OJ Simpson
It was announced that OJ Simpson died on the 11 April 2024 at 76 years old from cancer which he had been battling for almost a year.
He was an NFL star for 11 seasons, playing primarily with the Buffalo Bills.
OJ Simpson is known for his football career but also widely known for the public trial which set his reputation on a new path in 1995 when he was the suspect of a murder.
The Case
In 1994 Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman were murdered in LA, O.J. Simpson was an immediate prime suspect.
Simpson attempted an escape in the back of his friends car however, this was televised and he was caught and arrested. Britannica estimates there were around 95m views of this arrest.
The Motive of the Accused – The case declared his motive was due to evidence of domestic abuse towards his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson prior to the murder.
There was evidence of OJ Simpson’s blood found on his sock along with the blood of the victim too.
The Defence
The Legal team – Simpson’s attorney’s consisted of, F. Lee Bailey, Robert Blaiser, Shawn Chapman Holley, Robert Sharpiro, Alan Dershowitz and Robert Kardashian. This team was often referred to as, ‘The Dream Team.’
As the case was so public with the world divided on the case, those included on the case became public figures.
Jonnie Cochran was an attorney working on the case who made a substantial move for Simpson when making him try on the glove found at the scene, which seemed too small for OJ Simpson. This created Cochran’s famous line from the trial,
“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
Cochran worked on many public cases in particular, those involving the African American community.
Simpson’s attorneys argued that evidence from the case had been mishandled and so could not be taken as true. Simpson’s attorneys had found evidence that Mark Fuhrman, the detective on the case had been using racial slurs when talking about OJ Simpson and was found to be racist about the defendant.
This argument was seen as a turning point in the case in 1995 as they declared racial motivation from the LA Police Department, as well as fuelling the public’s support of OJ Simpson as an African America fighting the system.
The Outcome
OJ Simpson was found not guilty in 1995, however the families of the victims decided to sue him for wrongful death.
This was the start of the civil trial in 1996 which found OJ Simpson guilty making him pay $35m to the victims families.
This case was seen as a huge moment for African Americans and their experience in the legal system, which often worked against black people. His verdict was both celebrated and condemned across the world.
Many Civil rights advocates view the trial as an example of the effects of wealth and privilege on the criminal justice system. OJ Simpsons fame and wealth were a huge supporting factor in his case, the question remaining of, would another African American from a different lifestyle fare so well in his position?