O.J. Simpson Murder Trial

On the night of June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson (age 35) and her friend Ronald Goldman (age 25) were found stabbed to death outside Nicole's condominium at 875 South Bundy Drive in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Nicole's ex-husband, former NFL football star O.J. Simpson, immediately became the prime suspect. The ensuing investigation, trial, and verdict became one of the most-watched media events in American history — known as the "Trial of the Century." [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/us/o-j-simpson-trial-fast-facts/index.html)

O.J. Simpson — Orenthal James Simpson — was born on July 9, 1947, in San Francisco. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 and had a celebrated career with the Buffalo Bills. After retiring from football, he became an actor and broadcaster. He and Nicole Brown married in 1985, had two children, and divorced in 1992 after a relationship marked by documented incidents of domestic violence.

On June 17, 1994, instead of surrendering to police as arranged, Simpson fled in a white Ford Bronco driven by his friend Al Cowlings. An estimated 95 million Americans watched live television coverage of the slow-speed chase along Los Angeles freeways before Simpson returned to his Brentwood estate and was arrested. [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/02/the-complete-oj-simpson-story-explained/)

Prosecutors built their case on extensive physical evidence: blood matching Simpson's DNA found at the crime scene and on his Bronco, a left-hand glove found near the bodies matching a glove found at Simpson's estate, and testimony about prior domestic abuse. The defense — led by Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, and F. Lee Bailey — argued that evidence had been contaminated or planted by racist Los Angeles police. [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/01/oj-simpson-trial-20-years-on)

The trial became a national reckoning on race, celebrity, and the American justice system. A predominantly Black jury in a city still raw from the 1992 Rodney King verdict watched as the defense systematically challenged the integrity of the LAPD and its evidence-collection procedures. On October 3, 1995, after just four hours of deliberation, the jury returned a not guilty verdict. National polls showed sharply divided reactions along racial lines. [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2016/06/14/481718254/how-the-o-j-simpson-trial-changed-america)

Simpson was arraigned on July 22, 1994, entering a plea of not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. The trial began on January 24, 1995, in Los Angeles Superior Court before Judge Lance Ito. The prosecution team was led by Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden.

Key moments in the trial included the June 15, 1995 demonstration in which Simpson tried on the bloody glove found near the bodies. It appeared not to fit — a moment Johnnie Cochran immortalized with the phrase "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." DNA evidence was contested by defense experts who pointed to chain-of-custody problems and alleged misconduct by LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman, whose taped use of racial slurs severely undermined his credibility. [BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34432862)

On October 3, 1995, the jury of nine Black jurors, two white jurors, and one Hispanic juror acquitted Simpson of both murder counts after deliberating for less than four hours — one of the fastest verdicts in a major murder case of that era. [AP News](https://apnews.com/article/oj-simpson-acquitted-murder-1995-verdict)

In a subsequent civil trial in February 1997, a predominantly white jury found Simpson liable for the deaths and awarded the families $33.5 million in damages.

In 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas for armed robbery and kidnapping. He was convicted in 2008 and sentenced to 33 years in prison. He was granted parole in 2017 and released from prison. O.J. Simpson died on April 10, 2024. [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/us/o-j-simpson-trial-fast-facts/index.html)