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| “ | I've done my time. I've done it as well and as respectfully as I think anyone can. | „ |
| ~ O.J. Simpson |
Orenthal James "O.J." Simpson (born July 9th, 1947) is an American former football running back, actor, media personality, convicted felon, and accused murderer charged for killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman on June 12, 1994. Despite significant forensic and circumstantial evidence against him, he was found not guilty at a trial the following year.[1]
He was a famous actor and football player who had been in the hall of fame and had awards as one of the best football running backs alive.
This was one of the most high-profile cases of murder in U.S. history. Aside from this, in 2008 Simpson was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping and sentenced to 33 years in prison with a chance of parole in nine years.[2] Although he was acquitted of double homicide, a 1996 civil trial found Simpson to be responsible for the murders and awarded the Brown and Goldman families $33.5 million in damages.[3] The majority of Americans believe Simpson committed the murders.[4]
Criminal history edit
Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman edit
On June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside Nicole's condo in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. OJ Simpson was married to her before her murder, and frequently abused her. As such, he quickly became the main suspect in the affair.
As expected from some officers, Simpson did not turn himself in, and on June 17 he became the object of an extremely famous low-speed pursuit in a white 1993 Ford Bronco SUV owned and driven by Al Cowlings. TV stations interrupted coverage of the 1994 NBA Finals to broadcast the incident live.
With an estimated audience of 95 million people, the event was described as “the most famous ride on American shores since Paul Revere's”. The pursuit, arrest, and trial were among the most widely publicized events in American history.
Simpson's trial edit
The trial, often characterized as the Trial of the Century because of its international publicity similar to that of Sacco and Vanzetti and the Lindbergh kidnapping, culminated after eleven months on October 3, 1995, when the jury rendered a verdict of "not guilty" for the two murders. An estimated one hundred millions people nationwide tuned in to watch or listen to the verdict announcement. Following Simpson's acquittal, no additional arrests or convictions related to the murders were made.
Reactions edit
The verdict was known for its division along racial lines: a poll of Los Angeles County residents showed that most African Americans there felt that justice had been served by the "not guilty" verdict, while the majority of whites and Latinos expressed an opinion that it had not.
O. J. Simpson's integrated defense counsel included Johnnie Cochran, Robert Kardashian, Robert Shapiro, and F. Lee Bailey. Marcia Clark was the lead prosecutor for the State of California.
According to a 2016 poll, 83% of white Americans and 57% of black Americans believe Simpson was guilty of the murders.
Las Vegas robbery edit
On the night of September 13, 2007, a group of men led by Simpson entered a room at the Palace Station hotel-casino and took sports memorabilia at gunpoint, which resulted in Simpson's being questioned by police.
Simpson admitted to taking the items, which he said had been stolen from him, but denied breaking into the hotel room; he also denied that he or anyone else carried a gun. He was released after questioning. Two days later, Simpson was arrested and initially held without bail.
Simpson's new trial edit
Along with three other men, Simpson was charged with multiple felony counts, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, robbery, and using a deadly weapon. Bail was set at $125,000, with stipulations that Simpson have no contact with the co-defendants and that he surrender his passport. Simpson did not enter a plea.
By the end of October 2007, all three of Simpson's co-defendants had plea-bargained with the prosecution in the Clark County, Nevada, court case. Walter Alexander and Charles H. Cashmore accepted plea agreements in exchange for reduced charges and their testimony against Simpson and three other co-defendants, including testimony that guns were used in the robbery. Co-defendant Michael McClinton told a Las Vegas judge that he too would plead guilty to reduced charges and testify against Simpson that guns were used in the robbery. After the hearings, the judge ordered that Simpson be tried for the robbery.
On November 8, 2007, Simpson had a preliminary hearing to decide whether he would be tried for the charges. He was held over for trial on all 12 counts. Simpson pleaded not guilty on November 29, and the trial was reset from April to September 8, 2008. Court officers and attorneys announced, on May 22, 2008, that long questionnaires with at least 115 queries would be given to a jury pool of 400 or more.
In January 2008, Simpson was taken into custody in Florida and flown to Las Vegas, where he was incarcerated at the county jail for violating the terms of his bail by attempting to contact Clarence "C. J." Stewart, a co-defendant in the trial. District Attorney David Roger of Clark County provided District Court Judge Jackie Glass with evidence that Simpson had violated his bail terms. A hearing took place on January 16, 2008. Glass raised Simpson's bail to US$250,000 and ordered that he remain in county jail until 15 percent was paid in cash. Simpson posted bond that evening and returned to Miami the next day.
Simpson and his co-defendant were found guilty of all charges on October 3, 2008. On October 10, 2008, Simpson's counsel moved for a new trial (trial de novo) on grounds of judicial errors and insufficient evidence. Simpson's attorney announced he would appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court if Judge Glass denied the motion. The attorney for Simpson's co-defendant, C. J. Stewart, petitioned for a new trial, alleging Stewart should have been tried separately and cited possible misconduct by the jury foreman.
Simpson faced a possible life sentence with parole on the kidnapping charge, and mandatory prison time for armed robbery. On December 5, 2008, Simpson was sentenced to a total of thirty-three years in prison, with the possibility of parole after nine years, in 2017. On September 4, 2009, the Nevada Supreme Court denied a request for bail during Simpson's appeal. In October 2010, the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed his convictions. He served his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center where his inmate ID number was #1027820.
A Nevada judge agreed on October 19, 2012, to “reopen the armed robbery and kidnapping case against O. J. Simpson to determine if the former football star was so badly represented by his lawyers that he should be freed from prison and get another trial”. A hearing was held beginning May 13, 2013, to determine if Simpson was entitled to a new trial. On November 27, 2013, Judge Linda Bell denied Simpson's bid for a new trial on the robbery conviction. In her ruling, Bell wrote that all of Simpson's contentions lacked merit.
Simpson's release edit
On July 31, 2013, the Nevada Parole Board granted Simpson parole on some convictions, but his imprisonment continued based on the weapons and assault convictions. The board considered Simpson's prior record of criminal convictions and good behavior in prison in coming to the decision. At his parole hearing on July 20, 2017, the board decided to grant Simpson parole. He was released on October 1, 2017, having served almost nine years.
Videos edit
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Nicole Oj's Ex-Wife and her Friend Ron Goldman
References edit
- ↑ 1995: OJ Simpson verdict: 'Not guilty', BBC News
- ↑ Simpson Sentenced to at Least 9 Years in Prison, The New York Times
- ↑ Jury unanimous: Simpson is liable, CNN
- ↑ Two decades later, black and white Americans finally agree on O.J. Simpson's guilt, The Washington Post