The OJ Simpson Case: A Look Back at the Trial of the Century

30 years ago, a double crime occurred that shocked the United States and had a global impact due to the fame of the main suspect: OJ Simpson, the American football megastar, would be arrested 5 days after the bloody event that gave rise to the “trial of the century” and caused its debacle.

On June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown, OJ’s ex-wife (mother of two of his five children) and her alleged lover, Ron Goldman, were stabbed to death outside the woman’s imposing residence in the city of Los Angeles. . The eyes of the investigators landed on the athlete and actor of La Pistola Desnuda, whom the victim had already denounced for gender violence on several occasions.

Read also: OJ Simpson, American football star and protagonist of the most unusual court case in the US, died

In a raid on the home of the former athlete turned actor, traces of blood were found in his truck and a glove with similar characteristics to the one found at the crime scene, also with blood remains. Simpson was not at his home at the time and therefore could not be apprehended.

Five days later, and after a cinematic chase along the freeways of Los Angeles, followed live by television networks through land phones and helicopters, OJ surrendered to the police and was detained awaiting trial.

OJ Simpson in the uniform of the American football Buffalo Bills. Photo: AP

Thus began the debacle of a star figure in North American sports who had also begun a promising artistic career. His fortune was disappearing in payment for lawyers and all the advertising contracts he had fell through. He only had the footballer’s pension left.

The “trial of the century” against OJ Simpson

The most high-profile trial in the history of the United States lasted eleven months, from the time the jury members were sworn in on November 9, 1994. Throughout the hearings, the defense of the American football star (known for the press as the “dream team”) relied on the irregularities committed by the police during the investigation and requested the annulment of the proceedings.

The final touch that ended up exonerating OJ came when one of his lawyers discovered that the size of the gloves, which were vital evidence in the case, did not match that of Simpson’s large hands. “Rest assured, when you try them on in front of the jury, they will see that they don’t fit,” one of his defenders, Johnnie Cochran, told him.

Indeed, OJ stood up, tried to put a glove on his left hand and showed everyone, who was following the case on television with an impressive rating, that it was too small. He repeated the same thing with the other hand and immediately smiled and shrugged his shoulders as if to say “you see it wasn’t me.”

Finally, on October 3, 1995, the jury returned its verdict: “not guilty.” In this way, OJ regained his freedom. However, after the “trial of the century”, carried out in the criminal jurisdiction, the civil process took place, in which the families of the victims asked for millionaire compensation.

In this case, the ending was different: OJ was found guilty and sentenced to pay compensation of 33 and a half million dollars. Far from complying with the sentence, handed down in 1997, the sports star only paid 133 thousand dollars.

OJ Simpson in The Naked Gun. Photo: Paramount

OJ Simpson had faced the scandal in the midst of a peak of popularity that even took him to the movies, where he participated in the satirical saga The Naked Gun. Years later, in September 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas for armed robbery, coercion and kidnapping. He received a sentence of 33 years in prison, with a minimum of 9 without parole. After that period, he was released on October 1, 2016.

Read also: Did OJ Simpson confess to the murder of his ex-wife or not?

The former American football player, member of the NFL Hall of Fame, was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and died on April 10 in Las Vegas, at the age of 76.

2024-06-12 10:48:18
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