Oj Simpson Research Paper
The O.J Simpson Case
On June 12, 1994 the Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered. The location was Nicole Brown Simpsons condominium on Bundy Drive Los Angeles, California. It is believed the murders occurred sometime after ten PM. Around midnight Nicole’s dog started howling and attracted the attention of a neighbor. The neighbor discovered the bodies of Nicole and Ronald. Ronald Goldman was found with multiple stab wounds including a stab wound in the back of his neck. Nicole was found with a stab wound to the back of the neck similar to Ronald’s. Nicole had her throat slit and that was the wound that ended her life. The police questioned O.J on his whereabouts during the murders. The police noticed a suspicious gash on his hand. At first he claimed …show more content…
he didn’t remember how he got it, then when asked again he stated that his hand was cut when he reached into his Bronco. Eventually, he claimed he broke a glass when he found out Nicole had been murdered. His changing story lead police to have a suspicion that he was the culprit of the murders. O.J Simpson went to trial and was eventually found to be “Not Guilty”. About 91% of jurors voted Simpson not guilty. One may say that the verdict was not guilty due to racial attitudes. The result of this verdict was a relief to some Americans and a nightmare to others.
The testimonial and physical evidence in O.J Simpson’s case where very influential. The physical evidence in the crime scene included hair, fibers, one glove, blood, and shoe prints. The hairs and fibers were found on a cap in the crime scene. The hairs showed similarities to O.J’s but did not contain a follicle so therefore no DNA. The fibers were similar to the carpeting in the Ford Bronco, a fiber was found on the body of Ronald Goldman. The prosecution claims this evidence puts O.J at the crime scene, but the defense claims that since there is no DNA on the hair it could be any black males and also the fiber found on Goldman’s body has been compromised due to the fact that there was a blanket on the body before the fiber was collected. The blood found at the crime scene was scattered around the bodies and back gate of Nicole’s condo. The blood could not be DNA tested because of tampering and contamination so there was no way to prove it was O.J Simpson’s blood. The prosecution said this placed O.J at the crime scene and it was his blood from the cut made on his finger. The police say the day after the murders and O.J did not have a solid story on how he got the cut. The defense argued that the blood was planted on the crime scene and the contamination was due to tampering with the blood (placing on crime scene). The bloody shoe prints found at the crime scene were size 12 Bruno Magli Italian made shoes. The bloody shoe prints were found leading away from Brown 's home and continued past the rear gate and into the driveway. One dark, cashmere-lined Aris Light leather glove, size extra large, was found at the murder scene.
In O.J Simpsons home they found a pair of socks, a small spot of blood on his Ford Bronco as well as the single bloody glove. One dark, cashmere-lined Aris Light leather glove, size extra large, was found at O.J’s home the exact match to the glove at the crime scene on Bundy Drive. This glove becomes very influential in the O.J Simpson case. The glove found at O.J Simpsons home was soaked in the blood of Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. “Simpson tried on bloody gloves and held up his hands in front of the jury box to let everyone see the leather bunched up around his broad palms and that they wouldn 't fit. That demonstration became a powerful symbol for the defense, summed up by Cochran: "If it doesn 't fit, you must acquit."” ("L.A. NOW." Defense Lawyer Rebuts Charge That Simpson 's 'bloody Glove ' was tampered with. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.). Pair of dark, crumpled socks found at the foot of Simpson 's bed. The blood on the socks tested to be Nicole Brown Simpsons. The defense argued that the socks were plated with Nicole’s blood on them.
The first group of witnesses included relatives and friends of Nicole, friends of O. J., and a 9-1-1 dispatcher, all produced to demonstrate Simpson 's motive and his history of domestic abuse. Nicole’s sister shared a story when O.J got violent with Nicole, throwing her against a wall. Another witness, Ron Shipp testified that O.J has told him he has dreams of killing Nicole. Lastly a 9-1-1 dispatcher shared a tape recording of Nicole being assaulted by O.J.
Detective Mark Fuhrman became a target in the defense due to the fact he has said racial slurs in the past ten years discriminating black individuals. Recordings were found held by journalist Laura Hart McKinney. On these recordings Fuhrman made many inflammatory comments towards black people. Detective told jurors under oath that he has not said any derogatory comments toward black people in the past ten years. Cochran (O.J’s defense) said, "You are empowered to say this is wrong. Stop this cover-up! Stop this cover-up!” As a result of Fuhrman’s testimony the jurors were lenient on trusting the police and detectives, prosecutors were at a major set. This was a turning point for the defense.
