O.J. Simpson's defense kept pressing its "rush to judgment" theory, suggesting that drugs and a banana could have led a more vigilant police force to the real killer or killers.
Resuming cross-examination of detective Tom Lange on Monday after an 10-day hiatus, defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran Jr. suggested two murder scenarios that would exclude Simpson:- A drug hit possibly related to Faye Resnick, a friend of Nicole Brown Simpson's who admits past drug problems,
- Or something to do with Ronald Goldman, a young man with two lists: one of women's names and numbers, including Nicole Simpson's; and a grocery list that included bananas, which often carry a kind of sticker that was found at the crime scene.
Lange, who was to return to the stand Tuesday for more cross-examination, rejected both of Cochran's theories. The detective said he never seriously considered the possibility that someone other than Simpson was the culprit.
Law Professor Robert Pugsley of Southwestern University said Cochran has a tough task ahead in placing all the information brought out during cross-examination into a palatable scenario for the jury.
"Anybody can throw around alternative theories, but he has yet to produce a witness who can back this up," Pugsley said.
Lange's testimony was the first time the jury heard from a witness since Feb. 23, when attention shifted to reluctant defense witness Rosa Lopez. As she had promised, Lopez returned Monday to her native El Salvador after having her alibi testimony videotaped for possible later use before the jury.
In court, Simpson's lawyers continued to press their two-pronged attack: trying to show that police were incompetent and that they rushed to incriminate Simpson without pursuing other leads.
For instance, Cochran asked if police looked into Resnick's background. The socialite lived with Nicole Simpson days before the murders, before she was admitted to a drug-treatment clinic. The judge barred questions about Resnick's entry into the clinic, where she was the night of the crime.
Lange said his partner, detective Philip Vannatter, interviewed Resnick on tape. But Lange said he never listened to the recording.
"Did you ever look into the possibility drugs were a factor (in the murders)?" Cochran asked Lange.
The detective said he "superficially" looked into drugs as a possible motive, but no connection was found. "In this particular case, we had another direction to go," he said.
Cochran also explored a Gold-man connection, asking: "Did you ever consider that Mr. Gold-man may have been the targets of the assassin or assassins that particular night? Did you ever consider that at all?"
"The targets of an assassin?" Lange replied incredulously, looking perplexed.
Cochran then changed his wording to whether Goldman was "the target of . . . the perpetrator or perpetrators" on June 12. Lange still seemed mystified.
"Did you ever - as the investigating officer in this case - ever consider any other theory than if O.J. Simpson was the only perpetrator in this case?" Cochran asked.
"I had absolutely no other evidence that would point me in any other direction," Lange replied.
Prosecutors say Simpson set out to kill his ex-wife and that Gold-man happened upon the scene when he went there to return a pair of glasses.
Lange acknowledged finding a list of women's phone numbers, including Nicole Simpson's, in a notebook at Goldman's apartment. He was unsure if anyone ever followed up on the names.
"I didn't see any other leads to follow up on," Lange said. "There was no other evidence to pursue."