1. OJ Simpson Trial
By: PJ Colucci

2. How it all started
On the night of June 12, 1994, sometime after 10pm, Nicole Brown Simpson (OJ’s x-wife) and her friend, Ronald Goldman were murdered in Nicole’s condo on Bundy Dr. in Brentwood, CA.
A neighbor notices Nicole’s dog howling, and proceeds to her apartment to find the bodies of Nicole and Ronald.

3. OJ was contacted by police the following Monday while staying at the O'Hare Plaza Hotel in Chicago.
By the time OJ reached L.A., his home was under full investigation.
He was then questioned by police, who were later criticized for failing to ask useful follow-up questions.

5. Despite the useless interview, police were able to obtain enough evidence for a warrant for OJ’s arrest.
Simpson agreed to turn himself into police HQ by 10am on June 17th.
OJ did not show up by this deadline, and police broke into his house, discovering what seemed to be a suicide letter.

6. A slow-paced pursuit
At around 6:20am a motorist spotted OJ in a white Bronco traveling on a local Orange Co. highway.
The Bronco belonged to Simpson’s friend, AC Cowlings, who was driving.
It was then that the infamous slow-paced pursuit began, with several patrol cars, news helicopters, and even a few curious civilian motorists following OJ.

7. OJ was eventually arrested in his own driveway.
$8,750 in cash, a false beard and mustache, a loaded gun, and a passport were found in Cowlings' vehicle.

8. The trial begins
The trial took place in downtown L.A., to allow for a more racially diverse jury in order to prevent riots.
On July 22, 1994, OJ pleaded, “Absolutely 100% not guilty.”
Opening day of the trial came on January 24, 1995.
The trial would be judged by Lance Ito.

9. The prosecution was first to strike, calling 72 witnesses in the first 100 days of the trial.
The most compelling act of the prosecution were blood tests from the crime scene, which all pointed toward OJ being the murderer.
Following the blood tests, however, a disaster occurred for the prosecution. The LAPD officer who had found a bloody glove at the scene of the crime asked OJ to try it on, claiming that it’d be a perfect fit.

10. The officer was wrong. The glove was far to small for OJ
The officer was wrong. The glove was far to small for OJ. This was most likely the result of body fluids shrinking the glove, but never the less, the result did not fair well for the prosecution.
A field trip was then taken to Simpson’s home by the judge and jury, which had been staged prior to the visit to shine a positive light on OJ, with things such as Bibles being placed in the house.

11. The Dream Team
OJ’s defense, aka The Dream Team, began to take the spotlight, with Simpson’s lawyer, Robert Shapiro, at the helm.
The jury tended to be much more sympathetic toward the witnesses supporting OJ’s innocence.
Henry Lee was perhaps the most significant aspect of the defense. Henry had solid credentials and seemed to pose persuasive arguments in favor of OJ, such as the fact that footprint evidence was in favor of more that one assailant.

12. The trial comes to an end
After becoming the longest court case in California history, closing arguments had begun to be made.
After 133 days, 150 witnesses, and $15 million, the jury reached a verdict.
At 10am PST on October 3, 1995, the jury announced it’s verdict. "We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder."

13. Post-trial OJ was not yet out of the woods, however.
He then faced a civil trial, where the jury concluded Simpson had wrongfully caused the deaths of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
He was ordered to pay $8.5 million in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages.

14. The infamous chase:
“A bra’s gotta fit right up against a person’s skin… LIKE A GLOVE!!!” – Jackie Chiles :)

15. Sources