Document 6446909

Simpson case hinges on motive
By Debbie Howletl
USA TODAY
LOS ANGELES - If prosecutors hope to convict OJ.
S i m w n of two brutal mur31 d& exnetts sav thev have to
e e r be qu&on-l~temcst
, in the pubhc's mlnd: Why?
"It'isupremely l m p o t h t to
w i g n a motive," says Robert
Hhchhom, a jury consultant
from Texas. "Lenallv. it's not
required. But &I&
TV has
shaped our view of the judicial
1
nies he stalked his ex-wife.
Prosecutors will have to plot
a-stotylineas tidy =an episode
of
She Wmte,permad. Murder
mn
iurors
an
~~ ~ ok?sed
- ---.~- OJ.
....
ampson stalked his exwife,
Nicole Simpson, in the weeks
1 before her murder and that of
her friend, Ronald Goldman.
While the defense team d e
clines to talk about motives ascribed to O.J. Simpson, they
deny that he ever staked Nicole S i m p n .
And lead counsel Robert
a
Shapiro said Last week grand
,: jury tmnxripts showed O.J.
S i p n used "remarkable r e
s&ainr' in dealing with a man
Nicole Simpson started dating
before their divorce was 6nal.
But prosecuton' theories
$1 - .~~~
~
-
reatened his Life words to
the effect, 'I could kill you, you
son of a bitch,' " says RW.P e
n, a Denver invesdgator
d by a group called
"Friends of Nicole."
gcmd on May 24,19 days before
Peterson says "Friends of she was Wed.
Nicole" consists of one person
"She dropped the bombshell
keenly interested in spousal and he realized that would be
abuse h e s and two "close it," Peterson says.
Mends" of Nicole's.
"They (his employers) feel,
Nicole Simpson moved out there's a gocd chance he's g(r
of OJ. Simpson's house for ing to walk because the d e
rehe is making such a show ot
muhdvine the kite[ and trvine
&ng juty," he sa$
rts say the only sure
a hum-.
iuw in
A c k without eye wimesses is
to offer a motive.
"If you've got one of those
-
-
'smoking pun' cases,who cares
why the killer did it," saysGteg
Garrison, an Indianpoh lawyer who prosecuted boxer
Mike Tvson.
To tdat end, pnsecutots
,Are trying to interview
Sirnoson's adult children hwn
a prkvious maniage, Jason and
Amelle.
b Seized answeriapmachine
t a p from Nicole Sipson's
house with rambling and angry
monolomes from Simwn, the
Los ~ng-elesTimes reported.
It's dear from lranscripts of
the aborted grand jury p r e
c e e d i n ~that police and prosecutors are considering a s h a t e
gy that includes painting a
portrait of OJ. Simpson as jealous and unstable.
Nicole Simpson's former
boyfriend Keith Wornsowitch,
who testified before the grand
iury, is laying low at the request of the court, says his
mother, Lois Zlomsowitch.
He told the grand jury he
had several intimidating encounters with O.J. Simpson
dwing a month-long amtir with
Nicole Simpson in 1992.