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11 May 2024 0:59
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  •   Home > News > Law and Order

    Who was OJ Simpson? Why was his murder trial such a big deal?

    Simpson was acquitted of double murder in a criminal trial that mesmerised the world. A pair of blood stained gloves that didn't fit turned the tide.


    On Friday, OJ Simpson died of prostate cancer, with his death making news around the world.

    He was a famous footballer and actor, but is best known for being acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend in one of the most notorious trials in 20th century America.

    The case sparked debates on race, gender, domestic abuse, celebrity, justice and police misconduct.

    Here's a quick recap of the trial and why people are still talking about it. 

    Who is OJ Simpson and what did he do?

    Orenthal James Simpson — better known as OJ Simpson — rose to fame as a football player in the 60s and 70s, parlaying that fame into a career as a media personality and actor

    He acted in The Towering Inferno, Capricorn One and all three films in the spoof cop franchise The Naked Gun, which came out in 1988, 1991 and 1994. 

    When Simpson's ex-wfie and her friend were found stabbed to death in Los Angeles in 1994, he emerged as a key suspect. 

    He had agreed to surrender to police but before officers arrived to arrest him, he fled in white Ford Bronco driven by his former teammate Al Cowlings, who had a gun to his head.

    Police soon caught up with the pair, with a slow-speed car chase across 100 kilometres of California highways and city streets.

    It was all broadcast live on US news channels, with people lining the highways to cheer Simpson on.

    The chase ended at Simpson's mansion where he was eventually arrested.

    His 16-month trial was also televised and became known as "the trial of the century".

    Like the police chase, it captivated the US, touching on fame and wealth, love and hate, the judicial system, the media, domestic violence and racism.

    Simpson was eventually acquitted over the murders.

    What was OJ Simpson accused of?

    Simpson was accused of the stabbing murders of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

    They were found fatally stabbed outside Ms Simpson's home in Los Angeles on June 12, 1994. 

    Who was OJ Simpson's lawyer?

    Robert Kardashian is perhaps the most famous of Simpson's lawyers, being the father of reality television stars Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian.

    At the time, he was married to Kris Jenner, a close friend of Ms Simpson.

    But It wasn't just Mr Kardashian defending Simpson.

    Prominent criminal defence lawyers Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz and F Lee Bailey were representing him in court. 

    They were dubbed the "dream team". 

    Why was the OJ Simpson case such a big deal?

    People around the world were captivated by the televised trial.

    Here's how Reuters summed it up:

    "It had everything: a rich celebrity defendant; a Black man accused of killing his white former wife out of jealousy; a woman slain after divorcing a man who had beaten her; a "dream team" of pricy and charismatic defence lawyers; and a huge gaffe by prosecutors."

    Prosecutors argued that Simpson killed his ex-wife out of jealousy, and they presented extensive blood, hair and fibre tests linking Simpson to the murders.

    The defence countered that the celebrity defendant was framed by racist white police.

    "Many Black Americans celebrated his acquittal, seeing Simpson as the victim of bigoted police," a Reuters report says.

    "Many white Americans were appalled by his exoneration."

    Decades on, the trial is still talked about. 

    It's been the subject of documentaries and dramatisations, including the 2016 television series The People v O J Simpson: American Crime Story.

    Mr Dershowitz said Simpson "played an important role in exposing the racial divisions in America".

    "His trial also exposed police corruption among some officials in the Los Angeles Police Department.

    "Many people think he was guilty. Some think he was innocent."

    Why was OJ Simpson found not guilty?

    Many put it down to the glove demonstration

    A pair of blood-stained gloves were also found at the murder scene, which the prosecution were confident would fit Simpson perfectly and prove he was the killer.

    In a highly theatrical demonstration, Simpson struggled to put on the gloves and indicated to the jury they did not fit.

    That's when he said his only three words of the trial: "They're too small."

    His lawyer Mr Cochran referred to the gloves in closing arguments to jurors with a rhyme: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."

    Mr Dershowitz later called the prosecution decision to ask Simpson to try on the gloves "the greatest legal blunder of the 20th century".

    What does acquitted mean?

    Acquitted means that after a jury trial or a bench trial, the trial judge or jury finds the defendant not guilty.

    Who killed OJ Simpson's ex-wife?

    No-one has been criminally convicted over the killings. 

    In 1997, Simpson was was found liable for the two deaths in a civil lawsuit filed by Ms Simpson and Mr Goldman's families.

    Simpson's "dream team" did not represent him in the civil trial in which the burden of proof was lower than in a criminal trial — a "preponderance of the evidence" rather than "beyond a reasonable doubt".

    New evidence also hurt Simpson, including photographs of him wearing the type of shoes that had left bloody footprints at the murder scene.

    Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million ($51 million) in damages.

    What did OJ Simpson go to jail for?

    An unrelated matter. 

    In 2007, Simpson and five men stole sports memorabilia worth thousands of dollars from two dealers at gunpoint in Las Vegas.

    Simpson argued that he was just trying to recover his own property.

    In 2008, a jury convicted him on 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping and sentenced to 33 years a Nevada prison.

    Simpson was granted parole and freed in 2017.

    ABC with wires


    ABC




    © 2024 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

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