Forensic Biology ť Articles ť Trials of the Century / Mock Trialť "Physical Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Trial"

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Articles ť Trials of the Century / Mock Trial

Physical Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Trial

Stella Yun Xu

On October 3rd, 1995, Orenthal James Simpson, former football star, was acquitted of double murder charges after a nine-month trial, intense media attention, and millions of dollars in legal expenses. OJ Simpson was accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in June of 1994. The jury deliberated for only three hours before reaching a verdict on October 2 1995.

Nicole Brown Simpson, 35, and Ronald Goldman, 25, were stabbed to death in front of Ms. Simpson's condominium in Los Angeles at approximately 10:15 PM on June 12, 1994. There were no eyewitnesses and murder weapon revealed. However, police did find several key pieces of evidence linking O.J. Simpson to the murders. Hair samples that matched Simpson's were found on Ronald Goldman's body at the crime scene. Bloody shoe prints found at Ms. Simpson's condominium were made by size 12 men shoes, the same size worn by O.J. Simpson. Blood from both victims was recovered from Simpson's Ford Bronco truck. Nicole Brown Simpson's blood was found on a pair of socks found in O.J. Simpson's bedroom. Drops of blood matching Simpson's were discovered at the murder site. A leather glove found near the bodies had both Simpson's and the victims' blood on it and a matching glove with bloodstains was found on the grounds of Simpson's estate.

When the trial began in January that year, it was evident that the prosecution had strong physical evidence from the crime scene to link OJ to the two murders. In addition, the prosecution team focused on OJ's history of domestic violence against Nicole Brown Simpson and numerous other women whom he had relationships with. The jury heard phone calls made to the emergency 911 number by Ms. Simpson in 1989 and 1993 during the fights with O.J. Simpson. Prosecution theorized that Ronald Goldman, who went to Nicole Brown Simpson's condominium to return a pair of eyeglasses was killed because he stumbled upon the murderer attacking Nicole.

O.J. Simpson's lawyers, known as the "dream team lawyers" centered their defense against the credibility of the Los Angeles Police department. The defense focused on Detective Mark Fuhrman, the police officer who had discovered the bloody glove on O.J. Simpson's estate. Varies pictures and conversations in which Fuhrman made racial remarks were played in the front of jury. Ultimately, Johnnie Cochran accused the detective of planting the bloody glove on Simpson's estate to frame OJ Simpson for the murders. In addition, the defense also claimed that the LAPD did sloppy work at the crime scene. In which evidence might have been contaminated.

Finally, near towards the end of the trial, OJ Simpson's lawyer, Cochran asked OJ to try on the gloves. In front of millions of American spectators and the jury, it was evident that the gloves did not fit the hands of OJ Simpson. On October 3, 1995, OJ Simpson was declared "not guilty" by the jury of the criminal court of the state of California.

1) Bugliosi, Vincent T. Outrage: The Five Reasons why O.J. Simpson Got Away with Murder. New York: Dell Publishing Company Incorporated. April 1997.

2) Crawford, William A.and Howey, David. My Search of the Real Killer: Not By O.J. Simpson. New York: Windfall Press. May 1997.

3) Lange, Tom. Evidence Dismissed: The Inside Story of the Police Investigation of O.J. Simpson. Santa Monica: Pocket Books. May 1999.

4) Schiller, Lawrence and Willworth, James. American Tragedy : The Uncensored Story of the Simpson Defense. New York: Morrow, William & Co. June 1997.