Orenthal James Simpson, popularly known as O.J. Simpson, has passed away at the age of 76. He died on April 10, 2024, after losing his battle with cancer. O.J. was a former American football player, actor, and broadcaster who was known for being a controversial figure during his time. On April 11, a post on his X account confirmed the news of his passing.
Who was O.J.?
Simpson became a well-known figure as a Black man who broke through the racial barriers in college football. He played for the University of Southern California in the late 1960s and was then chosen as the first player in the 1969 NFL draft. O.J. received the NFL Player of the Year award three times in 1972, 1973, and 1975 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985. He played for the Buffalo Bills for nine years and then for the San Francisco 49ers for two years.
The fall of O.J.
Simpson, who was married twice, fathered five children. Simpson married Marguerite Whitley in 1967, when they were both teenagers, and they had three children together. Simpson’s wealth can be attributed to sports and show business, but his legacy was permanently altered by the June 1994 knife murders of his second ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles.
O.J. and Nicole Brown
O.J. Simpson met and started dating Nicole Brown in 1977, and they got married in 1985. The pair was together for seven years and had two children before she filed for divorce in 1992. Two years after her divorce from Simpson, Brown was stabbed to death at her Los Angeles home on June 12, 1994, along with her friend, Ron Goldman. Live TV footage of his arrest following a historic slow-speed chase highlighted a remarkable fall in the former sports hero’s popularity.
O.J.’s infamous Bronco chase
Around 95 million people were glued to their screens watching the television coverage of O.J. He attempted to evade police after the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ron Goldman. The Los Angeles Police Department had requested that Simpson surrender, but instead, he drove off in a white Ford Bronco. Simpson’s friend Robert Kardashian read out a note on live television, which some considered a suicide letter, fueling the search.
Cell phone data helped law enforcement track down the runaway pair. The chase became a public spectacle, with fans cheering as the Bronco was followed by the police for 75 miles through Southern California. Simpson’s lawyer arrived, and he surrendered to the police.
Double murder case
After the bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were found, suspicion quickly fell on O.J., who had been married to Nicole for seven years until their divorce became final on October 15, 1992, a little more than 18 months before her death.
The murder trial, dubbed the “trial of the century” by the media, began on January 25, 1995. Prosecutors argued O.J. had killed Nicole and Ron in a jealous rage, and they presented extensive blood, hair, and fiber tests linking him to the murders. He pleaded not guilty to both murders. The defense countered that the celebrity defendant was framed by racist white police.
“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
June 15 was the defining moment of the trial. On this day, the prosecution committed what a defense lawyer would later describe as the “greatest legal blunder of the 20th century.”. The prosecutor asked him to put on a pair of gloves believed to have been worn by the killer. The gloves appeared to be too small, as O.J. Simpson struggled to put on the gloves in a highly theatrical demonstration and indicated to the jury they did not fit. This led defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran to famously state in his closing argument: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” On October 3, the trial came to an end as he was acquitted by a jury in a 134-day trial.
However, he was later found “responsible” for the deaths in a civil lawsuit filed by Ron Goldman’s parents. This case captured the attention of the US until it came to a dramatic end in late 1995.
O.J. Simpson has been in legal trouble for several years, with his most notable conviction being for armed robbery in 2007. This led to a nine-year prison sentence. With his passing, a tumultuous chapter in American history has come to a close, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to generate debates and controversies for years to come. Despite his legal issues, O.J.’s contributions to sports, entertainment, and the criminal justice system cannot be ignored.
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