Now that the initial revulsion at the sight of autopsy photos has apparently worn off, O.J. Simpson jurors are pondering other startling evidence: the multitude of mistakes made during the examination of the bodies.
In a major pre-emptive strike, prosecutor Brian Kelberg has essentially assumed the role of defense attorney, eliciting from the county coroner every error made in the autopsies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran said Wednesday that deputy medical examiner Irwin Golden, a veteran forensic doctor and no stranger to high-profile cases, made more than 30 mistakes - everything from incorrectly measuring wounds to mislabeling a bottle of bile as urine to saying a wound was on the wrong finger.
Still, Lakshmanan insisted that when it came to what Kelberg called the "big ticket questions" - time and cause of death - the mistakes were insignificant.
"These small (mistakes) don't impact my ability to give an opinion in this case," he said.
And his opinion was that Nicole Simpson probably faced her killer for several moments, hit her face on a wall in a struggle and died swiftly after her throat was slashed. The fatal wound, Lakshmanan theorized, was inflicted by an assailant using his right hand. Simpson is right-handed.
Legal analysts said the prosecution was spending so much time on Golden's mistakes in an attempt to steal the thunder of the upcoming cross-examination. During the preliminary hearing, Golden was clearly uncomfortable on the stand.
Jurors were first exposed to the autopsy photos Tuesday near the end of a long court day. Many flinched in their chairs and tried to look away when confronted with the pictures.