Ex-Wife's Note To O.J. Severing Contact Is Read In Court

LOS ANGELES - Police searching O.J. Simpson's house in June found a framed photograph of the football great and his ex-wife Nicole under his bed and a note in which she apparently broke off contact with him, detectives testified yesterday.

"O.J., I understand that this is probably too late," said the note, which a defense lawyer read at a pretrial hearing, "but I have to do it for myself and the kids or I would never forgive myself. I'll call Cathy from now on. I will only call in an absolute emergency. Please believe me and return these calls immediately."

"Cathy" apparently refers to O.J. Simpson's secretary, Cathy Randa.

Police also seized a tape of a TV pilot for which Simpson was allegedly trained to kill with a knife and shown with a knife against a young woman's throat.

Detective David Martin testified that in the note, written on a 3-by-5-inch card, Nicole Simpson appeared to be breaking up permanently with O.J. Simpson. Prosecutor Marcia Clark said it was appropriate for police to have seized the note, as well as divorce papers and letters written by Nicole Simpson six days before her death, because they could explain a motive in the slayings of Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman June 12.

Simpson has pleaded not guilty of stabbing his ex-wife, 35, and Goldman, 25, outside her Brentwood condominium. Jury selection begins Monday.

The testimony came at a hearing to suppress evidence seized in the June 29 search. Lawyers defending Simpson on murder charges say the search exceeded the scope of the warrant and questioned the truthfulness of police.

Superior Court Judge Lance Ito has said that if the warrant were used as "a subterfuge for a general search," all evidence seized could be thrown out.

Prosecutors said that officers, knowing about the crime, could discern what was important without being told.

The warrant for the June 29 search said police wanted to examine Simpson's house primarily to look for a Stiletto knife, thought to have been used to kill Nicole Simpson and Goldman, and bloody clothing, and to search Simpson's 1988 Bentley.

Besides tapes, notes, papers and the photograph, police seized leather gloves and knit caps similar to ones left at the murder scene; note pads; and a script and call sheet for the "Frogmen" TV pilot that Simpson was working on at the time of the murders.

Under questioning by Clark, Martin and other officers who testified yesterday said they removed any item that was deemed relevant to the investigation.

Martin said he seized the tape of the "Frogmen" show because police had received tips that Simpson had gotten "special preparation for the series. He had received some instruction on the use of a knife as to a stabbing or a killing instrument."

Martin said he found the 8-by-10-inch photograph during a search of Simpson's master bedroom.

"It's immaculate inside there," Detective Otis Marlow said of Simpson's mansion. "To see a picture of Mrs. Simpson on the ground, face down, was unusual."

Martin said the note, and a second one asking Simpson to return videotapes of their wedding and of the birth of one of their children, were in a manila envelope with the two videotapes.

Marlow and other officers denied defense suggestions that they made themselves at home and watched the "Frogmen" videotape during the search.

But Simpson's housekeeper, Josephine Guarine, testified that at least 10 detectives did watch the tape in Simpson's family room.

Yesterday, Ito lashed out at the media for what he called inaccurate reports on DNA test results.

"I'm so saturated by the irresponsibility of the media that I'm beyond being outraged. I'm almost numb to it at this point," Ito said. "It's outrageous. It's irresponsible."

KNBC-TV reported Wednesday that DNA tests at Cellmark Diagnostics showed blood drops found on a pair of men's socks taken from Simpson's bedroom matched the blood of his slain ex-wife.

Clark said the socks hadn't been sent to the Maryland lab and that no written report existed.