Murder trial of O. J. Simpson
While Deputy District Attorneys Marcia Clark, William Hodgman, and Christopher Darden believed they had a strong case, the defense team persuaded the jury there was reasonable doubt concerning the DNA evidence.[59] The walkway leading to the stairs was covered in blood, but the soles of Brown's feet were clean; based on this evidence, investigators concluded that she was the first person to be attacked and the intended target.[67] On the night of June 12, Simpson was scheduled to board a red-eye flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Chicago, where he was due to play golf the following day at a convention with representatives of The Hertz Corporation, for whom he was a spokesman.[citation needed] On June 17, detectives recommended that Simpson be charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstance of multiple killings after the final DNA results came back and an arrest warrant was subsequently issued.At 1:50 pm, Commander Dave Gascon, LAPD's chief spokesman, publicly declared Simpson a fugitive; the police issued an all-points bulletin for him and an arrest warrant for Cowlings.More than nine news helicopters eventually joined the pursuit; Tur compared the fleet to Apocalypse Now, and the high degree of media participation caused camera signals to appear on incorrect television channels.[63] While NBC continued to air NBA Finals coverage, Bob Costas acted as a go-between for Marv Albert, who was calling the game, and Tom Brokaw, who reported on the chase.[109] The chase was covered live by ABC anchors Peter Jennings and Barbara Walters on behalf of the network's five news magazines, which achieved some of their highest-ever ratings that week.[87] As people watched and wondered what would happen to Simpson, one author wrote, "the shared adventure gave millions of viewers a vested interest, a sense of participation, a feeling of being on the inside of a national drama in the making".In the Bronco, police found "$8,000 in cash, a change of clothing, a loaded .357 Magnum, a United States passport, family pictures, and a disguise kit with a fake goatee and mustache".Marcia Clark conceded that such evidence did imply guilt yet defended her decision, citing the public reaction to the chase and suicide note as proof the trial had been compromised by Simpson's celebrity status.[120][121][122][123] Rose Lopez, a neighbor's Spanish-speaking housekeeper, stated on August 18 that she saw Simpson's Bronco parked outside his house at the time of the murders, supporting his claim he was home that night.'The murders and trial – "the biggest story I have ever seen", said a producer of NBC's Today – received extensive media coverage from the very beginning; at least one instant book was proposed two hours after the bodies were found, and scheduled to publish only a few weeks later.[70] Fans approached Clark in public, and when she got a new hairstyle during the trial, the prosecutor received a standing ovation on the courthouse steps; People approved of the change, but advised her to wear "more fitted suits and tailored skirts".[145] Richard Gabriel, a jury consultant noted that African Americans at the time were far more likely than other minorities to be receptive to claims of racially motivated fraud by the police and were less likely to be familiar with and thus accept DNA evidence.Judge Ito denied the defense's motion to suppress the incidents of domestic violence, but only allowed witnessed accounts to be presented to the jury because of Simpson's Sixth Amendment rights.[286][287][288] They accused prison nurse Thano Peratis,[289] criminalists Dennis Fung,[150] Andrea Mazzola,[152] and Colin Yamauchi,[238] and Vannatter[290] and Fuhrman,[291] of participating in a plot to frame Simpson.In order to support this claim, the defense pointed to the presence in the blood samples of EDTA, a preservative found in the purple-topped collection tubes used for police reference vials.[299][302] The prosecution also had Rieders admit that EDTA is found in food[303] and specifically the ingredients used in the McDonald's Big Mac and french fries[298] that Simpson had eaten earlier that night.