Because the jury was sequestered they did not see the public response. The trial was in all of the newspapers, magazines and TV shows. The jury could not watch TV or read anything unless it was pre-approved.
Errors occurred in the Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman crime scene. The first of many was using a blanket to cover Nicole’s body from paparazzi. This could of caused transfer of trace evidence on the blanket and vise versa. Also blood samples from the crime scene were taken the day after the murders happened on June 13th 1994. However three bloodstains on the gate of Nicole’s condo were not collected until three weeks later on July 3th 1994. The prosecution claimed that these samples were missed during the initial crime scene investigation. The socks found at O.J’s home were originally documented with no blood on them. Months later a bloodstain appeared on the socks. The bloodstain was on both sides of the sock, but if a person were wearing them the foot would block the blood from going to the other side of the sock. The Ford Bronco was not kept secure during the investigation and two unauthorized people went into the car when it was in police possession destroying the integrity of the Bronco. The handling of forensic evidence was questionable. Collin Yamauchi spilled O.J Simpson’s blood sample. This could of caused the transfer of Simpson’s blood to other evidence.
After less then four-hours deliberation the jury made a decision. They announced their verdict on October 3rd 1995 that O.J Simpson was not guilty. On October 23rd 1996 the civil trial began. Unlike the past trial this went untelevised. On February 4th, 1997, the jury awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages to Fred Goldman and his ex-wife Sharon Rufo for the loss of their son. The jury announced that $25 million would be shared between Nicole’s children and Fred Goldman. The trial went on for four months and the jury deliberated for six days opposed to the short four-hour decisions in the past case.
In September of 2007 Simpson was arrested. O.J stole sports memorabilia at gunpoint from a hotel-casino in Las Vegas along with three other men. Simpson was charged with multiple felony counts, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, robbery, and using a deadly weapon. Simpson’s bail was held at $125,000. O.J is currently being held at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada, Missouri serving his time on his armed robbery and atempted kidnapping case. In nine years O.J is eligible for parole.
The O.J Simpson case is possibly the most controversial case in the history of the American justice system. O.J Simpson was put on trial for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The O.J Simpson case caused a racial divide in the nation. Statistics show that most African Americans believed he was innocent and white individuals believed he was guilty. “Opinion polls revealed overwhelming sympathy for Simpson among blacks in the days immediately after his dramatic arrest last June, and anyone familiar with African-American history would understand that reaction.” (Shipp, E. R. (1994). OJ and the black media. Columbia Journalism Review, 33(4), 39). Many African Americans believe white Americans have suppressed them since slavery. The police actions towards O.J triggered their anger. African Americans defended O.J throughout his trial no matter what evidence was presented. A majority of the jury was black females with bad experiences with the police and I believe that greatly influenced the verdict.
Bibliography
"Forensic Biology » Articles » DNA Profiling » "The Blood and DNA Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Trial"" Forensic Biology » Articles » DNA Profiling » "The Blood and DNA Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Trial" N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
"Forensics at the OJ Simpson Trial." Crime Library: Forensics at the O.J. Simpson Trial. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
"Jury Decides Simpson Must Pay $25 Million in Punitive Award." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 10 Feb. 1997. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
"L.A. NOW." Defense Lawyer Rebuts Charge That Simpson 's 'bloody Glove ' was tampered with. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
Linder, Doug. "The Trial of O. J. Simpson." The Trial of O. J. Simpson. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
"List of the Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Double-murder Trial:." List of the Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Double-murder Trial:. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
"OJ Simpson Murder Trial Animation - Check Description for HD." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
"PROVING THE CASE: DNA EVIDENCE IN THE OJ SIMPSON CASE." PROVING THE CASE: DNA EVIDENCE IN THE OJ SIMPSON CASE. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
Stewart, J. B. (1995). Race, science, and "just-us": Understanding jurors ' reasonable doubt in the OJ simpson trial. The Black Scholar, 25(4), 43. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.liucat.lib.liu.edu/docview/229758638?accountid=12142Shipp, E. R. (1994). OJ and the black media. Columbia Journalism Review, 33(4), 39. Retrieved from
http://0-search.proquest.com.liucat.lib.liu.edu/docview/230341739?accountid=12142
On June 12, 1994 the Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered. The location was Nicole Brown Simpsons condominium on Bundy Drive Los Angeles, California. It is believed the murders occurred sometime after ten PM. Around midnight Nicole’s dog started howling and attracted the attention of a neighbor. The neighbor discovered the bodies of Nicole and Ronald. Ronald Goldman was found with multiple stab wounds including a stab wound in the back of his neck. Nicole was found with a stab wound to the back of the neck similar to Ronald’s. Nicole had her throat slit and that was the wound that ended her life. The police questioned O.J on his whereabouts during the murders. The police noticed a suspicious gash on his hand. At first he claimed …show more content…
he didn’t remember how he got it, then when asked again he stated that his hand was cut when he reached into his Bronco. Eventually, he claimed he broke a glass when he found out Nicole had been murdered. His changing story lead police to have a suspicion that he was the culprit of the murders. O.J Simpson went to trial and was eventually found to be “Not Guilty”. About 91% of jurors voted Simpson not guilty. One may say that the verdict was not guilty due to racial attitudes. The result of this verdict was a relief to some Americans and a nightmare to others.
