OJ Simpson's Trial Analysis

The trial of the century, is what it is known as. When Americans gathered around their televisions to see if O.J. Simpson will be convicted of the murders of his ex wife and her friend. This event has changed the way many think about other races, and the United States court systems. Although O.J. was known to many as an idol or just another athlete/actor he still changed the way we treat other races due to what has happened in the past, and changed the media to how it is today.

The jury really didn’t seem to remember the most important piece of information which was that the defendant’s blood was actually found at the crime scene. Bugliosi said “From the moment O.J. Simpson became a suspect in this double murder case, it was in the air, perhaps as in no other case within

On May 4th, 1994, the Goldman family sues O.J. A lot of Simpson’s personal items, such as his trophies and cars were seized. On November 6th 1996, the jury was composed of nine Whites, one Black, one Hispanic, and an Asian. A photographer claims to have taken a picture of Simpson in 1993 wearing Bruno Magli shoes, which were the same ones that were worn by the killer of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman. O.J completely denied the picture; which led the photographer to release to the jury over 30 pictures of Simpson in the shoes. Also, on November 11th, pathologists thought that the scars and scratches on O.J’s hands may have been caused by the victim’s finger nails when trying to resist being stabbed to death. However, Simpson claimed that he might have gotten the cuts and scars on his wrists by “rassling” with his son. (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/index/nns171.htm)

The O.J. Simpson murder case is a fascinating murder case due to the popularity of the defendant and the circumstances surrounding it. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss the victims and the evidence stacked up against O.J. Simpson. I will also discuss the pivotal points in the trial and the verdict.

"You never know someone until you've seen them behind closed doors". Orenthal O.J. Simpson lived a rough life growing but, instead of that taking over his life he decided to make a change by becoming a football hall of fame, actress/tv star and later being turned to a serial killer. Was the killing done out of love or spight? Or did he even do it?

Former NFL Star, Heisman trophy winner, Orenthal James Simpson, better known as O.J. Simpson, has a lengthy history of encounters with law enforcement. He was incarcerated when he was fifteen for gang related fighting (“O.J. Simpson” Contemporary). In 1989 he pleaded no contest to beating and threatening to kill Nicole Brown, his wife at the time, and faced minimal consequences (Mydens). In 1995, after a yearlong criminal trial, he was acquitted of the murder of Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, and later found liable for the murders in a civil case in 1997. His final account with the law, that defined his destiny, was in 2007 when he was arrested in Las Vegas on ten felony charges. The final case went to trial in 2008, when he was

noticed some images that really stuck out to me, but one that stuck out to me the most was the

The next process in the Justice system, a Grand Jury indictment, was interrupted. OJ Simpson hired a top notch team of defense and appellate lawyers to defend him in this case and they were able to get the Grand Jury dismissed from this case due to the massive media coverage. They claimed that the jury was prejudiced toward the defendant because of the readily available information about the case. In lieu of the Grand Jury trial a probable cause hearing was conducted. With that, the judge in this hearing felt that enough evidence did exist for a criminal trial and OJ Simpson was arraigned on July 29th 1994. At his arraignment OJ pleaded not guilty, specifically stating that he was “one hundred percent not guilty”.

The O.J. Simpson trial was an unprecedented media sensation in the United States. It was also big news in many other parts of the world. Here is a sampling of international reaction to the verdict. In Britain, where the Simpson case has been closely followed by the news media, news broadcasts were extended to allow live coverage of the verdict. "I think a lot of people have looked at American society through the prism of the O.J. Simpson case, seen the racial divisions, seen the issues of access to the judicial system been helped by extreme wealth, and perhaps conclusions have been drawn about the American social system," said ITN Deputy Editor Michael Jermey. Drinkers in a London bar watched the verdict live and passed their own verdict on U.S. justice. "It should have been done like a normal trial," said one patron. "It shouldn 't have been televised either, made a big drama out if it. It 's like watching a soap." "I think

This documentary was a collection of many primary sources, mainly news footage, from June 17, 1994, that showed how various events unfolded as most of the public at the time would have seen them happening. This day was already a big day for sporting events: the NY Rangers won the Stanly Cup, the soccer World Cup was kicked off, the Nicks eventually win the NBA finals, golfer Arnold Palmer plays his last U.S. Open, and in baseball an attempt is made to break the record for home runs. However, as notable as all those events are, they were eclipsed by OJ Simpson’s thrilling attempt to evade police after his ex-wife’s murder, even the sports reporters covering their respective events were talking about it.

Many authors had agreements and disagreements about the media 's role. Authors such as Mary Melton in “How High-Speed Car Chases Became a Citywide Pastime in Los Angeles” makes an interesting case by arguing that over 5000 car chases happen in California and that the media over reacted on this one because it was a famous athlete. Authors such as Richard L. Fox, Robert W. Van Sickel, and Thomas L. Steige in “Tabloid Justice: Criminal Justice in an Age of Media Frenzy”, argue that the trial was literally the trial of the century. Derek H. Alderman argues in “TV News Hyper-Coverage and the Representation of Place: Observations on the O. J. Simpson Case” that the media spent a enormous amount of time covering the trial. My argument agrees with there’s and is that they spent a lot of time on the trial and use strategic

Dershowitz explains that two very different Simpson trials were carried out: the trial before the jury and the trial before the public (Dershowitz 140). Dershowitz also supplies the strong assertion that television coverage of a trial brings “greater accuracy, less bias, and more direct observation of the trial” (Dershowitz 147).

As discussed throughout the review, when the media does not do their due diligence in finding only the truth, confusion can ensue and the facts then become hard to tell from fiction. Public opinion can be swayed by false claims, therefore the presumption of guilt is often likely, a trial by media is a lose, lose for all parties

In the O. J. Simpson Murder Trial, because it was the most publicized case I had never seen. People were talking about this case everywhere: on every television channel, in the newspapers, you heard people talking about it on the streets, in supermarkets, school and even in church. Everyone was glue to the television trying to find out what happens next. In a criminal case, the government brings charges and prosecutes an individual who has broken the law. For a defendant to be found guilty the prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this person committed the crime. And if convicted the individual may be sentence to jail or prison time and/or ordered to pay a fine.

The OJ Simpson murder case, known as The People of the State of California vs Orenthal James Simpson, is one of the most notorious, publicized criminal trials in the history of America. The case took place in the Supreme Court of Los Angeles, California. It started on November 2, 1994 and ended on October 3, 1995, the day the verdict was made. The decision was followed by the brutal murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and one of her friends, apparently her waiter that night, Ron Goldman on June 12, 1994. OJ Simpson took the stand facing two counts of murder. Simpson and Brown had divorced in 1992, and they had two children, Justin and Sydney. OJ had tried to reconcile with his wife numerous times with no success. Evidence collected at the crime of the scene made police as well as detectives make their key suspect OJ Simpson. Nicole was stabbed numerous times in the neck region as well as the head, and had wounds on her hand as well.