DNA SAMPLES LIKELY BOTCHED, SIMPSON WITNESS SAYS.

Byline: Linda Deutsch Associated Press 

O.J. Simpson's civil jury was shown videotape Thursday of a police technician haphazardly collecting blood samples as a defense DNA expert portrayed the evidence as likely being contaminated.

Microbiologist John Gerdes conceded under cross-examination, however, that with the exception of a couple of tests there was ``no direct evidence'' of contamination, only of risky collection technique and unusual test results.

The video showed Andrea Mazzola swabbing up blood drops while leaning a gloved hand on dirty ground, touching a tweezers with the same hand, then using the tweezers to manipulate a bloody swatch.

``I'm sure she's not aware of it,'' Gerdes testified under direct questioning. ``. . . Everything that's been brushed around with her hands (on the ground) is now on the tweezers.''

``Anything on the tweezers is contaminated,'' he said, ``and she uses the tweezers to pick up an evidence swatch.''

Mazzola, who testified earlier this week, was shown failing to change her gloves between handling of samples, placing wet swatches in plastic bags where Gerdes said bacteria could grow and cleaning the tweezers by merely wiping them with clear water.

``As sensitive as this process is, you should use a new sterile instrument,'' he said. ``She uses water, and you can't get DNA off with water.'

Defense attorney Robert Blasier, questioning Gerdes, pressed his point that sophisticated DNA results from two highly respected labs were worthless because they were based on such contaminated samples.

In cross-examination aimed at blunting that point, Gerdes acknowledged that just because samples could be contaminated didn't mean that they were.

Later, lawyers clashed over defense plans to show a video deposition from Henry Lee, the forensic expert whose statement that ``something's wrong'' with the crime scene evidence was a crucial factor in the criminal trial.

Plaintiff attorney Daniel Petrocelli complained that Lee's deposition had 58 pages of accomplishments ``including a statement that he is the world's greatest criminalist.'' He asked for extensive editing. The defense balked.

Superior Court Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki began tediously editing the transcript line by line. After 20 minutes, lead defense attorney Robert Baker waved a white handkerchief at the judge and declared, ``I surrender!''

He said it was obvious the transcript could not be ready in time for the video to be edited and shown today. Fujisaki agreed to let court stand in recess today to give attorneys time to edit the video.

Simpson was acquitted of murdering ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman after a fierce defense fight based heavily on the contamination theory. The victims' families are suing him for wrongful death.

A new team of lawyers is following closely in the footsteps of the criminal defense ``dream team,'' which suggested conspiracy and contamination combined in an attempt to frame Simpson for murders he didn't commit.

Blasier, the DNA expert on the new team, used Gerdes' testimony to advantage in spite of Fujisaki's ruling that Gerdes could not testify in general about DNA contamination of the Los Angeles police lab. Blasier limited his questions to the Simpson evidence.

Mazzola wasn't the only one to come under attack. Gerdes noted that technician Collin Yamauchi processed 23 DNA samples in the same day.

``It's a very laborious, tedious process,'' said Gerdes. ``It could take all day to do four items. Twenty-three samples in one day is a tremendous number of samples.''