Detective Phillip Vannatter is a police detective for the Los Angeles police department assigned to the Robbery-Homicide Division, Homicide Special Section. He has been assigned to the Robbery-Homicide Division for 15 years, and has been assigned to the Homicide Special Section for about 8 years. He has been on the Los Angeles police force altogether for about 26 years. In those 26 years, he was actually assigned working homicides in 1973, and has been to or assisted in approximately 500 to 600 crime scenes. He said he thought that only Tom Lange had more experience in the unit than he did. He was asked about what the Homicide Special Section does. The Homicide Special Section was set up to specifically handle (B)high profile, very involved, or serial-type murder investigations.

Detective Vannatter received the original phone call assigning him to the case, at his home at 3 a.m. on June 13th, 1994. From this phone call he was instructed to go to 875 South Bundy, he prepared himself and responded to the Bundy location. He arrived at the Bundy location at 4:05 a.m.. When he arrived, he was met by Detectives Ron Phillips and Mark Fuhrman. Detective Phillips is the homicide coordinator for West Los Angeles Division.

Vannatter was told by Phillips that there was a double homicide at the south Bundy Location and that one of the victims had been identified as Nicole Simpson. Detective Phillips further told Vannatter that two small minor children had been taken from the residence and were presently in custody at West L.A. Division.

Phillips then gave Vannatter an initial walk-through throughout the crime scene so he could see what he had.Vannatter specifically made it clear that when he mentioned the term "walk-through", this did not mean that he stepped on the evidence. Vannatter and Phillips approached the actual crime scene of the two victims through the planter area that would have been south of the actual location of the two victims; and then after viewing that location, Phillips gave him a walk through the walkway that headed west, to the back of the building that led to the alley. Vannatter specifically stated "I was standing in the foliage in a planter." So he stood from a position where he would not disturb anything in terms of the crime scene or the evidence in it.

From this point Vannatter was asked to describe the condition in which he found the victims. He described Nicole Simpson as lying at the entrance gate, on the walkway right in front of the front step that stepped up to go up toward the residence, with the gate open. He described Ron Goldman as lying directly north of her location, in a planter area that would have been on the north side of the walkway. At this point he was not able to tell what the cause of death was, but it appeared both victims had died of massive injuries. There was a lot of blood that had actually drained and had run down the walkway towards the sidewalk.

At this point he was able to see items of evidence near the victims. Vannatter saw at the feet of Ron Goldman a man's left-hand brown leather glove. Just below that , which would have been directly southeast of that, was a blue knit cap. Also between the two victims Vannatter observed a white envelope lying on the ground, and there was a set of keys and a pager near the victims.

Vannatter testified he went into other areas of the crime scene that he examined, other than the front area where he saw the victims. He said Detective Phillips took him west on the walkway that would be on the north side of the residence to show him -- and he observed -- bloody footprints that appeared to be leading from the actual crime scene (the location of the two victims) to the rear of the building, along the walkway. Vannatter was also showed blood droplets by Phillips, that appeared to be not associated with the two victims, as if the person leaving the bloody footprints was dripping blood from something, as they appeared to be straight-down drops on the ground. Vannatter also confirmed that the drops appeared to be alongside the left of the bloody footprints. He also determined there was a heel pattern of the shoe prints.

After making the observations at the crime scene, he continued to confer with the West L.A. detectives Fuhrman and Phillips. At this point he was awaiting the arrival of his partner, Detective Tom Lange, who was approximately 20 to 25 minutes behind Vannatter. Vannatter instructed Fuhrman and Phillips, the two West L.A. detectives, that he and Detective Lange would take charge of the scene. From this point he waited for his partner to arrive and get him acquainted with the Bundy crime scene.

Vannatter testified that at a certain point he left the crime scene of 875 South Bundy, for a number of reasons. Knowing that one of the victims had been identified as Nicole Simpson; her ex-husband was a well-known person; that they had two minor children in custody who had been taken from this very traumatic crime scene, Vannatter and the other detectives made a determination to go to Mr. Simpson's residence and attempt to notify him of the death before the media got word of it and to also make arrangements for the disposition of the two minor children that were his. [NOTE: Other testimony is that they were ordered to go to the Simpson home.]

