The O.J. Simpson Case
The O.J. Simpson murder case is a fascinating murder case due to the popularity of the defendant and the circumstances surrounding it. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss the victims and the evidence stacked up against O.J. Simpson. I will also discuss the pivotal points in the trial and the verdict.
The victims
On the late evening of June 12th, 1994, a fellow Brentwood neighbor went to investigate why a nearby dog was constantly howling when they discovered the grisly murder scene(Geis & Bienen, 2016). The victims, 35-year-old Nicole Brown Simpson and 25-year-old Ronald Goldman, were violently stabbed to death with a knife in the walkway of Nicole’s home(Geis & Bienen, 2016). Nicole Brown Simpson was the
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After finally turning himself in at his home, O.J. and the world were ready to start the “Trial of the Century”.
The Trial of the Century. On July 22, 1994, the “Trial of the Century” was held in downtown Los Angles(Geis & Bienen, 2016). The trial was supposed to be held in Santa Monica but the prosecution chose to have it in downtown Los Angles because they felt it would be a fairer trial(Geis & Bienen, 2016). The prosecution was led Marcia Clark and the defense by Robert Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran, and Robert Kardashian(Geis & Bienen, 2016). The presiding judge was Lance Ito and the jury majority of the 12 jurors were African American women(Geis & Bienen, 2016).
The prosecution called 78 witnesses with Allan Park, O.J.’s limo driver, being the best witness they had placing O.J. within the timeline of the murders(Geis & Bienen, 2016). The crime happened sometime after 10 pm before O.J. had left for LAX to travel to Chicago for a business meeting(Geis & Bienen, 2016). Allan Park testified that he was at O.J. Simpson’s house and knocked on his door at 10:25 pm but there was no response(Geis & Bienen, 2016). Mr. Park stated he did not see O.J.’s white Bronco anywhere and assumed he was not home yet(Geis & Bienen, 2016). At 10:56 pm, Mr. Park saw O.J. enter the front of his home(Geis & Bienen, 2016). Mr. Park noticed O.J. was very anxious and was
The jury really didn’t seem to remember the most important piece of information which was that the defendant’s blood was actually found at the crime scene. Bugliosi said “From the moment O.J. Simpson became a suspect in this double murder case, it was in the air, perhaps as in no other case within
On June 12, 1994 O.J. Simpson’s, known as one of the most famous running backs in football, life changed dramatically. Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown and a friend of hers named Ronald Goldman were found stabbed several times. Brown was slashed on her neck. According to ABC News, Simpson was charged with both murders, but was acquitted of all the criminal charges. The jury did not make the right call, Simpson was guilty.
blood on O.J.'s Bronco door, on the console, on the interior side of the door, a
The case that shocked Chicago ravaged the front pages of newspapers, was the talk of the town, and became infamous throughout Illinois and the U.S. The savage and questionable murder of a young, sweet boy proved all anyone could talk about in summer 1924. The media went haywire when the details about the murder and motive seemed different than any before. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb committed a murder so violent and brutal that their excuse committing it was simply because they wanted to commit the perfect crime. The Leopold and Loeb trial contained so many nuances, twists, and turns that the media rightfully dubbed it the “Crime of the Century.” The trial Chicago v. Leopold and Loeb of 1924 brought together America by bringing awareness to capital punishment in the justice system.
You're not gonna tell me you believe that phony story about losing the knife, and that business about being at the movies. Look, you know how these people lie! It's born in them! I mean what the heck? I don't even have to tell you. They don't know what the truth is! And lemme tell you, they don't need any real big reason to kill someone, either! No sir! [Juror 10, page 51] This type of prejudice offended many of the other jurors, especially Juror 5 who is of similar race to the accused.
The people directly involved with this case are Judge Lance Ito, the prosecution lawyers, Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden, the defense lawyers, Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro and Robert Blasier , the jury and the defendant, O.J. Simpson. The families of the victims have also been present in the courtroom, as well as other spectators and news media. This case has heard one hundred and twenty witnesses over a nine month period.
