O.J. . . TAKING SOME OF THE WIND OUT

From the trial,TIME's James Willwerthreports that prosecutor Woody Clarke's cross examination has largely succeeded in blunting the impact of DNA expert Dr. John Gerdes testimony. "Clarke succeeded in taking most of the wind out of the defense's sails by calmly and reasonably attacking Gerdes' credentials." Although he has given expert testimony on the subject at numerous trials, Gerdes admitted that his lab doesn't perform any forensic testing and he has never so much as swatched a single blood stain at a crime scene. After a week of often tedious testimony, Willwerth says "this just leaves us back at the point of reasonable doubt. If a juror has already got an idea ofSimpson's guilt or innocence, this testimony probably won't sway him either way."