When Vannatter departed the South Bundy crime scene for Mr. Simpson's residence, there were three other detectives besides himself: Tom Lange, Ron Phillips, and Mark Fuhrman. Vannatter was asked why Phillips and Fuhrman went with him. He replied, "They had been originally involved in the investigation. They were assisting us. And we went up there for a number of reasons." He stated that, knowing the close proximity of the crime scene to where Mr. Simpson lived, it was also his feeling or belief that they needed to check the welfare of those at the Rockingham residence. Again he repeated that "This was a very traumatic, bloody scene." [NOTE: Later testimony is that the concern arose after Fuhrman found the drop of blood on the Bronco, there were lights on, and no answer to the doorbell or phone.]

Vannatter drove from 875 South Bundy to 360 Rockingham Avenue in not more than five minutes. After arriving at the Rockingham Avenue address, they drove up North Rockingham from Sunset Boulevard to Ashford Street. They turned right (east) and parked at the curb near the gate. As Vannatter drove in, he noticed a white Ford Bronco parked at the east curb of Rockingham. They then got out of their cars and attempted to utilize the intercom to raise someone in the home. The intercom was located on the east side of the Ashford Street gate. When Vannatter pressed the button on the intercom, he could hear the phone ringing inside the residence but did not get any response. They continued to ring the bell for a period of time, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. They noticed that there was a light on the bottom floor. The light appeared to be toward the south side of the house. Vannatter also noticed that there was also a light on in the upstairs portion of the home.

It was during this time that Vannatter noticed a Westec security sign. Westec is a private security company that works in the West L.A. area. At this point Vannatter asked Phillips to contact Westec Security to see if they could get a telephone number for the Rockingham residence. Vannatter stated that Phillips had a mobile phone, that he used to make a phone call to Westec. [Vannatter did not have a mobile phone].

After making the phone call to Westec Security, they still continued to ring the intercom, continuing to receive no response. In the meantime, Vannatter he walked around to the Rockingham side to examine the Ford Bronco. He noticed that the Bronco was hastily parked at the curb, with the front end of the vehicle closer to the curb than the rear end. At this point Detective Fuhrman was with him -- or there when he got there.

At this point Fuhrman told Vannatter to look in the rear of the vehicle, where Vannatter noticed there was a package addressed to Orenthal Productions. He also noticed that a shovel and a piece a plastic. Noticing that the package was addressed to Orenthal Productions, Vannatter thought the Bronco was most likely Mr. Simpson's vehicle because he knew Orenthal is Simpson's name.

From this point Vannatter asked Fuhrman to run a motor vehicle registration check on the vehicle. Fuhrman learned that the white vehicle was registered to Hertz Corp. This was significant to Vannatter, because he knew that Mr. Simpson was a spokesperson for Hertz Corp, and from this he believed the Bronco was Simpson's vehicle.

After observing the Ford Bronco, he went back to the Ashford gate. By this time, Westec had sent a unit to the Rockingham location. Phillips spoke to the Westec people; Vannatter did not hear the eitire conversation. He said that Phillips told him he was having a hard time getting Simpson's phone number and Westec was sending a supervisor to Rockingham. The detectives learned that Westec had no prior knowledge of any travel plans for the occupants of the Rockingham residence. Vannatter was also informed that there was supposed to be a live-in maid at the location. He continued to wait for a supervisor from Westec to come out and give him the home phone number.

In the meantime, Vannatter and the other four detectives continued to ring the bell to raise someone in the residence. At this point Vannatter said he was getting worried; "It seemed like there were lights on. We knew there was supposed to be a maid there. And they were getting no response."

During this period of time, Fuhrman came to Vannatter and directed him back to the Bronco. Fuhrman showed him what he believed to be blood on the vehicle, on the driver's side door handle. Vannatter said it appeared to blood to him. [NOTE: This is the second time they have examined the Bronco. 1) How did they miss this blood speck the first time? 2) Why is it that no blood has been observed inside the Bronco yet? 3) Why is it that they notice (while it is still dark out) the package with an address to Orenthal Productions, yet after two suspicious findigs they do not look for blood inside the vehicle? It would seem the first logical thing to look for would be blood after coming from a violent bloody crime scene.]

At this point Vannatter told Fuhrman he was really worried based on the fact that they had a very violent murder scene within five minutes of Mr. Simpson's residence; they had no knowledge of any travel plans that he had; his security company was not notified of any travel plans; they had found out that there should have been a live-in maid at the residence; there appeared to be lights on in the residence; and then there appeared to be blood on the outside of the vehicle outside the Rockingham gate. Vannatter said he became very concerned at this point.

