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Trial and Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Case

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What are the details and implications of the O.J Simpson trial? What are the details of the defense and prosecution, and what were the multiple forms of evidence presented?

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The elements in the trial of Orenthal James (OJ) Simpson are as follows:

OJ was a famous football player and his trail has been brandished the crime of the century largely owing to his celebrity status.

He met his second wife, Nicole Brown, when she was 17. They married in 1985 and there was some degree of violence interspersing their relationship throughout. In 1989, Simpson was convicted of spousal abuse for beating her. In 1992 she divorced him, and in 1994 she was knifed to death along with her friend, Ron Goldman. Simpson was charged with their murders. On June 17, after failing to turn himself in, he became the object of a low-speed pursuit in a white Ford Bronco SUV. The pursuit, arrest, and trial were among the most widely publicized events in American history. The trial began on October 3, 1995 in a jury verdict of not guilty for the two murders. The verdict was seen live on TV by more than half of the U.S. population, one of the most watched events in American TV history. Reaction to the verdict was notable for its division along racial lines: polls showed that most African-Americans felt that justice had been served by the "not guilty" verdict, while most white Americans did not.

In a subsequent civil trial, where standards of proof are lower, Simpson was found liable for the deaths of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman. He was ordered to pay damages totalling more than $33,000,000.

So, did O.J. Simpson get away with murder? In 2000, a BBC investigation suggested that in their rush to prove Simpson's guilt, police neglected a more likely suspect - Simpson's son by his first marriage, Jason (24 at the time of the killings). Jason had a history of violence; a professional chef who'd previously brandished knives when enraged. At the time, Jason was taking medicine to combat his anger issues, and his alibi for the night in question claiming he was at work was challenged by co-workers. Also, Nicole had said she thought Jason Simpson was stalking her.

Evidence Beyond Reasonable Doubt?

To many, particularly in minority communities, the trial of OJ became not so much a determination of his guilt or ...

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