Passion Blog # 6

For this weeks passion blog we will discussing and analysis the famous court from the late 1990s, OJ Simpson v. California. On the night of June 12, 1994, OJ Simpson was accused of stabbing to death, his former ex -wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. OJ Simpson, a former running back at University of Southern California (USC) and NFL star selected number one overall in 1969 by the Buffalo Bills. His career would come to and end after the murder allegations. Simpson attempted to flee the scene with his patron, Al Cowlings by hiding in the back of a white bronco nearly five days following the gruesome discovery. This event was televised via helicopter and news outlets which accumulated nearly ninety-five million viewers. Eventually, Simpson was arrested following the high speed chase at his home in Brentwood, California and would be awaiting a date for trial at the state level.

Before the trial, Simpson was arraigned on July 22, 1994 and plead not guilty. Nearly one year after being arraigned, he was taken to court on January 22, 1995 for trial in front of the honorable judge, Lance Ito. Johnnie Cochran, the defense attorney for Simpson claimed that Simpson was wrongly accused of murder. While the prosecutor Marcia Clark and co-prosecutor Christopher Darden claimed that Simpson was a controlling husband who was abusive to his ex-wife, Nicole. Clark and Darden pointed to the blood from the crime scene and in Simpson’s care. Both prosecutors emphasized the fact he (Simpson) was unaccounted for more than an hour following the murders.

In a counter argument, the gloves were presented that were used by the killer and found at the crime scene. In defense, Cochran had Simpson try on the gloves, in front of everybody that was in the court room. Simpson could not get the gloves to fit because they were too small. Cochran responded by saying “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”Nonetheless, the defense argued that the murder could not have been OJ Simpson because the gloves did not fit which meant he was innocent. On October 2, 1995, the jury began deliberating and reached a verdict that same day within four hours. The next day, OJ Simpson was found not guilty for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

After the verdict, there was an uproar among many of the American people with the most important being racial divide while others like media attention, use of DNA evidence, and the perception of the justice system. Many African Americans believed the verdict was justified, but white Americans believed thought it was racially motivated. Despite this case being separated by nearly thirty years, this case has shaped society in way that based on your skin color you are more likely to commit a crime. For instance, there is  stereotype of African Americans are more likely to commit a crime compared person with white skin color. This is a problem we as society struggling find resolution with crime rates going for all races and ethnicities.

https://www.britannica.com/event/O-J-Simpson-trial

https://abcnews.go.com/US/key-moments-oj-simpsons-life/story?id=48724637