Remembering The Trial of the Century

October 3, 1995; one of the most intense moments in national television history, and the day that more than 95 million people tuned in to watch the verdict of the O.J. Simpson trial.

The trial was the most watched and followed murder case of the century, transforming social media and the perception of the legal system.

Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson was a former NFL star, actor and broadcaster that was tied on two counts of murder for his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and friend Ronald Goldman on June 12, 1994. Simpson was acquitted for the murders after 8 months of trial.

From the murders to the iconic white Bronco chase, O.J. Simpson’s life belonged to the media. He was no longer the NFL star that people loved and admired. He was “the murder case”, nothing more.

June 12, 1994 – Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, 35, and Ronald Lyle Goldman, 25, are stabbed to death.

June 13, 1994 – Simpson is questioned by the LAPD for three hours and released.

June 16, 1994 – Separate funerals are held for Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

June 17, 1994 – Simpson is charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances. He does not surrender and is declared a fugitive. A suicide letter is found shortly before Simpson is spotted riding in friend Al Cowlings’ white Ford Bronco. With Cowlings driving, they lead police on a 60-mile slow speed chase and end up at Simpson’s Brentwood mansion. At 8:51pm, Simpson surrenders to police at his home.

July 22, 1994 – Arraignment – pleads not guilty.

November 3, 1994 – The jury is selected and consists of eight black, one Hispanic, one white, two of mixed race. There are four men and eight women.

January 24, 1995 – His criminal trial begins.

May 4, 1995 – The Goldmans file a wrongful death suit against Simpson.

June 5, 1995 – In court, Simpson tries on the leather gloves connected to the case, and says they do not fit.

July 6, 1995 – The prosecution rests.

September 27, 1995 – Defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran reminds the jury about the glove, “If it doesn’t fit; you must acquit.”

September 29, 1995 – The defense rests, and the case goes to the jury to reach a verdict.

October 3, 1995 – The jury returns a not guilty verdict after less than four hours of deliberations in the criminal trial.

October 23, 1996 – Civil trial begins in a wrongful death suit brought against Simpson by the victims’ families. Jury is made up of nine whites, one Hispanic, one African American, and one person of mixed Asian and African descent.

November 22, 1996 – Simpson, for the first time, testifies before a jury and denies the murder of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman.

December 20, 1996 – Simpson is awarded custody of his children.

February 4, 1997 – The jury finds Simpson liable in the civil wrongful death suit brought by the victims’ families and awards the plaintiffs $8.5 million in damages.

February 6, 1997 – Testimony in the punitive phase of the civil trial begins.

February 10, 1997 – Simpson is ordered to pay $25 million in punitive damages to the victims’ families.

Controversy surrounding the evidence wasn’t the only issue that was raised during the ironic O.J. Simpson trial, racial tension also become a major aspect of the case causing viewers to ask one of the most noted questions “Is O.J. Simpson guilty?”

One may ask how the trial is significant today. Many believe the O.J. Simpson trial put emphasis on the legal system’s accusations involving the gathering of evidence. This not only changed how evidence is collected in everyday cases, but it also raised questions in the credibility of courtrooms.

What appears to be the most shocking aspect of the O.J. Simpson trial is even after 20 years people to this day still stand by their opinion on whether or not Simpson is guilty. One side sees him as a narcissistic abusive ex-husband that murdered his wife and Goldman while the other half believes Simpson was merely a grieving husband that was being wrongfully accused due to his status. Whatever the thought may be, Americans continue to debate over the well-known trial, letting O.J. Simpson’s legacy live on as the trial of the century.

A brief timeline provided by CNN shows the course of the trial from 1995-1997

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/12/us/o-j-simpson-fast-facts/

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/09/us/simpson-case-overview-simpson-o

rdered-stand-trial-slaying-ex-wife-friend.html?pagewanted=all

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/Simpsonaccount.htm