O.J. Simpson Guilty

On June 12, 1994, the bloody, dead bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found in the prestigious Brentwood area of Los Angeles by a dog. The dog began barking which attracted the attention of a neighbor who ran over and discovered the bodies on his own. Meanwhile, that same evening, O.J. Simpson, a star running back, Heisman Trophy winner and ex-husband of Nicole, was said to be boarding an American Airline flight to Chicago. As soon as the police arrived at the scene and discovered what had happened, they called O.

J. to inform him that his ex-wife had been killed. He boarded the next plane back to Los Angeles only to arrive home to a full-scale police investigation. After enough evidence had been gathered and interviews had taken place, police accumulated that O.J. was guilty of the murders and sent out a warrant for his arrest. However, a plan was set in stone already with the police, O.J.’s lawyers and O.J. himself that he was to turn himself in to police headquarters that day. He had claimed he did not commit the murders and was going to plead not guilty. When Simpson did not arrive at the designated time, police showed up to his home to discover that he had fled. He fled in a white bronco driven by his friend A.C. Cowlings.

While driving, someone observed O.J. alongside them and called the police to inform them of where he was. Before he knew it, Simpson was being chased by over a dozen police cars and news helicopters. This became the most publicized event in American history as more than “ninety-five million television viewers witnessed the slow police chase live” (Linder). Finally, the chase came to an end at O.J.’s home where he surrendered and was arrested. This was the start of the trial of the century. According to the article The Trial of Orenthal James Simpson, one hundred and thirty days later after numerous hours debating who was to be on the jury and hearing one hundred and fifty witness testimony’s, it was up to the jury to decide the fate of O.J. Simpson (Linder). After just three hours of discussion, the jury had come to a verdict. On October 3, 1995, millions of Americans listened as Deidre Robertson announced that O.J. Simpson was not guilty of the crime of murder of Nicole brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. However, even though O.J. Simpson was acquitted, many people today remain biased that he is actually guilty due to the evidence found at the crime scene and the verdict of his 1996 civil trial case.

Many people today are biased towards O.J.’s guiltiness due to his abusive history and the amount of evidence found at the crime scene that all pointed towards him being the murderer. From the beginning of O.J. and Nicole’s relationship, there was an immense amount of violence and mistreatment. Throughout their seven-year relationship, there had been approximately sixty incidents in which O.J. had physically abused Nicole. She had made numerous calls to the police about the abuse and even kept a “diary explaining O.J.’s abuse, as well as a safety deposit box containing photos of her bruised face” (Hunt). O.J. was an enraged, wife-batterer who felt he had the power and was in control in their relationship due to the vast amount of fame he had developed through being a superior football player and actor. He believed he could get away with anything, especially abusing his wife. His excessive violence is just one piece of evidence that to many people shows O.J. was fully capable of killing. During the police investigation after Nicole and Ron were discovered dead, police gathered numerous pieces of evidence directly linking O.J. to the murders. One of the pieces of evidence found was blood. There was a trail of blood that “led from the murder scene, to Simpson’s Bronco, up to his Rockingham driveway, across the home’s foyer, to socks on O.J’s bedroom floor (Hunt).

Through advanced forensic DNA tests, police uncovered that the blood found at the crime scene directly linked to Simpson’s blood as well as the blood of the two victims. According to the DNA tests done, “the blood stains found at the crime scene could only have been produced by one in 170 million people and Simpson was one of them” clearly showing his presence and involvement in the murder(Hunt). Also, at the crime scene, according to author Darnell Hunt of the book O.J. Simpson Facts or Fictions, there were size twelve bloody footprints made by Bruno Magli shoes. O.J. Simpson owned a pair of these size twelve shoes. However, he denied he owned a pair only to show up to trial wearing the exact shoes (44). Along with the bloody footprints, “there was one large Aris leather glove found adjacent to the bodies and another found near Simpson’s home” (AJC). Both were covered in O.J.’s blood sample. Police discovered along with this a charge on Nicole’s credit card. A few years back she had bought a pair of these exact gloves for O.J. Lastly, two pieces of evidence were uncovered during an interview police investigators had with O.J. During the questioning, police asked him about his whereabouts the day and night of the murder. O.J. had no problem remembering where he was that day and night “except for an eighty-one-minute time period covering the time that the murders were committed” (Hunt). It was also noted that O.J. had cuts on his left hand during the questioning, “the side of the body corresponding to the location of the blood drops as the blood drops were found to the left of the bloody footprints” (Hunt). Overall, every piece of evidence gathered throughout the investigation process directly linked to O.J. in one way or more. It is impossible to ignore or deny simple evidence found at the scene. Therefore, people have used it to support their bias that O.J. Simpson is clearly guilty of the double murder.

