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Attorney Christopher Darden.
Simpson, meanwhile, hired a team
of high-profile lawyers including
F. Lee Bailey, Robert Kardashian,
Robert Shapiro, Alan Dershowitz,
Johnnie Cochran Jr, and Barry
Scheck. Dubbed the “Dream Team”,
they cost Simpson between $3 and
$6 million (£2.7–5.5 million).Controversial trial
The trial began on 24 January 1995,
and lasted 134 days; viewers
watched live via a closed-circuit
camera in the courtroom. The case
turned the detectives, lawyers, and
even Judge Lance Ito into
celebrities; the proceedings were
dubbed the “Trial of the Century”.
Part of the fascination stemmed
from a deep societal divide over
whether or not Simpson was guilty.
While 77 per cent of white people
polled believed that he had done it,
the African American community
thought otherwise: 72 per cent
believed he should be acquitted.
The defence argued that Simpson
had been set up by racially biased
cops, then took another shot at theO.J. SIMPSON
LAPD, claiming that the DNA
evidence had been contaminated
due to sloppy police work.
One officer admitted that he had
taken home Simpson’s shoes and
left them unattended in his boot for
at least six hours, breaking the
chain of custody. Furthermore, the
forensics team was found to have
mishandled the blood samples –
one vial was carried around in a
jacket for hours before it was takento the lab, and some of Simpson’s
blood was purportedly spilled by
technicians in the very lab where
they tested the evidence samples.
Detective Fuhrman also came
under scrutiny. During cross-
examination, F. Lee Bailey pressed
Fuhrman, who had found the
second glove, about his history of
racist rhetoric. Fuhrman denied it,
but audiotapes were discovered of
him repeatedly using racial slurs.
The tapes became a cornerstone
of the defence argument that the
detective’s testimony lacked
credibility. Charged with perjury,
Fuhrman invoked his right to
remain silent when asked if he had
planted evidence.
On 15 June 1995, defence lawyer
Cochran goaded Darden into
asking Simpson to put on the
leather glove. The glove appeared
too tight for Simpson’s hand. In his
closing arguments, Cochran used
the glove demonstration to quip,
“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”Maintaining a chain of custody
When evidence is collected at a
crime scene, it must be handled
in a scrupulously careful manner
to prevent contamination and to
prove it has not been tampered
with. To preserve the integrity
of evidence and ensure it can be
used in court, law enforcement
establishes a chain of custody- chronological documentation
showing its seizure, control,
transfer, and analysis.
Recording a chain of custody
establishes that evidence is
connected to the crime, instead
of from another source, or
planted in an attempt to frame
an innocent party. To maintain
the chain of custody, each item
of evidence must be labelled
with the initials of everyone
who handles it. Prosecutors use
chain of custody documentation
to prove that evidence has not
been tampered with, and that
it was discovered at the scene
of the crime. If there are any
discrepancies, or if a chain of
custody is broken, evidence can
be declared inadmissible.O.J. Simpson in court beside one of
his lawyers, Johnnie Cochran Jr.
Cochran was criticized by Deputy DA
Christopher Darden for emphasizing
possible racial discrimination at play.246-251_OJ_Simpson.indd 250 13/12/2016 10:09
251
The events of 12 June 1994 were laid
out for the jury with the testimony of
several key witnesses, including
Simpson’s house guest and his driver.The jury was quick to make their
decision. After only four hours of
deliberation, they voted to acquit
O.J. Simpson – to the shock of the
nation. Critics attributed the jury's
decision to its racial make-up. Jury
members themselves cited LAPD
incompetence and an unconvincing
case by the prosecution.Civil punishment
In 1997, Ron Goldman’s parents
sued Simpson in civil court for
wrongful death. Nicole’s father also
filed a suit. A civil suit could not
land Simpson any prison time, but
it could make him pay a price. He
lost badly in the civil suit, and was
ordered to pay $33.5 million (£22
million) to the victims’ families.
In 2007, Simpson once more
found himself in legal trouble.
On 13 September, he and his
friends threatened a memorabilia
dealer at gunpoint in a Las Vegas
hotel room, demanding the return
of items that Simpson believed
had been stolen from him. On
3 October 2008 – 13 years to the
day after he was acquitted of
murder – O.J. Simpson was
sentenced to 33 years in prison,
on 10 felony counts. Many believe
this sentence was a way to bring
him, at last, to justice. ■MURDER CASES
Not only did we play the race
card, we dealt it from the
bottom of the deck.
Robert Shapiro13 June 12:10am The dead bodies of
Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman
are found outside her townhouse.6:30pm Nicole Brown Simpson
has dinner at Mezzaluna with her
mother and children.9:35pm Nicole's mother calls
Mezzaluna to say that she left
her glasses behind. Ronald
Goldman agrees to drop them
off with Nicole.9:50pm Goldman
leaves the restaurant
and takes the glasses
to Nicole’s house.10:15pm
Simpson’s
neighbour
Pablo Fenjves
hears someone
crying out and
the barking of
a dog.10:25pm Limousine driver
Allan Park arrives at Simpson’s
10:40pm A guest at home to take him to the airport.
Simpson’s house, Kato
Kaelin, hears three loud
thumps against the wall
of his room.10:40–10:50pm
Park repeatedly
buzzes the intercom
but there is no
response. Around
10:58pm, Park sees
a large black man
walking across the
driveway towards
About 11pmintercom and O.J. Simpson answers. Park buzzes the the house.He says he has overslept.11–11:15pm Simpson puts his
bags in the limousine and
leaves for Los Angeles Airport.11:45pm
Simpson departs on
a flight to Chicago.246-251_OJ_Simpson.indd 251 13/01/2017 15:19