On June 12, 1994, Former American football star O.J. Simpson (Orenthal James Simpson) was arrested for the brutal murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in their Brent-wood townhouse. Police reports indicate that Nicole and Ronald where both repeatedly stabbed to death. O.J. served 473 days in custody for these two murders, won his criminal trial which was the lengthiest in the U.S. legal history showing more than 50,000 transcript pages, and after all of this he pleaded 100% not guilty, walking away from all this with no scratch in his name.
The next process in the Justice system, a Grand Jury indictment, was interrupted. OJ Simpson hired a top notch team of defense and appellate lawyers to defend him in this case and they were able to get the Grand Jury dismissed from this case due to the massive media coverage. They claimed that the jury was prejudiced toward the defendant because of the readily available information about the case. In lieu of the Grand Jury trial a probable cause hearing was conducted. With that, the judge in this hearing felt that enough evidence did exist for a criminal trial and OJ Simpson was arraigned on July 29th 1994. At his arraignment OJ pleaded not guilty, specifically stating that he was “one hundred percent not guilty”.
“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” Those words were the famous phrase spoke by Johnnie Cochran, one of the defense attorneys, in the case of “People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson.” This eminent motto marked a key turning point in what is known as the most publicized criminal trial in American history. This case brought about many social issues in the country and the American Criminal Justice system. Of the many social topics raised by the case, a few that are most imperative are social class, education, and race.
he O. J. Simpson murder case (officially called the People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson) was a criminal trial held in Los Angeles County, California Superior Court from January 29 to October 3, 1995. Where the Former American football star/actor O. J. Simpson was tried on two counts of murder following the June, 1994 deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The case was one of the most publicized criminal trial in American history. Simpson was acquitted after a trial that lasted over nine months which was presided over by Judge Lance Ito.
The trial of the century, as most would call this circus in a courtroom, happened in 1994 when O.J. Simpson was the only suspect in the brutal murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson as well as Ron Goldman. I was only four during this trial, but I have heard my mother speak of the day the verdict was read. She said she was in the car and heard the verdict on the radio, she swears to this day traffic almost seemed to stop. It was such a shock to the majority of America. Interesting to me not because O.J. had been famous, it was not the football or the golfing that made this case the trial of the century. It was the fact that with an entire presentation of actual hard evidence a jury of four men and eight women found O.J. Simpson not
Perhaps the most famous case in the 20th century was the O. J. Simpson double murder trial. On June 12, 1994, two people were brutally killed. Those two people
“He was an abuser of the worst kind, one with money, power and fame” (Archer, 2013). O.J. Simpson a man who attracted the attention of millions when he was at the peak of his career to when he was on trial for the brutal murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. The trial that shocked the country is still referred to today as “the trial of the century” and will continue to hold that title as this trial had an indefinite effect on our judicial system and how money and fame influence verdicts. Regardless if someone believes he’s innocent or guilty, why is this trial still discussed today with as much controversy and conviction it held in 1991? Before Simpson was remembered only for this infamous trial he was a prolific athlete, role model, and someone whose background and upbringing beat the odds. Understanding the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson through his high-profile career and his personality may allow a clear understanding of why an American idol became Americas favorite criminal.
The Documentary “O.J. Made in America” by Ezra Edelman is about how O.J. became famous and then fell on a downhill spiral. First, it talks about how lavish O.J.’s life was, and how he was a football superstar. O.J. went to USC in 1963 to become the national star that everyone loved and could never imagine would do anything wrong. Everyone saw O.J. as “colorless” and they all said they saw him more as a black man with white features rather than a normal negro. Then after becoming the superstar everyone saw him as, he was seen as a murderer by all of his white friends. O.J. was put on trial for the murder of Nicole Simpson, his wife, and Ron Goldman. The trial lasted for 11 months and was very grueling towards the jury. As the case came to an end, the verdict became clear, O.J. was not guilty. Some people still think he was guilty, but others were overjoyed by the verdict. Being the man he is, he decided to go with some of his new friends from Florida to get his Heisman and some other possessions of his back that were stolen after the trial from friends. After he did this he was put on trial 13 years to the day of the murder trial. O.J. was found guilty of armed robbery and a multitude of others. He was sentenced to 33 years in
case and the murder trial of O.J. Simpson created a new market for courtroom drama influence,