.

Deputy District Attorney Rockne Harmon stunned the courtroom when he suggested the defense send a Nobel Prize-winning scientist to a detoxification center before he testifies. Dr. Kary Mullis has admitted using LSD.

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