Under the prosecution strategy in the O.J. Simpson trial, there shouldn't be any surprises left for the jury when Detective Mark Fuhrman finally takes the stand.
Prosecutors have called one police witness after another to lay the groundwork for - and dull the impact of - Fuhrman's testimony, because the defense waged an aggressive campaign to paint him as a racist who may have tried to frame Simpson.Fuhrman's demeanor will be critical, especially during cross-examination. At Simpson's preliminary hearing, he gave just-the-facts testimony. But that was before the defense opened its public and legal attack on him.
"Whether he wants to be or not, Fuhrman will be the one who is on trial when he takes the witness stand," said Southwestern University law professor Robert Pugsley. "That will be enormously stressful. He has got to control himself during what will be a grueling, methodical and at times explosive cross-examination."
Who on the high-profile defense team will cross-examine Fuhrman is the subject of great speculation. It could be F. Lee Bailey, who brought old-fashioned courtroom bombast to his questioning of a police sergeant - or Johnnie Cochran Jr., a less dramatic inquisitor.
So far, prosecutors have done everything possible to minimize Fuhrman's importance in the murder case. To set the stage for his appearance, they have called as witnesses a police officer, a sergeant and two detectives. More detectives, and perhaps Simpson houseguest Brian "Kato" Kaelin, likely will be called before Fuhrman.
The witnesses so far have painted a picture of two crime scenes meticulously preserved and so crawling with police it would have been impossible for Fuhrman to move or plant evidence without being seen.
Much of their testimony will be repeated by Fuhrman. The only new testimony for the jury will be Fuhrman's own description of the discovery of the glove.
Authorities contend the dark, leather, right-hand glove is the mate of the left-hand glove found near the slashed bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
Under the prosecution theory, Simpson dropped the glove behind the guest house used by Kaelin when he ran into an air-conditioner, accounting for three thumps that Kaelin said he heard.
Defense attorneys have countered that Fuhrman may have planted that glove for any number of reasons, including hatred toward interracial couples and a desire to grab the glory in the sensational case.
"The question we'll be seeking to establish in this trial is, was he speaking about two gloves at that point?" Cochran told jurors.
Cochran also told jurors that Fuhrman interviewed a key defense witness, maid Rosa Lopez, the morning after the murders but failed to report it.