The OJ Simpson Trial: 27 Years On

 by Miles Davidson

27 years ago, former NFL athlete Orenthal James Simpson was acquitted of the two murders charged against his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The shocking events prior to his arrest, characterised by the ‘Bronco Chase’ by law enforcement agents (in which OJ threatened suicide if he was not allowed to visit his family home), led to widespread media coverage and interest from the general population surrounding the case. Coined the ‘Trial of the Century’ due to its popularity, all-star lineup of some of arguably the best defence team seen in court and due to OJ’s popularity as a media figure, the trial revealed the absolute worst within the American justice system and demonstrated how the judicial system within the United States of America could be manipulated beyond a just manner to acquit a guilty man of multiple murders.

Attention surrounding the case had clearly begun on the night of the murders, especially once it had been deduced that the female victim was the wife of famous running back OJ ‘Juice’ Simpson who had become a media personality and popular celebrity throughout his career as a player and commentator. Simpson, as a result of previous domestic assault charges on Nicole Simpson, was recommended to be the prime suspect for the murders and was subsequently charged with two counts of first degree murders. Following this, the infamous ‘Bronco Chase’ occurred, whereby Simpson fled slowly in a Ford Bronco, whilst being filmed by numerous media outlets and subsequently having this oddly slow-paced suicidal car chase broadcast across the globe. After being called by many of his former coaches and close friends, Simpson was persuaded not to commit suicide. After Simpson demanded that he talk to his mother before surrendering, the chase ended when he pulled into his house’ driveway and exited the vehicle. Within the car was $8000 in cash, a revolver, passport, family photo and a makeshift disguise set. Despite these items being a near-certain admission of guilt to the murders, Judge Marcia Clark ruled that the evidence was not allowed to be used since its popularity being viewed internationally was ruled as compromising the case. A grand jury was brought together to decide whether or not to charge Simpson but was halted due to the decision that excessive media coverage was affecting the impartiality of the jury. The state therefore decided that there was sufficient evidence to charge Simpson themselves, and so continued the trial.

The evidence, particularly in the form of the newly developed DNA trace collection technology, was absolutely in favour of the prosecution and therefore a majority of the prosecution were of the mindset that Simpson could not be defended. However, with an all-star lineup of defendant lawyers such as F. Lee Bailey, Alan Dershowitz, Robert Kardashian and Robert Shapiro representing Simpson, these initial thoughts would be challenged and fought fiercely throughout the entire trial. With the recent uncovering of numerous cases affected by racially motivated LAPD officers, many within the jury and the public felt as if this case could be another one which may be affected by racial prejudice. As a result, the defence argued on numerous occasions that evidence had been artificially placed or manufactured to create a method to convict Simpson. This resulted in a split in public opinion, however the jury held the opinion that the case had been affected by these biases from the police department, and therefore led to the acquittal of Simpson from the murder charges.

The case truly showed just how impactful the social and political climate can be within popular court cases within the United States of America. Furthermore, it highlighted the importance of proper jury composition since it has been widely agreed that the jury of the case had been impacted by the vast levels of media coverage that occurred around the time of the case. Overall, it led to the walking free of a guilty man who still continues to live within the American society, and showed that no matter how guilty one seems, there is no shortage of avenues to explore to acquit those deemed guilty.