On June 13, 1994 at 12:10 a.m., Nicole Brown Simpson and her boyfriend, Ronald Goldman were brutally stabbed to death. The two bodies were found in the front courtyard of Brown’s Condominium in Brentwood, California. The primary suspect for this horrendous crime was Brown’s recent ex-husband and former football player, broadcaster and actor Orenthal James (OJ) Simpson. It has been twenty two years since the trials surrounding Simpson, but it is still an incredibly hot topic.
Brown and Simpson were married for seven years and had two children together. In 1992, Brown filed for divorce due to “irreconcilable differences.” A year or so later, the pair tried to make things work again and dated for most of 1994. However, they both knew it was not working and ended their relationship for good in May. About three weeks later, Brown and her new boyfriend were found dead.
After the murders, a close friend of Simpson’s, attorney Robert Kardashian, received a letter from Simpson that appeared to be a suicide note. Word of this resulted in a high speed police chase in an effort to stop Simpson from any attempt at taking his life. Moreover, the whole chase was broadcasted live for the whole country to watch.
Simpson was eventually caught and a trial began in November 1994 that lasted until October of the following year. Simpson plead “absolutely 100% not guilty” and hired one of the best defense teams available to prove it. A glove was found on the crime scene, soaked in both the victim’s blood and Simpson’s. Simpson’s defense team had the defendant try the glove on. Surprisingly, the glove did not fit his hand. Since the glove was too small for Simpson, a key piece of evidence was now useless, causing the trial to be delayed due to lack of evidence. The phrase, “If the glove does not fit, one must acquit” became popular in the aftermath of the trial.
There is much speculation about the results of the case. The witnesses called to the stand all seemed to have good reason to believe that Simpson was guilty, and there was really no other possible suspect. However, because there was not enough physical evidence against him, the trial was postponed. No new evidence of significance was ever really found, and eventually, the trial was put to rest.
OJ Simpson was a star. When the allegations first came out, America was in shock. The fact that somebody so beloved, so seemingly good natured, was being accused of something so evil was baffling to everyone. Nobody wanted to believe that it could be true.
The OJ Simpson Trial was considered by many to be the trial of the century. It continues to be referenced even today. American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson is a new television series created to re-tell this infamous case. In addition, a documentary on the trial is scheduled to debut during the upcoming summer. Simpson’s trial had the whole country on the edge of their seats, and even today, people are still fascinated with the case and the many mysteries still unsolved within it.
Simpson’s case has become a cultural phenomenon, and it is still unclear whether or not Simpson committed the crime. While many swear that Simpson was guilty, there is now no real way to prove it.
