The Trial Of OJ Simpson

A Great Trash Novel Come to Life

June 12th, 1994, bodies of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death. The bodies were in the front yard of Nicole's condo 875 South Bundy Drive in Brentwood. OJ Simpson, famous football star, Nicole's ex-husband was on his way to Chicago when the bodies were found. OJ was notified the next morning with little reaction, stating he would be on the next flight back to Los Angeles. Returning home, people piled in front of his home. Minutes later, he was handcuffed and taken in for questioning then released. A few days later, he was issued with an arrest warrant for somehow being tied with the murders, opening the most extreme case of the century. The OJ Simpson trial led to a huge public following

He was a much known football player. Before the NFL he was voted player of the decade by ABC sports (Carra). Later on, OJ played for the Buffalo Bills and the 49ers ("OJ Simpson Fast Facts"). He became the first player in the NFL to rush 2000 yards in a full season. In 1985 OJ was inducted to the Pro Hall of Fame ("OJ Simpson Fast Facts"). According to them, Simpson led the league in rushing in 1972, 10973, 1975, and 1976, and received NFL player of the year. In 1985, the same year he was inducted to the Hall of Fame was the same year he married Nicole Brown (Carra). OJ met Nicole when she was only 18 years old (Tobin). They

Jury selection began and it took up to six months. Jury was 12 people, 10 women, 2 men, 9 black, 2 white, and one hispanic (Tobin). Opening statements took place January 24 the following year (Key Dates). The court room had full 24-hour video coverage of the trial. As millions watched on tv as Christopher Darden led off the prosecution's opening statement by portraying Simpson as an abusive husband and a jealous lover of Nicole. He told jurors "If he couldn’t have her didn’t want anybody else to have her." Marcia Clark stated the facts proving Simpson's guilt that they established during the trial (Linder 7). Marcia Clark was the chief prosecutor (Goldberg). Johnnie Cochran was Simpson's lead attorney, who said the opening statement for the defense. He stated a timeline of events that didn't add up also that it was no way that OJ couldn't have pulled off a double murder with the arthritis that he has. Cochran's statement backfired, because Darden asked Simpon's physician if Simpson could have committed the murders and his answer was "yes."