Introduction
The murder trial of O.J. Simpson remains one the most infamous, high-profile cases that was highly publicized in the American history of criminal trials. Remarkably, this trial turned into a media circus exemplifying opportunism, courtroom dysfunction, colorful characters and hyperbole resounding like a TV movie. The O.J. trial, which almost lasted close to a year, commenced on 1995 January 24, with O.J Simpson, a former football star, being acquitted of the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, his ex-wife and Ronald Goldman, a friend to Nicole (Linder, 2017). Goldman and Nicole were stabbed to death on the 12th of June 1994, outside Nicole’s condominium in Los Angeles. Given the situation of their relationship, Simpson was rendered as the prime murder suspect. Even after being informed of the awaiting charges, Simpson did not surrender to the authorities. Rather, he chose to escape, and A.C. Cowlings, his friend, was helping him by carrying him in the back of a car. Simpson’s attempted escape became sensational for his fans as they lined up on the streets to support him, considering that the escape was aired live on national television with millions watching (Shapiro, 2021). However, the run came to a stop in Brentwood, where Simpson had a home, and he was arrested and taken into custody.
Key Players
O.J. hired a defense team that included Robert Shapiro – as the lead attorney, Johnnie Cochran, who later became the lead counsel; Alan Dershowitz, Barry Scheck, Lee Bailey and Robert Kardashian (Linder, 2017). This group was regarded as the “dream defense team”. On the other side, the prosecution team was led by Marcia Clark, who was the lead counsel, and Christopher Darden. Despite the prosecution having a solid case against O.J. Simpson, his defense team was able to persuade the jury, which was made predominantly of Blacks, to acquit Mr Simpson via a reasonable doubt cause, on the basis of faulty DNA evidence, accusations of a botched crime scene, conspiracy theories what were fueled by racial bias and scandalous authorities (Linder, 2017).
Several individuals become the face of the O.J. Simpson’s murder trial, including:
Prosecution Team
Marcia Clark
Marcia Clark, a brilliant trial lawyer who worked in L.A. District Attorney’s offices, was quite experienced after spending many years in Special Trial Units, which entailed some of the most intricate investigations, before assuming the position of a lead prosecutor in O.J.’s murder trial (Pak, 2020). Clark’s courtroom style was considered aggressive and harsh by many jurors (black females). She was also deemed cold and always calculating in her moves.
Christopher Darden
Darden was a co-prosecutor with Clark. Although he was not experienced in trials like Clark, his inclusion was key to dismissing any notion that the prosecution would be influenced by racist inspirations against Simpson (Pak, 2020). Even though Darden started weak in the trial and seemed intimidated by Cochran, as the trial progressed, he gained momentum.
Their Roles in the O.J. Trial
Christopher Darden opened the prosecution’s opening remarks by depicting Mr. Simpson, the criminal defendant, as a jealous lover and an abusive husband to Nicole. Clark then presented the facts of their arguments, indicating Simpson was guilty. In the course of the trial, the prosecution brought forth 72 witnesses (Linder, 2017). The first group of witnesses avowed that the suspect had the intention to kill Nicole, and he seized the opportunity to do so. The second group suggested that the defendant exploited his opportunity to execute the murder.
The prosecution also produced other witnesses to establish the chronology that left the defendant with a good opening to commit the murders. Park, the limo driver, was a key witness; the prosecution team was counting on him because he was at Simpson’s house to pick him up, but the defendant was not there but showed up more than half an hour later (Linder, 2017). Park claimed that Simpson carried with him a small black bag, which the prosecution really wanted to highlight and convince the jury that it was the bag used to carry the murder weapon.
The prosecution presented telephone records indicating that the defendant used his cell at 10.03 to call Paula Barbieri, his girlfriend. This was to prove that Simpson was lying about his whereabouts because, at this time, he was claiming that he was in the backyard perfecting his golf stroke.
Finally, the prosecution began to present circumstantial and technical evidence tying the defendant directly to the murders. This evidence included blood results, footprint, fiber and hair analysis from Simpson’s home in Rockingham and the crime scene (Office of the Inspector General, n.d). The presented RFLP tests were one of the most persuasive testimony presented by the prosecution (Linder, 2017). Despite the probability of the blood source, Nicole’s blood matched that found on Simpson’s socks.
The prosecution, however, did not have it easy during the trial because they were affected by some mistakes. Officer Mark Fuhrman from LAPD, who was testifying for the prosecution, was cross-examined by Lee Bailey, lied about his racist sentiments (Linder, 2017). This questioned the integrity of his testimony. A second disaster followed when Christopher Darden, the prosecutor, asked Simpson to wear the bloody gloves that he alleged belonged to the defendant and were used during the murder (Linder, 2017). However, the bloody gloves were too small to fit Simpson’s hand.
The Outcome
Despite the prosecution presenting a solid case against the defendant, the jury acquitted O.J. Simpson of the murder case of Goldman and Nicole (Linder, 2017). After losing this case, Clark resigned from the attorney’s office, while Darden was devastated and took a leave of absence. Given the speculation of this trial, the belief that Simpson was guilty or innocent was divided along racial outlines, with many whites claiming he was guilty and African Americans rejoicing for the innocent verdict (Shapiro, 2021). The bigger perception was that Simpson was found innocent in a system that systematically discriminated against African Americans.
References
Linder, D. O. (2017). The Trial of Orenthal James Simpson: An Account. Famous-Trials.com; UMKC School of Law. https://www.famous-trials.com/simpson/1862-home
Office of the Inspector General. (n.d). ROGER MARTZ’S TESTIMONY IN O.J. SIMPSON CASE; USDOJ/OIG FBI Labs Report. Oig.justice.gov. https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/archive/special/9704a/07simpso.htm
Pak, E. (2020). O.J. Simpson: The Key Players in His Murder Trial. Biography. https://www.biography.com/crime/oj-simpson-trial-key-players
Shapiro, E. (2021). 26 years ago, OJ Simpson was acquitted: Timeline of his life and the sensational trial. ABC News; ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/key-moments-oj-simpsons-life/story?id=48724637
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