Hours before his ex-wife and her friend were murdered, O.J. Simpson was "simmering" and "spooky" at his daughter's dance recital, witnesses say.
But after the recital, a home video shot outside the auditorium by another parent shows Simpson laughing, kissing his former in-laws, scooping his son into his arms and joking around with a friend.Monday was a day of contrasting images for jurors in Simpson's murder trial.
Candace Garvey said the angry-looking man who showed up at the June 12 recital "was just not the same person I was used to seeing."
"It was almost like he was simmering," said Garvey, the wife of former baseball star Steve Garvey and a friend of Nicole Brown Simpson's. "When he stared at me, I felt like he was looking right through me, and it scared me a little bit."
Defense lawyers, however, argued that witnesses' memories have been altered by time and emotion. After showing the jury the videotape, defense attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr. said it showed the kind of man Simpson really is: happy, affectionate and family-oriented.
When asked during cross-examination what she thought of the videotape, Garvey acknowledged seeing "an amazing change" in Simpson's demeanor.
"It amazes me. I guess that's why he's a spokesman," she said, apparently referring to his work for the Hertz car rental company.
Prosecutors planned to shift attention Tuesday from domestic violence to evidence about the actual killings of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
"We're going to start the case tomorrow," Cochran said outside court on Monday. "This is a murder case. All we've seen so far is character assassination."
Deputy District Attorney Marcia Clark suggested that jurors be taken on a tour of the crime scene and Simpson's estate on Thursday. Superior Court Judge Lance Ito said he would make a decision on the issue.
Also Monday, Denise Brown, Nicole Simpson's older sister, wrapped up a second day of testimony. She said Simpson behaved strangely at the recital, greeting all the Browns except Nicole Simpson and staring at her while sitting in the back of the auditorium.
As she spoke, Simpson shook his head and smiled in disbelief.
"He had a very bizarre look in his eyes, it was a very faraway look," Brown said. "It was actually really kind of spooky. It was a frightening look."
Brown continued, describing his look as "glazed-over, kind of frightening, dark eyes. It just didn't look like the O.J. we knew."
"Every time I turned around he was staring at Nicole," said Brown, who has publicly declared her belief that Simpson is the killer.
After the recital, the family went to dinner at Mezzaluna, the restaurant where Goldman was a waiter.
At the end of the evening, Brown kissed her younger sister goodbye.