After the trial of the century had ended, O.J. Simpson had yet another trial that along with the evidence found showed his guiltiness. This strengthened the biased opinion many people have today about his part in the murder. In 1996, O.J. Simpson was ordered back into court. The parents of Ron Goldman had filed a civil lawsuit against O.J. for the wrongful deaths of their children. Whereas the parents of Nicole Brown Simpson had brought a lawsuit against O.J. in a survivor suit. This time, however, the case took place in a civil court rather than a criminal court. In this trial, it was ordered by the court that there would be little to no discussion of racism in this case as “such allegations were inflammatory and speculative” (Drummond). The verdict of O.J. Simpson was to solely be based off of evidence discovered and shared which there was plenty of. It was also ordered by the court that O.J. was to take the stand himself. As he took the stand, it was said by many that “he gave what was generally considered a mixed performance” (Drummond). He did not answer the questions clearly or fully. He also had trouble remembering his whereabouts that night and his story seemed to differ each time he told it.

After the case was complete and it was up to the jury to once again decide the fate of O.J. Simpson, it was evident to many that he was guilty. Even one of the jurors of the court explained how with the amount of evidence shown, “‘Finding O.J. Simpson liable of the murders and acting with oppression and malice was one of the easiest decisions I ever made'” (Drummond). With an eleven to one vote, the jury decided that O.J. was “the person who fatally slashed his former wife and friend” (Drummond). He was found liable and responsible for the deaths of Nicole and Ron and was to pay the Goldman family $33.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages which he did not nor will never have. The jury also concluded that O.J. was to pay his children with Nicole, Sydney and Justin, $12.6 million each as recipients of Nicole’s estates. He’d be living in debt for the rest of his life. Therefore, both families won their lawsuits. However, what they truly won was the satisfaction and resolution that O.J. was the murderer of their children and that he was not going to get away with it. Not only were families happy with this verdict, but so were many Americans. This civil case without a doubt showed Simpson’s guiltiness that had been there the whole time. It also strengthened the biased opinion many had towards his guiltiness and made those who were opposed to it before, second guess themselves.

To many people today, it is impossible to believe O.J. Simpson could be in the slightest way innocent. He was an enraged, abusive man who believed he could get away with anything due to the power he had attained through his fame. The police investigation that occurred at the crime scene after the dead bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were discovered, led to numerous pieces of evidence being gathered. From blood samples, to bloody footprints, to gloves, every piece of evidence pointed towards Simpson as the murderer. During the questioning of Simpson, he appeared to have cuts on his hands and struggled to remember his whereabouts only during the minutes of the murders. If the evidence is not enough information to clearly show why many people are biased that O.J. Simpson is guilty and a murderer, then the civil case of 1996 will. The Goldman and Brown families sued O.J. for the wrongful death of their children. The evidence portrayed in the court along with O.J’s weak testimony showed his guiltiness. The civil jury found Simpson guilty as well as liable and responsible for the deaths. He would spend the rest of his life in debt trying to pay the two families. O.J.’s abusive history, the evidence found at the crime scene, and the civil case of 1996 finding him liable for the murders is a clear indication of his guiltiness. These three reasons are why many people today cannot accept the fact that O.J. was acquitted during the criminal trial in 1995, it is just too obvious. Overall it is plain and simple: O.J. Simpson was a murderer and no matter the verdict decided in 1995, to countless people today he was and will always be guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

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