The supervisor from Westec Security eventually arrived, and gave a phone number to Phillips. Phillips dialed this phone number with his mobile phone. As a result, they connected with an answering machine inside the residence, the message something to the extent, "this is O.J. I am not here. Leave a message." At this point, with no response to phone calls or ringing at the gate, with lights on in the house and all that he learned from Westec, and seeing what he thought was blood on the Bronco, Vannatter conferred with Tom Lange very briefly, and made a decision they should go inside the Rockingham residence and see if everything was okay. Something could have occurred there, a second murder scene, someone injured , or someone that was stalking Mr. Simpson and his wife. Vannatter became concerned that someone could be hurt or injured in that location.

At this point, he had been attempting to reach someone inside the Rockingham residence for about 40 minutes. During this time he made an attempt to verify whether what he thought was blood on the vehicle, was indeed blood. He came to the conclusion that it looked like blood to him, and requested a criminalist to respond to the 360 Rockingham location. Vannatter knew regardless of what he had there, whether another crime scene or someone injured, there was going to have to be collection of evidence

At this point Vannatter and the other detectives, decided to go over the wall. Vannatter asked Fuhrman to jump over the wall, because he was younger and more athletic than the others. Fuhrman went over the wall and opened the gate by releasing the hinge. Then all four detectives walked up to the front door of the residence, knocked on the door several times and continued to get no response. [NOTE: At this point no blood drops have been discovered yet on the property. This entry took place around 5:40 a.m. . During the time between when they arrived and when they entered the Rockingham estate, Vannatter testified, they were outside the residence ringing the intercom buzzer for about 40 minutes. At this time the sun should be rising. No blood has been discovered yet at the Rockingham estate. It is only after they find out his whereabouts that night that the detectives find blood in the Bronco and on the driveway, and the bloody glove.

Vannatter and the other detectives began checking the property to insure that no one was hurt, injured, or any other problems at the residence. They moved from the front door area around the north side of the residence toward the rear of the house where there was a pool and tennis court. Vannatter stated that it was dark. He followed Phillips and Lange, to a guest house area in the rear on the south side of the property.

Vannatter stood back three steps up the walkway that led to a guest residence, as Ron Phillips knocked on the door. A man answered the door, and identified himself as Brian "Kato" Kaelin. Phillips asked Kaelin if there was anybody else on the property. Kaelin said "yes", that Arnelle Simpson was in the room next door, which would be the room directly south of where Kaelin was staying.

Prior to going over to Arnelle's room, neither Vannatter nor anyone in his presence informed "Kato" about what was going on. Vannatter did not talk to Kato so he was not aware of what was said to him.

Vannatter followed his partner, Tom Lange, who knocked on the door. It was opened fairly quickly by Arnelle Simpson. Vannatter said that he did not remain behind with Kato, but that he believed that Fuhrman remained with him at this point. When Vannatter went to Arnelle's room, he stated that she answered the door. He believed that Detective Phillips went up to the door, and told Arnelle that they needed to get in touch with her father. Phillips asked Arnelle if she knew where he was; Arnelle answered with another question. She pointed toward the main house and said, "isn't he here?". Vannatter then asked her, "Well is he? I don't know. Is he here?" Vannatter then said that Arnelle looked at him in sort of a quizzical way. Vannatter then if she had a key. They wanted to check to see if he was there as they needed to get in touch with him. She then responded, "yes, I have a key," she then took the four detectives into the house.

Vannatter was asked on whether he or if anyone in his presence informed Arnelle Simpson of they were there in the early morning hours asking about her father. Vannatter believed she was informed as they were walking toward the house by Tom Lange that they were investigating a double homicide that involved her stepmother Nicole Brown. He testified that an indication was given to her at the door of the guest unit that there was an emergency situation going on, and that they needed to contact her father.

Arnelle then opened the door to the main house with a key, then invited the detectives in. Once inside the house, Arnelle was immediately asked where the maid's quarters were. Arnelle took Vannatter through the back of the house into the kitchen, to an area off the utility room, which would be on the south side of the kitchen. Vannatter said the reason he asked Arnelle to take him to the maid was because he was worried. He did not know whether the maid was there, whether she was injured, whether she'd been murdered or what. He just needed to find out. rnelle took Vannatter into the maid's bedroom; and they could see that no one was in there. There appeared to be no signs of struggle or violence there.

Vannatter asked to go into the house to see if Mr. Simpson, the maid, or anyone else was in the house. Even though he had received no response when he called on the phone and rang the bell on the intercom, this did not certainly tell him that either he or the maid was not at home.

