State v. Bradley Cooper - 3-15-2011 (after Lunch) - 3.?

[SleuthyGal]

Not a good day for the defense, that's for sure!

- They lost what they thought was their opportunity to bring in evidence during the DA's case.

- They couldn't get their audio working, so were unable to impeach JA testimony on whatever her interview with Dismukes involved and had to drop that.

- They tried to get JA to recognize some decorative ducks but she said they were absolutely NOT the ones that were in NC's home nor like the ones that were in that home. Those decorative ducks were in the house on 7/11/08 on the credenza but were missing in the photo taken by CPD.

- The big vase next to the stairs when JA was last in the house on 7/11/08 had tall decorative sticks in it. Those sticks were no longer there when Cary PD snapped the photo of that entry way (on 7/12/08).

- Carey Clark was told by Nancy about painting plans and thus not available to run on Sat morning. NO running plans were in place!

 

[borndem]

:woohoo: She seemed a bit nervous (and a lot attractive -- is BC blind??) up there, but she took her time and spoke volumes. She used "Never" and "Always," etc., such wonderful words unless you are on the defense. She spoke about NC telling her about her painting plans on Saturday. OMG -- does it get any better than this??

NO running plans with NC on Saturday morning; Nancy NEVER running by herself -- unless in the gym; Nancy and she NEVER ran from NC's house, or from CC's house; they NEVER ran along Holly Springs Road; NC ALWAYS had her car keys. A prosecutor's dream. No reason to lie. Tell it like it is, Baby.

And the Def Leops (MO only) had not much to say or ask. :loser:

This PYT hit a Home Run -- Grand Slam in fact -- for the State of NC.:great:

Or is it just me?????

 

[gorealtors]

:woohoo: She seemed a bit nervous (and a lot attractive -- is BC blind??) up there, but she took her time and spoke volumes. She used "Never" and "Always," etc., such wonderful words unless you are on the defense. She spoke about NC telling her about her painting plans on Saturday. OMG -- does it get any better than this??

NO running plans with NC on Saturday morning; Nancy NEVER running by herself -- unless in the gym; Nancy and she NEVER ran from NC's house, or from CC's house; they NEVER ran along Holly Springs Road; NC ALWAYS had her car keys. A prosecutor's dream. No reason to lie. Tell it like it is, Baby.

And the Def Leops (MO only) had not much to say or ask. :loser:

This PYT hit a Home Run -- Grand Slam in fact -- for the State of NC.:great:

Or is it just me?????

I thought that CC's testimony more or less set in stone that NC was all set up to paint and NO she was not even comtemplating having a run because of leg tiredness. Brad just pulled her name out of thin air when JA called him inquiring about Nancy's whereabouts on the morning of 7-12-08. The facts that CC spewed were just a win-win for the prosecution. I don't think that Brad spent alot of time planning this murder either, so he was just flying from the seat of his pants on most of the alibis and was just hopeful he could weave it all together.

 

[gorealtors]

I also found Brad's body language quite interesting when CC first took the stand. His head was hung and he didn't even offer a glance at her. Like he just couldn't bear the truth that she was going to spew.

 

[SleuthyGal]

That's probably because Brad didn't have any lies to make up about her. She had no special agenda that they could insinuate. She wasn't part of any 'clique' that they could point to.


<rant>
BTW, someone needs to tell Howard Cummings that the Cooper name is NOT pronounced "Cupper." I realize he has a deep southern accent, but he has GOT to learn to pronounce that last name properly! Every time he says it wrong I yell at my computer screen. It makes him sound stupid when he mispronounces it.
</rant>

 

[Just the Fax]

Wow, was Carrie Clark just caught in a lie? She said Nancy told her about painting plans at 5:20 am on Friday, but JA indicated painting plans weren't made until 5:00 PM on Friday. She also didn't tell the cops about the plans on Saturday the 12th, but did tell them on a later date when she as re-interviewed. I wonder if she was given that information by JA.

I think I have counted at least 5 of your posts where you suspected a prosecution witness was flat out lying. Geez man, do you really think these people are intentionally lying under oath? It's been 2 1/2 years. Memories of that traumatic event tend to fade a bit (good thing for them)

 

[per_curiam]

Help me out with the detergent talk. What are they trying to do by showing whether they used All or Tide? I remember seeing the photo of Brad buying the Tide HE. What's the significance of the Tide/vs All talk? I must have missed something.