The testimonial and physical evidence in O.J Simpson’s case where very influential. The physical evidence in the crime scene included hair, fibers, one glove, blood, and shoe prints. The hairs and fibers were found on a cap in the crime scene. The hairs showed similarities to O.J’s but did not contain a follicle so therefore no DNA. The fibers were similar to the carpeting in the Ford Bronco, a fiber was found on the body of Ronald Goldman. The prosecution claims this evidence puts O.J at the crime scene, but the defense claims that since there is no DNA on the hair it could be any black males and also the fiber found on Goldman’s body has been compromised due to the fact that there was a blanket on the body before the fiber was collected. The blood found at the crime scene was scattered around the bodies and back gate of Nicole’s condo. The blood could not be DNA tested because of tampering and contamination so there was no way to prove it was O.J Simpson’s blood. The prosecution said this placed O.J at the crime scene and it was his blood from the cut made on his finger. The police say the day after the murders and O.J did not have a solid story on how he got the cut. The defense argued that the blood was planted on the crime scene and the contamination was due to tampering with the blood (placing on crime scene). The bloody shoe prints found at the crime scene were size 12 Bruno Magli Italian made shoes. The bloody shoe prints were found leading away from Brown 's home and continued past the rear gate and into the driveway. One dark, cashmere-lined Aris Light leather glove, size extra large, was found at the murder scene.
In O.J Simpsons home they found a pair of socks, a small spot of blood on his Ford Bronco as well as the single bloody glove. One dark, cashmere-lined Aris Light leather glove, size extra large, was found at O.J’s home the exact match to the glove at the crime scene on Bundy Drive. This glove becomes very influential in the O.J Simpson case. The glove found at O.J Simpsons home was soaked in the blood of Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. “Simpson tried on bloody gloves and held up his hands in front of the jury box to let everyone see the leather bunched up around his broad palms and that they wouldn 't fit. That demonstration became a powerful symbol for the defense, summed up by Cochran: "If it doesn 't fit, you must acquit."” ("L.A. NOW." Defense Lawyer Rebuts Charge That Simpson 's 'bloody Glove ' was tampered with. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.). Pair of dark, crumpled socks found at the foot of Simpson 's bed. The blood on the socks tested to be Nicole Brown Simpsons. The defense argued that the socks were plated with Nicole’s blood on them.
The first group of witnesses included relatives and friends of Nicole, friends of O. J., and a 9-1-1 dispatcher, all produced to demonstrate Simpson 's motive and his history of domestic abuse. Nicole’s sister shared a story when O.J got violent with Nicole, throwing her against a wall. Another witness, Ron Shipp testified that O.J has told him he has dreams of killing Nicole. Lastly a 9-1-1 dispatcher shared a tape recording of Nicole being assaulted by O.J.
Detective Mark Fuhrman became a target in the defense due to the fact he has said racial slurs in the past ten years discriminating black individuals. Recordings were found held by journalist Laura Hart McKinney. On these recordings Fuhrman made many inflammatory comments towards black people. Detective told jurors under oath that he has not said any derogatory comments toward black people in the past ten years. Cochran (O.J’s defense) said, "You are empowered to say this is wrong. Stop this cover-up! Stop this cover-up!” As a result of Fuhrman’s testimony the jurors were lenient on trusting the police and detectives, prosecutors were at a major set. This was a turning point for the defense.
