Term Paper on "OJ Simpson"

Term Paper 4 pages (1111 words) Sources: 12 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

O.J. Simpson: The Case that Intrigued America

On June 13th 1994, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers arrived at Nicole Simpson's home to find her sprawled face down in a lake of blood (BBC, 1995). To her right lay the blood-soaked body of a man, who was later identified as Ron Goldman, her close friend. The most logical suspect was Nicole's abusive ex-husband, Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson.

O.J. Simpson married Nicole in 1985. Sources close to the couple say that he was jealous and violent, and that his domestic violence led to their divorce in 1992. When Nicole was killed, evidence led police straight to Simpson. His reaction convinced many that he was guilty -- he tried to escape the police by speeding off in a Ford Bronco, threatening to kill himself. When he gave himself up, many believed his days of freedom were over. However, this was not the case. He was acquitted in 1995 in the brutal stabbing murders.

Summary (The O.J. Simpson murder trial is perhaps the most publicized case in U.S. history BBC, 1995). It was the longest trial in the history of California, costing over $20 million to fight and defend. The case had more media coverage and aroused more excitement than any other criminal trial since the Lindbergh kidnapping-murder case in New Jersey in the 1930s, even topping the infamous Manson Family trial of the early 1970s. The media influence was so strong that one poll showed 74% of Americans could identify Kato Kaelin, a key witness, but only 25% knew who the current Vice President of the United States was.

Simpson's trial lasted nearly nine months, involved 120 witnesses, 45,000 pages of evidence, and 1,100 exhibits (CNN, 1994). However, the jury took less than four hours to reach the verdicts.

Simpson was the prime suspect in the murders (BBC, 1995). The prosecution seemed to have a strong case at first, as Simpson had a clear motive, an opportunity and no alibi. He had a history of physically abusing and harassing Nicole and had made violent threats against her. The prosecution proved that he had recently bought a knife similar in size and shape to what was believed to be the murder weapon. Finally, it was believed that Simpson dropped the bloody gloves, one at the crime scene and one at his home, and that he wore shoes the same size as those found at the crime scene.

The defense case was not nearly as strong (BBC, 1995). There were no witnesses to the crime and no actual murder weapon could be found. However, the defense argued that Simpson was framed by police officers and found numerous flaws in the police evidence. They argued that Simpson was as a black victim of a white judicial system, on trial simply because he was a black man and the victim was a white woman.

Since the deaths of O.J. Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were announced and the football hero has been charged with their murders, a question has lingered: Did Simpson's race play a role in the outcome of the murder case (Jet, 1994)?

Throughout the trial, the nation was involved in a public debate over whether a black man could be acquitted by a mostly white justice system, or whether a mostly black jury… READ MORE

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