I remember Dennis Fung, the head of crime lab analysis or something for the LAPD being on the stand for days while he was questioned about the blood samples from the scene: when had they been collected, how, and had they been out of his hands at any time? The Dream Team seemed to be trying to prove that either Fung had switched the vials with blood containing OJ’s DNA type, or someone else had while his back was turned, figuratively speaking.
My question is: Where would the LAPD have gotten such a sample? I seem to remember the prosecution stressing the fact that the DNA had been matched within a certainty of about .003% percent, or something really small, anyway. So the LAPD just happens to be able to find someone whose DNA is that close to OJ’s and get a sample from them? Or did the defense suspect them of having collected some of OJ’s blood and tainted the samples with it?
Well, they had to get a sample from the Juice his own self to compare, no? I think the defense was saying that it was either intentionally switched, or that contamination took place. IIRC, there was quite a lot of testimony about the PCR technique for multiplying DNA, that if a tiny contaminant was what was multiplied, this would have given a perfect match too.
One of the detectives had brought to the crime scence the vital of OJ’s blood. The explanation for doing so was some problem in booking it, like the lack of a case number at the exact time. It was a stupid thing to do but in hindsight, really stupid.
Many of the blood samples had already left prior to that, but with days of truly incomprehesible blood testimony at the subatomic level, how could that point be made and remembered?
Fung got grilled because he had repeatedly stated “I” had collected this sample or done this procedure in doing so. In many cases, that wasn’t the fact. His lady assistant had.
Fung also remembered some exact details on the method and order of taking the samples to the van etc, but the records and video showed him to be mistaken. Like so much of the trial, such a fine point was being made, it left the prosecution open to the Dream Team’s cross.
See, the thing is, even with something as big a deal as that crime scene, who really remembers every little move they make? It’s like asking someone if they went right in the house after they came home from work. They say yes, but they forgot to add that they stopped for the mail, so technically, they didn’t go right into the house. So if you can catch enough omissions, you can call the entire testimony into question.