After seeing the maid's showing him the maid's room, Arnelle came back into the kitchen area where Lange and Phillips were. Vannatter believed that at this point, Arnelle told Phillips he could find out her father's location by calling his office because his secretary always knew where he was. Arnelle placed a phone call to her father's office. While Arnelle was making this phone call, Vannatter moved back toward the back of the house, intending to go outside to look around the grounds of the Rockingham estate to see if there was anyone hurt or injured. At this point, Vannatter said, Lange was with Phillips in the kitchen with Arnelle, and he believed that Fuhrman was still back with Kato. [NOTE: So during this entire period Fuhrman was out of sight from the other three detectives.] Shortly after this Detective Fuhrman came to Vannatter and said, "Hey, you've got to talk to --" Fuhrman was calling him Kato, Brian Kaelin. "Listen to what he has to say."

Vannatter said that when he searched the house, he did not go upstairs and look around, but he could see the majority of thedownstairs of the house from where he was at. He did not look under cushions or in cabinets or linen closets. The nature of his search as he walked toward the back of the house was looking for people, not evidence.

Vannatter believed that at the point that Arnelle was making a phone call to try and locate her father, he was present when she made the phone call. and at that point that he started walking toward the back of the house. Shortly thereafter was when he was approached by Fuhrman and directed to sit down at the bar area and talk to Kato.

Vannatter said prior to talking to Kato, Fuhrman had told him that Kato had said he heard "a very loud noise" on the south side of his room, and that he (Fuhrman) was going to go back there to see if everything was okay. Also, Fuhrman told him, "ask him or have him tell you about this noise that he heard." At this point Vannatter sat down and talked to Kato, and Kato told him that late that evening he had heard a very loud thumping noise outside, he had thought it was an earthquake, and that it had actually moved a picture on the wall of the room.

Having heard this, Vannatter had same suspicion that Fuhrman had, that it was very unusual to hear loud thumping noises outside a person's bedroom. Vannatter thought that somebody was possibly hurt or someone was down out there. And that's why Fuhrman was going to that location to check. Vannatter testified that at this point when he sat down and talked to Kato, he believed contact was being made with Mr. Simpson. Vannatter was not privy to the conversation between the detectives and Mr. Simpson, when contact was made with him. Within 10 to 15 minutes of sitting down with Kato, Fuhrman came to him and said, "you've got to come with me and see this," and at this point Detective Fuhrman led Vannatter to the back of the house [to the side of the garage].

Vannatter testified Fuhrman was by himself when he went outside. Therefore, Vannatter was not privy to any of Fuhrman's movements between the time he went outside and when he came back to him. Fuhrman preceded to take Vannatter from the back area of the house, around the north side, crossed the front and into a small walkway on the south side of the residence, which would be the common wall that connects the main residence with the guest house residence on the south side.

Vannatter conceded Fuhrman probably took him through the house and out the front door. At the south side of the property, Fuhrman pointed out a man's leather glove. He confirmed that the south side walkway that had a chain link fence as a property boundary is where the glove was found. The glove was significant to him, because it was a man's right handed brown leather glove that appeared to be a match of the left-handed glove that he had seen at the original crime scene. Vannatter was with Fuhrman when he (Vannatter) saw the glove. After this Fuhrman went to get Lange and Phillips to show the glove to them also. Fuhrman took each detective back to see the glove.

After being shown the glove by Fuhrman, Vannatter came around from back, and back toward the front and onto the driveway. When they had arrived at 360 Rockingham, Vannatter described the lighting conditions when he first arrived there, was very dark. But that by the time he had seen the glove had come back onto the driveway, dawn was starting to break and light up. At this point he observed a blood droplet in the driveway. He walked west in the driveway and observed several other blood droplets, that appeared to be leading from the area of where the Ford Bronco was parked. The blood drops appeared to be leading from the Ford Bronco to the front door of the residence.

He was shown several photographs of the blood drops to confirm that they were found there at the residence. In the photographs he was asked about little pieces of paper on the ground next to the blood drops. These pieces of paper were identification numbers that are completed and placed there by the criminalist at his direction to photograph and show the location of the blood droplets. So these pieces of paper were tags that were marking the blood droplets that were found.

Vannatter estimated the time at around 6:45 A.M. in the morning that he observed the blood droplets in the driveway after he had just seen the glove. Before this, just prior to the glove being found, Vannatter said, his state of mind of what he and the other three detectives were doing there was. they were there at Rockingham to make sure that all the occupants at the estate were safe; to make a death notification regarding Nicole Brown; and to make disposition for the children that were in their care.