I could see Nancy using a "free and clear" brand, since one of her children had allergies. Wouldn't Brad know this? And if so, why didn't he buy a "free and clear" kind?

Until we got smart phones, my DH would buy whatever was in front of his face on the shelf. Now, it's fun for him to go get something for me at the store: he gets out his iPhone, writes notes, takes photos, etc. I find it amusing. Now he loves grocery shopping. LOL

 

[calgary123]

Clearly a day that moved the evidence in the direction of a conviction. I have a few concerns however and would appreciate any comments you all may have.

First, while I like what I've heard of CC's testimony, and thought she was a credible witness, a part of the testimony bothers me. I don't like it when witnesses use statements like "Nancy never runs alone." Instead, if she wanted to use the word "never", say it in terms of what you could know, ie. "I have never known Nancy to run alone outside in NC. I say this because...."

Or, if Nancy said, "I will never run alone", fine say that Nancy said that.

Testifying with always and never leaves a witness open to potential embarrassment. The other side has to only show one instance of it happening or not happening, and the witness then loses credibility. Also, absolutes are rarely true.

I listened to the recording of JA's call to the police. She says, Nancy could have went running alone and she could have left running from her house. Doesn't JA know Nancy better than CC? Have closer contact with her? This suggests that Nancy may sometimes have run alone.

Anyway, I agree it was a banner day for the prosecution but little things like this bother me. They could also form the basis for some doubt in the jury.

 

[dcnc]

- The big vase next to the stairs when JA was last in the house on 7/11/08 had tall decorative sticks in it. Those sticks were no longer there when Cary PD snapped the photo of that entry way (on 7/12/08).


Can you remind me again about the vase with the sticks? I seem to recall a lot of time being spent on that topic in the deposition video. THnx.

 

[SleuthyGal]

Can you remind me again about the vase with the sticks? I seem to recall a lot of time being spent on that topic in the deposition video.

Brad was asked about that vase during his depos. He claimed that there were sticks in it at one time. He also claimed that the girls would put their stuffed toys in there...I don't think we know much more than that. Check the depo video to see what he said in detail.

 

[lib's mom]

- The big vase next to the stairs when JA was last in the house on 7/11/08 had tall decorative sticks in it. Those sticks were no longer there when Cary PD snapped the photo of that entry way (on 7/12/08).


Can you remind me again about the vase with the sticks? I seem to recall a lot of time being spent on that topic in the deposition video. THnx.

I was wondering the same thing. I remember Alice Stubbs asking quite a bit about different things being in that vase and what was/was not normal to be on the "key table." Never heard Brad mention the ducks in the video, IIRC.

 

[per_curiam]

Yes, that vase was something that Alice (forgot her last name...lawyer questioning BC in the filmed depo). It must have a forthcoming significance b/c Alice (Stubbs?) made an issue of it. Something's up with that vase!

Remember, Brad did a fake little laugh, recalling that he found the kids stuffed animals in the vase. Maybe (IMO and fantasy ideas)...maybe Brad was hauling Nancy down the stairs after the deed, and her hair caught in the sticks or something. Maybe he just threw them out. OR something entirely different. But Alice did make a to-do over that vase.

It was at this time that Brad was to have been cleaning his wood floors with vinegar and water. How well I remember that. Boy, was he the Ironman of domesticity that day and night of Nancy's death.

 

[carolinalady]

I thought that CC's testimony more or less set in stone that NC was all set up to paint and NO she was not even comtemplating having a run because of leg tiredness. Brad just pulled her name out of thin air when JA called him inquiring about Nancy's whereabouts on the morning of 7-12-08. The facts that CC spewed were just a win-win for the prosecution. I don't think that Brad spent alot of time planning this murder either, so he was just flying from the seat of his pants on most of the alibis and was just hopeful he could weave it all together.

I do agree that CC was a credible witness. I just wanted to point out that the leg tiredness was the reason that was given on 7/11. She could've recovered enough by 7/12 to run that morning (I'm speaking as someone who's run and experienced soreness following runs. A day off can make a difference.)

