Simpson trial witnesses dispute murder timeline

  Sally Ann Stewart; Jonathon T. Lovitt

  07/12/1995

  USA Today

  FINAL

  Page 01A

  (Copyright 1995)

  LOS ANGELES - Six defense witnesses in the O.J. Simpson trial Tuesday tried

  to tear holes in the prosecution's timeline for murder.

  All said there was no barking dog at the time the state says Ronald Goldman and

  Nicole Brown Simpson were being slashed to death.

  And the last witness of the day offered a dramatically different version of events.

  Robert Heidstra, who lived in Nicole Brown Simpson's neighborhood, said he

  was walking his two dogs behind her home at 10:35 p.m. when he heard her dog

  begin to bark.

  That's at least 15 minutes after prosecutors - also basing their timing on the dog -

  said the two were killed.

  Heidstra said he also "heard a clear male voice that said, `Hey, hey, hey.' I heard

  another man talking back fast to them. I heard 15 seconds of argument, two men

  talking to each other. Then I heard a gate slamming. Bang."

  Heidstra said he talked to police investigators, but wasn't called by the state to

  testify.

  Analysts said the testimony damages the prosecution's credibility, and raises

  questions about the source of the thumping noise that Simpson's house guest

  Brian "Kato" Kaelin heard around 10:40 p.m.