To meet these ends, Vannatter took steps to locate Mr. Simpson at the Rockingham residence. Vannatter looked around the bottom area of the home. [NOTE: At this point nobody had gone upstairs looking for Simpson.] And at this point telephone calls were being made, and it was during this period of time. Vannatter was informed that -- he believed by Lange -- that Mr. Simpson had been located in Chicago. At the time he was informed of this, he was between the kitchen area and the bar area with Kato. So all these events were sort of happening at once, Vannatter testified. He explained that he and the other three detectives were all spread out. The four detectives were not all together during the entire period they were at the Rockingham residence. All these events that were happening were not a sequence of events but a conglomeration of events that were occurring at the same time. So while Vannatter was doing one thing, the other detectives were doing other things, and they were kind of all working at the same time.

After seeing the glove and observing the blood drops in the driveway. He explained his state of mind with respect to what he had to do there at 360 Rockingham. Vannatter knowing at that point that Mr. Simpson was in Chicago, failing to find any evidence of any forced entry or anybody injured or hurt at the Rockingham location. He explained that it was at this point that he realized that he had a scene that was somehow connected to the Bundy crime scene. It was then at this point, that he instructed Fuhrman and the other personnel at the Rockingham residence that the residence had now been declared a crime scene, that it needed to be protected for investigation, and that he was going to half to secure a search warrant for the Rockingham residence.

Up until this point a criminalist had not arrived yet, so he had secured the location for the purpose of securing a search warrant before the criminalist got there. However he testified that he did not leave the location at that point. He waited for the arrival of the criminalist for a couple of reasons. He wanted to be sure that what he was seeing on Mr. Simpson's vehicle was blood, and he also wanted to be sure that the evidence at the location was protected. He said that criminalists collect and protect the evidence detected at murder or any other crime scene.

Vannatter was concerned that the glove he observed on the south side of the property might lose valuable trace evidence such as hair, fiber, etc., because the glove was outside exposed to the elements, and there was also a dog running loose on the Rockingham residence lawn. And that he wanted to make sure that the glove was protected before he left to secure a search warrant.

While all this was going on Vannatter believed that Arnelle was still in the house. Effort was also being made at that time to help the children to be placed in someone's care. The two children arrived at the Rockingham residence -- he believed prior to 7:30 -- because that is when he asked for the Rockingham location to be what he called " Totally secured".

Vannatter then asked Arnelle and a friend of hers, Al Cowling's, who she had called and who had arrived at the Rockingham estate, to help her pick up the children. He asked if there was a place that they could go away from the residence to eliminate any possible contamination of any evidence that may be in the house, and they said "yes". And at this point Vannatter asked them if they would mind doing just that, and they both said "no". Vannatter further testified that he did not know if Mr. Cowlings came and brought the children with him to 360 Rockingham. But he believed that the sequence of events was that a phone call was made to Mr. Cowlings after notification had been made to Mr. Simpson, who instructed Vannatter and Lange to release the children to his daughter Arnelle Simpson. Vannatter believed that Arnelle called Mr. Cowlings, who then responded and took her to West L.A. to pick up the children.

Vannatter left the Rockingham residence to obtain a search warrant at approximately 7:30. He secured the residence for the purpose of obtaining the search warrant, just prior to asking Arnelle and the other Rockingham residents if they had somewhere else to go. Vannatter further stated that he had the evidence outside protected earlier than that. Vannatter believed that the criminalist arrived there shortly after 7:00 o'clock a.m. The criminalist was shown the physical evidence outside the Rockingham house, and he was left instructions that the evidence outside was to be protected, marked, and photographed. And Vannatter also told the criminalist that there was a dog running loose on the property and to be very careful to protect the evidence.

Vannatter said the time frame between seeing the glove and the blood drops in the driveway and then when he secured the house for a search warrant was not a very long time, that it would have been no more than thirty minutes or less. Vannatter stated that he was not looking at his watch to time every event that occurred. So the times he was giving were estimates.

Vannatter testified that when he made the determination to secure the Rockingham house, Al Cowlings was already there because he had spoken to him before leaving. He said that he recalled seeing the children leave the residence, but did not see them prior to that. Vannatter said that he saw them leave the residence with Arnelle and Al Cowlings, but did not see them arrive at the residence. And that it was at this point that they (Arnell and Cowlings) were leaving pursuant to his request, so he and the other three detectives could secure the Rockingham residence for the search warrant.

[ This concludes the direct examination of Detective Vannatter's testimony during the Motion to Suppress part of the Preliminary Hearing]

(NOTE: This testimony summary is still in progress as of March 1, 1998. Please check back for the completed summary.)