The People of the State of California V. Orenthal James Simpson

Trial

Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson was born on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco, California and is a former NFL player, actor, and broadcaster. He is well known for his defence in the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman. This trial is one of most popular trials in American History and is also one of the most controversial because of the verdict, or outcome. On the night of June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman were stabbed outside of Nicole’s condo.

The main suspect at the time was O.J. Simpson. Instead of surrendering to the police, the leads them on a chase throughout California. The whole event was streamed live to 95 million viewers, interrupting the 1994 NBA Finals. After being put under arrest and placed in police custody, he entered a plea of not guilty and said, “Absolutely, 100 per cent not guilty”

(Lopez 1). The trial began on January 24, 1995 and Simpson got a group of attorneys known as the “Dream Team” which included F. Lee Bailey, Robert Blasier, Shawn Chapman Holley, Robert Shapiro and Alan Dershowitz. The main reason that Simpson’s defence team was found not guilty was because of mishandled evidence and racism. Mark Fuhrman, a detective for the LAPD, had found a bloody glove at Simpson’s residence. Simpson tried it on in the courtroom and it was seen to be small fitting onto O.J.’s hand. Johnnie Cochran, the lead defence attorney, fired off a crucial quote, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” (Lopez 2).

This was seen as a crucial turning point in the case, as the defence started to claim that false evidence was placed to try and frame Simpson, influenced by racism in LAPD. This jury and trial had lasted for 9 months before a decision was made, the longest trial a trial had to date in California history. On October 3 1995, Orenthal James Simpson was found “Not Guilty in violation of Penal Code Section 187(a), a felony upon Nicole Brown Simpson, a human being. Not Guilty in violation of Penal Code Section 187(a), a felony upon Ronald Lyle Goldman, a human being.” This was one of the highest viewed television event in history, with the number watching being around 150 million.

Verdict

The verdict of “People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson” was “Not Guilty in violation of Penal Code Section 187(a), a felony upon Nicole Brown Simpson, a human being. Not Guilty in violation of Penal Code Section 187(a), a felony upon Ronald Lyle Goldman, a human being.” This basically means that O.J. Simpson was found not guilty in the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman. I think that the verdict was wrong and unjust. There was more than enough evidence on O.J. Simpson including the police chase after the murder, The physical abuse that Simpson had put on Nicole Brown Simpson, and the evidence that had been found at O.J.’s residence.

I don’t think that racism was at play in this case because when they had found the evidence at his house, it was proven to have his DNA on it (this includes the bloody leather glove). At a later date, O.J. publish a book titled “If I Did It” which I think is a blatant give away. An excerpt from that book reads: “If I had actually done it… I would have brought my good gloves that day. I would have thought it was shame they shrunk when I left them out on the patio, but I would have brought them just the same. They were my lucky gloves, and I would have needed them cause I was going to stab my slut of a wife… hypothetically.” (Simpson 1). From that little excerpt, I believe it is very clear he murdered his wife.

Social Issues

The trial had shown a lot of social issues in it. For example, Simpson’s defence “Dream Team” had called the LAPD racist, claiming that they had set up false evidence to frame O.J. This case also brought up a divide between Black and White people. Many blacks thought O.J. was innocent, while most white people thought he was guilty. This verdict cause a lot of controversy between African Americans and White Americans. In 1995, Only 22% of Black Americans thought that O.J. was guilty while 76% of White Americans thought he was guilty. In recent times, however, 53% of Black Americans think O.J. was guilty, while 83% of White Americans think he was guilty. Many people in Society think that he was guilty, but cannot do anything about it now.

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