[293] The prosecution also pointed out that the media cameras present proved that Vannatter never returned to the crime scene (Brown's home) that evening, where Simpson's blood was allegedly planted.[321][322] The New Yorker published an article months before the trial began which cited a source in Simpson's defense team as saying that they intended to accuse Fuhrman of planting the glove, with the motive being racism.[323] Defense attorney F. Lee Bailey suggested that Fuhrman found the glove at the crime scene, picked it up with a stick, placed it in a plastic bag, and concealed it in his sock when he drove to Simpson's home with Lange, Vannatter, and Phillips.Cochran referred to Fuhrman and Vannatter as the "two devils of deception", and implored the jurors to "stop this cover-up" and "acquit Simpson and send the police a message", which was interpreted by many as an appeal for a jury nullification.In response, Fred Goldman, who was himself Jewish, referred to Cochran himself as a racist and a "sick man" for comparing Fuhrman to Hitler while associating himself with Farrakhan, who was widely considered a black supremacist and anti-Semite.[383][384][385] The murder of George Floyd revived empathy for racial injustice among white liberals[386][387][388] but the unsuccessful attempt to repeal Proposition 209 in 2020 was credited to the trial's legacy of undermining race relations.In 1998, Clark published Without a Doubt, in which she opined that the acquittal demonstrated the legal system is still compromised by race and celebrity because the prosecution's physical evidence should have easily convicted Simpson.Hunt argued that the racial gap in polling was a manufactured product of selective reporting of facts by the media due to their treatment of the trial as a form of entertainment rather than a legal proceeding.That, Petrocelli said, is when three weeks of retaliation began In that period, the lawyer argued, Simpson grew angrier and more obsessed with his ex-wife, developing a rage that resulted in death for her and Ron Goldman.It is rumored that the constant Simpson jokes were the cause for then NBC President Don Ohlmeyer to remove Macdonald from the Weekend Update segment and eventually from the show altogether.[502] Joey Skaggs, under the alias Dr. Joseph Bonuso, Ph.D., announced the "Solomon Project," a fictional AI program purportedly designed to eliminate bias in the U.S. judicial system.
O. J. Simpson robbery caseSuperior Court of California for and in the County of Los AngelesNot guiltyFirst-degree murderspecial circumstancespreponderance of the evidenceLance Itocriminal trialLos Angeles County Superior CourtO. J. SimpsonNicole Brown SimpsonRon Goldmansignificant amount of forensic evidenceAfrican-AmericanLos Angeles Police Departmentthe beating of Rodney Kingsubsequent riotstrial of the century1994 NBA FinalsDream TeamRobert ShapiroJohnnie CochranF. Lee BaileyAlan DershowitzRobert KardashianShawn HolleyCarl E. DouglasGerald UelmenDistrict AttorneysMarcia ClarkWilliam HodgmanChristopher Dardenreasonable doubtreaction to the verdictLos Angeles Countyjury nullificationBeverly HillsLenore E. Walkerdomestic abuseirreconcilable differencesFrogmenThe A-TeamUS Navy SEALsBen & Jerry'sBundy DriveBrentwoodMcDonald'sKato Kaelinbit-partBurger Kingcrystal methdefensive woundscarotid arterylarynxvertebra C3coronerAris Isotonerred-eye flightLos Angeles International AirportThe Hertz CorporationLimousineFord BroncoporterO'HareMark Fuhrmanprobable causeParker Center"Dream Team"San Fernando Valleyperp walkAl Cowlingsall-points bulletinsuicide noteWhite Bronco (album)I-5 FreewayLake ForestZoey TurEl Toro Y91 FreewaySunset BoulevardLos Angeles highway systemSanta Ana FreewayOrange CountyCalifornia Highway PatrolInterstate 405KCBS-TVApocalypse Nowcamera signals to appear on incorrect television channelsKNX-AMPete ArbogastUSC footballJohn McKayWalter PaytonVince EvansNBC SportsBob CostasNFL studio show30 Rockefeller PlazaNew York CityMadison Square Gardencoveringthat year's Super BowlMarv AlbertTom BrokawPeter JenningsBarbara Waltersnews magazinesJim Hill.357 MagnumMen's Central Jailharboring a fugitivemugshotAl Michaelsarraignedgrand juryCalifornia Superior CourtNissanHard CopystilettoRosey GrierLos Angeles County JailColombian necktieFaye Resnickinstant bookcourt showsJudge Judy