 

[otto]

Defense just asked if she knew those plans were made at 5 pm Friday evening. She said she was told at 5:20 am Friday morning.

I missed much of today's testimony, but this sounds interesting to me. Did the running friend say that, at 5 in the morning, she knew Nancy was painting on Saturday even though the plans were not made until 5 in the evening? I find that odd. Nancy was calling really early in the morning to cancel the run. Did she then go on to talk about her plans for Saturday? It seems like too much information for such an early phone call.

I understood the point he was trying to make but I don't think it's a big deal. Nancy made the plans with Jessica on Friday afternoon but it doesn't mean that Nancy wasn't already planning to paint and just hadn't spoken to Jessica about it yet.

Although Nancy may have decided that she was going to paint on Saturday, the plan could not have been in place without discussing it with the painting friend. The painting friend could have had plans Saturday morning.


When I look at a trial, I see things in black and white (no shades of gray). If a witness is impeached, or demonstrated to be making incredulous claims, I tend to discredit their entire testimony. Similarly, when an accused lies, I don't believe anything they say. I'm doubtful that Nancy told the running friends about plans that had not yet been made.

 

[Cheyenne130]

I missed much of today's testimony, but this sounds interesting to me. Did the running friend say that, at 5 in the morning, she knew Nancy was painting on Saturday even though the plans were not made until 5 in the evening? I find that odd. Nancy was calling really early in the morning to cancel the run. Did she then go on to talk about her plans for Saturday? It seems like too much information for such an early phone call.



Although Nancy may have decided that she was going to paint on Saturday, the plan could not have been in place without discussing it with the painting friend. The painting friend could have had plans Saturday morning.


When I look at a trial, I see things in black and white (no shades of gray). If a witness is impeached, or demonstrated to be making incredulous claims, I tend to discredit their entire testimony. Similarly, when an accused lies, I don't believe anything they say. I'm doubtful that Nancy told the running friends about plans that had not yet been made.

I don't see it as incredulous. If Nancy had spoken to Jessica and Jessica said that Saturday morning was not good for her, Nancy still had time to call Carrie back to reschedule a morning run for Saturday.

 

[carolinalady]

Prosecution asked CC about the veterinarian office (where she and her husband worked if I heard correctly) and whether it was open on 7/12 (it was) and whether anyone there saw BC (they didn't).

I thought that was an important point, b/c we know Brad was riding around in the car while JA and police were at the Cooper's house. I know there was a list of places he says he checked for Nancy.

 

[otto]

I don't see it as incredulous. If Nancy had spoken to Jessica and Jessica said that Saturday morning was not good for her, Nancy still had time to call Carrie back to reschedule a morning run for Saturday.

I agree. Plans for Saturday were not firm, so it seems odd that Nancy would state that plans were firm before they had been made. Since plans were not finalized, and it was 5:20 in the morning, I'm skeptical that Nancy claimed that she had plans when she didn't yet have plans.

 

[Cheyenne130]

I agree. Plans for Saturday were not firm, so it seems odd that Nancy would state that plans were firm before they had been made. Since plans were not finalized, and it was 5:20 in the morning, I'm skeptical that Nancy claimed that she had plans when she didn't yet have plans.

I think we're getting hung up on a combination of symantics and human nature. Nancy was cancelling her Friday morning run. Carrie asked about Saturday and Nancy said she wasn't available until Sunday because she was planning to paint on Saturday. She had not finalized that with Jessica but Nancy wasn't going to schedule yet another run that she would have to cancel because Nancy was planning to paint. If Jessica had told her that she couldn't do it Saturday morning, Nancy could still call Carrie back if she actually even felt like running on Saturday a.m. That's the way I saw it anyway.

 

[otto]

It's a shame that the jury is presented with all this gossip and testimony from witnesses that spoke together (compared and possibly modified their stories) prior to giving statements to police. It seems to me that so much of it is unreliable and that the witnesses are not impartial. This testimony has completely muddied perceptions of Brad; attempted to remove any benefit of the doubt that I think should be extended to everyone.

Testimony about how someone thought he didn't make appropriate eye contact the day his wife was missing ... I don't think opinions like this from people that believe Brad is guilty (prior to the trial) should be introduced in court.

 

[jmflu]

Not gossip. Personal experience. We're not talking about third-hand testimony here!