The Trials of O.J Simpson

The People of the State of California vs. Orenthal James Simpson was a criminal trial that took place in 1994, where famous NFL player O.J. Simpson was ultimately found not guilty on all criminal charges, including the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown, and her friend Ronald Goldman. This trial has become one of the most publicised criminal trials in history.

In 1985, Simpson and Brown got married, but it was short-lived due to Simpson's violent tendencies and history of domestic violence. Only eight of the 62 known instances of his abuse were reported to the police. Brown filed for divorce in 1992, claiming "irreconcilable differences" as the reason. After their divorce, Brown repeatedly claimed that Simpson had been seen following her and harassing her in an attempt to reconcile their differences. In addition, he had often threatened to murder her if she was seen with another man. She also reported losing her house keys, which were later discovered on Simpson the evening of his arrest.

On the night of June 12th, 1994, the bodies of both Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were found brutally murdered outside of Brown’s Los Angeles townhouse. Authorities stated Brown had 12 stab wounds and a gaping slash to the neck, which left her head barely attached to her body. Goldman’s body received 20 death blows altogether. Medical examiners stated the attack was consistent and conducted by a strong, large man; police authorities then listed Simpson as their primary suspect as he had conveniently left on the red-eye flight to Chicago the night of the attacks. While arriving at his residence, police found traces of blood on his car. The police also found a bloody glove, giving them probable cause to issue an arrest warrant for Simpson. Five days after his arrival in Los Angeles, the police conducted a high-speed pursuit, which is now the most famous car chase in history as it was broadcast to over 92 million people. This resulted in the eventual arrest of Simpson.

Following the start of an internationally televised criminal trial, Simpson had assembled the ‘dream team’ of defence lawyers, including Robert Shapiro, Robert Kardashian, and Johnny Cochran. As the trial was very public, they heavily played on his celebrity status to gain public sympathy. They also scrutinised the investigators who handled the evidence, stating it was "improper"— all in an attempt to change the jury's votes. This led to the most infamous moment of the trial, where the prosecution asked Simpson to try on the bloody glove. Cochran then said the famous quote,

"If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit."

After three hours of deliberation, the jury came to the verdict of ‘not guilty." Regardless of the forensic evidence, he was still seen as innocent by the jury. Unfortunately, Simpson was protected by the ‘Double Jeopardy Clause" of the Fifth Amendment’ meaning he could not be tried twice for the same crime. However, in 1995, both the Brown and Goldman families sued him for damages in a civil trial; Simpson was found liable and had to pay a $33.5 million judgement.

Although this case took place over 20 years ago, one of the biggest questions to date is whether or not he was truly innocent or if he was guilty of both murder charges. The public believed the reason for the innocent verdict was due to the majority-black jury, saying it was racial bias. This sparked lots of controversy in the media, creating a larger conversation.