OJ Simpson, a renowned American footballer and actor, best known for his trial of the 1995 murder accusations of his ex-wife, has passed away at 76. Notoriously known as ‘The Juice’, he was ultimately absolved of the murder charges but held accountable for her demise in a civil lawsuit case. He was later confined for his participation in an armed robbery and kidnapping. He breathed his last on Wednesday, owing to cancer, as confirmed by his family on a social media post the following day.
In 1994, Simpson had managed to narrowly evade prison for the fatal stabbing of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her companion, Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles. However, he was later incarcerated for nine years in Nevada for his conviction in 2008 on twelve charges of armed robbery and the kidnapping of two sports memorabilia sellers at a Las Vegas hotel.
Simpson’s journey from childhood frailty to gridiron glory at the University of Southern California is laudable, where he won the Heisman Trophy as the top player in college football. After thriving in his career with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers with unrivalled records, he was honoured with an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Additionally, he used his football fame to secure a career as a sportscaster, a star in advertising, and a Hollywood actor starring in films like the Naked Gun series. However, his popularity and career took a downturn after the brutal murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Goldman, outside her Los Angeles residence on June 12th, 1994.
Simpson became a prime suspect for the murders. He was asked to hand himself over to the police, but instead, he absconded five days after the murders, with a companion in his white Ford Bronco, holding a disguise and his passport. The low-speed pursuit ended at Simpson’s estate in Los Angeles Area, where he was later apprehended on the murder charges.
The twentieth century bore witness to one of the most infamous trials on American soil, which became a media sensation. It involved a well-off celebrity being accused, a marital fallout allegedly ending in murder through a fit of jealousy and a line-up of esteemed solicitors coming to the rescue. This case even bore witness to a significant blunder on the part of the prosecution.
Simpson, on the initiation of the trial affirmed with utter certainty that he was entirely innocent. After being cleared by a majority black jury comprised of ten women and two men on October 3rd, 1995, he gestured his thanks towards them.
The prosecution’s stance was that Simpson had acted out of extreme jealousy leading to the murder of Nicole, presenting considerable evidence such as blood, hair and fibre tests implicating Simpson in the crime. The defence rebutted, arguing Simpson had been a target of racial bias.
The case had the country in its grip, mesmerised, to an extent that President Bill Clinton even left his office to watch the verdict on his secretary’s television. There was a clear racial divide in the public’s opinion on his acquittal. Many blacks rejoiced, viewing Simpson as a victim of a racially biased police force, whereas many whites expressed shock and disapproval of his clearing.
Simpson’s legal cavalry included renowned criminal defence lawyers Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz and F Lee Bailey, who often had the upper hand against the prosecution. The prosecution’s most significant oversight came when they asked Simpson to try on a pair of blood-soaked gloves found at the crime scene, assured that they’d be a perfect fit, thereby proving him to be the culprit.
In an exceptionally dramatic display, Simpson exhibited to the jury that the gloves didn’t fit. “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” – Cochran cited this catchphrase during the closing arguments to the jury. Dershowitz later labelled the prosecution’s decision to have Simpson try on the gloves as the gravest legal error of the twentieth century.
“What the verdict put across is the power of fame and wealth to afford the best defence and turn an overwhelmingly damning case with substantial physical evidence into one riddled with reasonable doubt,” said Peter Arenella, a UCLA law professor, to the New York Times following the outcome.
Upon his exoneration, Simpson made a commitment to seek justice for Nicole and Mr Goldman, asserting his innocence emphatically. Mr Arenella confirmed this pledge. Following the verdict, the families of Goldman and Brown didn’t relent and pursued a civil lawsuit against Simpson. In Santa Monica, California in 1997, a jury, mainly white, held Simpson accountable for the two fatalities, mandating that he pay $33.5 million as damages.
Following the judgement, Fred Goldman, the father of Ron Goldman, expressed relief citing that justice had finally been served for his son and Nicole. Notably, Simpson’s high-profile legal team did not represent him in the civil trial which had a lower burden of proof than the criminal trial. This adjustment meant that the jury needed to see a ‘preponderance of the evidence’ versus ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’. Simpson’s chances were also hampered by new evidence, including damning photos of him donning shoes similar to those that left bloody tracks at the murder site.
In the aftermath of the civil lawsuit, part of Simpson’s possessions, including pieces from his football career, were seized and sold in auction to help settle the damages he was liable for.
In a twist of fate, exactly 13 years post his acquittal in the murder case, Simpson faced the wrath of a Las Vegas jury who found him guilty on counts of armed robbery and kidnapping. This judgement was linked to an incident in 2007, where Simpson along with five other men, two of whom were armed, stole valuable sports memorabilia from a pair of dealers at a casino hotel. Despite claiming he was only trying to reclaim his personal property, Simpson was handed a prison sentence of up to 33 years.
At his sentencing, Simpson, now in a blue prison uniform and bound by shackles, claimed ignorance of any wrongdoing, insisting that he had no intention to harm anyone. After a decade in prison, he was paroled in 2017 and moved to a secured neighbourhood in Las Vegas. His good conduct in prison culminated in an early release from parole in 2021, when he was 74 years old.
The 2016 Oscar-winning documentary, OJ: Made in America, and numerous television adaptations have narrated the extraordinary story of Orenthal James Simpson. Born on 9 July, 1947 in San Francisco, Simpson faced a gruelling health challenge as a child, having contracted rickets at the age of two. He was required to wear leg braces up until he was five. Miraculously, he fully recovered and carved a niche for himself as one of the most revered football players in history.
Simpson’s professional football career spanned nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills and two with the San Francisco 49ers. It was in the year 1973 that he set a phenomenal record, becoming the first NFL player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. Following his retirement in 1979, Simpson donned a new hat, becoming a recognisable advertising spokesman, most prominently for Hertz car rentals through numerous television adverts. He also ventured into acting, starring in films such as The Towering Inferno in 1974, Capricorn One in 1977, and several comedy films in the The Naked Gun series in 1988, 1991, and 1994, portraying a hilarious police detective.
In his personal life, Simpson tied the knot with his first wife, Marguerite in 1967 and they were blessed with three children. Tragically, one of their children drowned in their home swimming pool at the tender age of two in 1979, the same year the couple decided to part ways. Simpson then fell for Nicole Brown, a waitress aged 17, while he was still married to Marguerite. Simpson and Brown exchanged vows in 1985 and had two children together. However, their relationship soured when Brown spoke up about domestic abuse incidents and subsequently, in 1989, Simpson pleaded no contest to related charges.