Because the jury was sequestered they did not see the public response. The trial was in all of the newspapers, magazines and TV shows. The jury could not watch TV or read anything unless it was pre-approved.
Errors occurred in the Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman crime scene. The first of many was using a blanket to cover Nicole’s body from paparazzi. This could of caused transfer of trace evidence on the blanket and vise versa. Also blood samples from the crime scene were taken the day after the murders happened on June 13th 1994. However three bloodstains on the gate of Nicole’s condo were not collected until three weeks later on July 3th 1994. The prosecution claimed that these samples were missed during the initial crime scene investigation. The socks found at O.J’s home were originally documented with no blood on them. Months later a bloodstain appeared on the socks. The bloodstain was on both sides of the sock, but if a person were wearing them the foot would block the blood from going to the other side of the sock. The Ford Bronco was not kept secure during the investigation and two unauthorized people went into the car when it was in police possession destroying the integrity of the Bronco. The handling of forensic evidence was questionable. Collin Yamauchi spilled O.J Simpson’s blood sample. This could of caused the transfer of Simpson’s blood to other evidence.
After less then four-hours deliberation the jury made a decision. They announced their verdict on October 3rd 1995 that O.J Simpson was not guilty. On October 23rd 1996 the civil trial began. Unlike the past trial this went untelevised. On February 4th, 1997, the jury awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages to Fred Goldman and his ex-wife Sharon Rufo for the loss of their son. The jury announced that $25 million would be shared between Nicole’s children and Fred Goldman. The trial went on for four months and the jury deliberated for six days opposed to the short four-hour decisions in the past case.
In September of 2007 Simpson was arrested. O.J stole sports memorabilia at gunpoint from a hotel-casino in Las Vegas along with three other men. Simpson was charged with multiple felony counts, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, robbery, and using a deadly weapon. Simpson’s bail was held at $125,000. O.J is currently being held at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada, Missouri serving his time on his armed robbery and atempted kidnapping case. In nine years O.J is eligible for parole.
The O.J Simpson case is possibly the most controversial case in the history of the American justice system. O.J Simpson was put on trial for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The O.J Simpson case caused a racial divide in the nation. Statistics show that most African Americans believed he was innocent and white individuals believed he was guilty. “Opinion polls revealed overwhelming sympathy for Simpson among blacks in the days immediately after his dramatic arrest last June, and anyone familiar with African-American history would understand that reaction.” (Shipp, E. R. (1994). OJ and the black media. Columbia Journalism Review, 33(4), 39). Many African Americans believe white Americans have suppressed them since slavery. The police actions towards O.J triggered their anger. African Americans defended O.J throughout his trial no matter what evidence was presented. A majority of the jury was black females with bad experiences with the police and I believe that greatly influenced the verdict.
Bibliography
"Forensic Biology » Articles » DNA Profiling » "The Blood and DNA Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Trial"" Forensic Biology » Articles » DNA Profiling » "The Blood and DNA Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Trial" N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
"Forensics at the OJ Simpson Trial." Crime Library: Forensics at the O.J. Simpson Trial. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
"Jury Decides Simpson Must Pay $25 Million in Punitive Award." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 10 Feb. 1997. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
"L.A. NOW." Defense Lawyer Rebuts Charge That Simpson 's 'bloody Glove ' was tampered with. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
Linder, Doug. "The Trial of O. J. Simpson." The Trial of O. J. Simpson. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
"List of the Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Double-murder Trial:." List of the Evidence in the O.J. Simpson Double-murder Trial:. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
"OJ Simpson Murder Trial Animation - Check Description for HD." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
"PROVING THE CASE: DNA EVIDENCE IN THE OJ SIMPSON CASE." PROVING THE CASE: DNA EVIDENCE IN THE OJ SIMPSON CASE. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
Stewart, J. B. (1995). Race, science, and "just-us": Understanding jurors ' reasonable doubt in the OJ simpson trial. The Black Scholar, 25(4), 43. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.liucat.lib.liu.edu/docview/229758638?accountid=12142Shipp, E. R. (1994). OJ and the black media. Columbia Journalism Review, 33(4), 39. Retrieved from
http://0-search.proquest.com.liucat.lib.liu.edu/docview/230341739?accountid=12142