"I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,..." (From actual courtroom transcripts...)
Q What is your brother in law's name?
A Borofkin.
Q What's his first name?
A I can't remember.
Q He's been your brother in law for years and you can't remember his first name?
A No, I tell you I'm too excited. (Rising from the witnesschair and pointing to Mr Borofkin.) Nathan, for God's sake, tell them your first name.
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Q Did you ever stay all night with this man in New York?
A I refuse to answer that question.
Q Did you ever stay all night with this man in Chicago?
A I refuse to answer that question.
A Did you ever stay all night with this man in Miami?
A No.
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Q Now Mrs Johnson, how was your first marriage terminated?
A By death.
Q On whose death was it terminated?
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Q Doctor, did you say he was shot in the woods?
A No, I said he was shot somewhere in the lumbar region.
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Q What is your name?
A Ernestine McDowell.
Q And what is your marital status?
A Fair.
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Q Are you married?
A No, I'm divorced.
Q And what did your husband do before you divorced him?
A A lot of things I didn't know about.
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Q And who is the person you are speaking of?
A My ex-widow said it.
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Q How did you happen to go to Dr Cherney?
A Well, a gal down the road had several of her children by Dr. Cherney, and she said he was really good.
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Q Do you know how far pregnant you are now?
A I will be three months November 8th.
Q Apparently then, the date of conception was August 8th.
A Yes.
Q What were you and your husband doing at the time?
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Q Mrs. Smith, do you believe that you are emotionally unstable?
A I should be.
Q How many times have you committed suicide?
A Four times.
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Q Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
A All my autopsies have been performed on dead people.
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Q Were you acquainted with the deceased?
A Yes, sir.
Q Before or after he died?
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Q Officer, what led you to believe that the defendant was under the influence?
A Because he was argumentary and he couldn't pronunciate his words.
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Q What happened then?
A He told me, he says, "I'll have to kill you because you can identify me"
Q Did he kill you?
A No.
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Q Mrs. Jones, is your appearance this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
A No. This is how I dress when I go to work.
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THE COURT: Now, as we begin, I must ask you to banish all present information from your minds, if you have any.
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Q Did he pick the dog up by the ears?
A No.
Q What was he doing with the dog's ears?
A Picking them up in the air.
Q Where was the dog?
A Attached to the ears.
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Q When he went, had you gone and had she, if she wanted to and was able, for the time being excluding all the restraints on her not to go, gone also, would he have brought you, meaning you and she, with him to the station?
MR BROOKS: Objection. That question should be taken out and shot.
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Q And lastly, Gary, all your responses must be oral, OK.? What school do you go to?
A Oral.
Q How old are you?
A Oral.
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Q What is your relationship with the plaintiff?
A She is my daughter.
Q And was she your daughter on Friday 13th 1979?
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Q Now, you have investigated other murders, have you not, where there was a victim?
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Q ............and what did he do then?
A He came home, and next morning he was dead.
Q So when he woke up the next morning he was dead?
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Q Did you tell your lawyer that your husband had offered you indignities?
A He didn't offer me nothing; he just said I could have the furniture.
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Q So after the anaesthetic, when you came out of it, what did you observe with respect to your scalp?
A I didn't see my scalp the whole time I was in hospital.
Q It was covered up?
A Yes, bandaged.
Q Then later on....what did you see?
A I had had a skin graft. My whole buttocks and leg were removed and put on top of my head.
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Q Could you see him from where you were standing?
A I could see his head.
Q And where was his head?
A Just above his shoulders.
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Q Do you drink when you're on duty?
A I don't drink when I'm on duty, unless I come on duty drunk.
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Q .....any suggestions as to what prevented this from being a murder trial instead of an attempted murder trial?
A The victim lived.
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Q: Are you sexually active?
A: No, I just lie there.
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Q Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
A Yes, I have been since early childhood.
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Q. Miss, were you cited in the accident?
A. Yes Sir, I was so 'cited I peed all over myself!!
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Q: Was that the same nose you broke as a child?
A: I have only one, you know.
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Q: What is the meaning of sperm being present?
A: It indicates intercourse.
Q: Male sperm?
A. That is the only kind I know.
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Q The truth of the matter is that you were not an unbiased, objective witness isn't it? You too were shot in the fracas, were you not?
A No sir, I was shot midway between the fracas and the navel.
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Q (Showing man picture) That's you.
A Yes sir.
Q And you were present when the picture was taken, right?
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