Latest / Murder Files Unsealed / A Timeline of OJ Simpson's Life and Sensational Trial
Transcript
- 0:00O. J. Simpson's life has been tumultuous, transitioning from a football Hall
- 0:04of Famer to a movie star and eventually a double murder suspect, captivating the
- 0:10nation for decades. June twelfth, twenty twenty four, will mark thirty years
- 0:15since the brutal murders of Simpson's ex wife, Nicole Brown Simpson thirty five,
- 0:21and waiter Ron Goldman, twenty five, who were fatally stabbed outside Brown Simpson's
- 0:26Los Angeles home on the night of June twelfth, nineteen ninety four. Even
- 0:33after three decades, the infamous crime remains unsolved. Simpson's life has been marked
- 0:39by key moments, from the televised criminal trial that gripped the nation to the
- 0:44subsequent kidnapping and armed robbery charges that led to his imprisonment. A standout running
- 0:51back for the University of Southern California in the nineteen sixties, Simpson rose to
- 0:56fame as a college football star, ultimately winning the Press dig As Heisman Trophy
- 1:00in nineteen sixty eight. In nineteen sixty nine, Simpson was selected as the
- 1:06top pick in the NFL Draft, establishing himself as a standout player for the
- 1:11Buffalo Bills. By nineteen seventy three, he became the first NFL player to
- 1:15achieve over two thousand rushing yards in a single season. Following his retirement in
- 1:22nineteen seventy nine, Simpson was honoured with induction into the Pro Football Hall of
- 1:26Fame in nineteen eighty five. Transitioning from football to the entertainment industry, Simpson
- 1:32ventured into Hollywood, appearing in popular Hertz commercials during the nineteen seventies and starring
- 1:38in films like capricorn I and The Naked Gun Series in the subsequent decades.
- 1:44After marrying Nicole Brown in nineteen eighty five, Simpson, who had children from
- 1:49a previous marriage, faced a divorce from Nicole in nineteen ninety two. Tragedy
- 1:56struck on June twelfth, nineteen ninety four, when Brown, Simpson, when
- 2:00Ron Goldman were discovered murdered at her residence in Los Angeles. Simpson, who
- 2:06was in the city that night, flew to Chicago late that evening and returned
- 2:10the following day. Upon his return, he was questioned by authorities, but
- 2:16not immediately taken into custody. The white Ford Bronco pursuit on June seventeenth,
- 2:25nineteen ninety four, Simpson was ordered to surrender by prosecutors, but instead he
- 2:30fled in a white Ford Broncho with his friend Al Cowlings, leading police on
- 2:36a slow speed pursuit that brought southern California freeways to a standstill and drew in
- 2:43a network television audience of ninety five million Americans. News helicopters hovered overhead documenting
- 2:51the pursuit, and angelinos gathered on the roadways and in front of their televisions
- 2:55to watch in real time. Simpson eventually surre rendered and was arrested. An
- 3:04unforgettable trial and acquittal in nineteen ninety five, Simpson's trial transfixed the country.
- 3:12Defense attorneys claimed Simpson was wrongly accused, but prosecutors argued that Simpson was a
- 3:19controlling husband who abused Brown Simpson. Prosecutors also pointed to blood from the crime
- 3:25scene found in Simpson's car and home, and the fact that he was unaccounted
- 3:30for for more than an hour on the night of the killings. During the
- 3:36trial, the prosecution asked Simpson to put on gloves believed to have been worn
- 3:40by the killer, but they didn't appear to fit properly. Johnny Cochrane famously
- 3:46stated to the jury during his closing argument that if the evidence did not align,
- 3:52they must acquit the defendant. On October third, nineteen ninety five,
- 3:57Simpson was acquitted of all criminal chans charges and has consistently professed his innocence.
- 4:03A civil court jury delivered a guilty verdict in nineteen ninety seven, holding Simpson
- 4:09accountable for wrongful death in the double murder case. He was instructed to pay
- 4:15thirty three point five million dollars in damages to the families of Brown and Goldman.
- 4:20Simpson faced a Las Vegas arrest in September two thousand seven after leading a
- 4:26group of individuals into a hotel and casino to allegedly steal his own sports memorabilia
- 4:32at gunpoint. Charged with various felony counts, including kidnapping an armed robbery,
- 4:40Simpson was convicted in two thousand and eight for his involvement in the failed robbery
- 4:45and received a sentence of up to thirty three years in prison. As Judge
- 4:49Jackie Glass was about to deliver the sentence, she addressed Simpson by stating,
- 4:56during the course of this case at a bail hearing, iron wired I mentioned
- 5:00to mister Simpson, I was uncertain whether he was arrogant, ignorant, or
- 5:05both. And as the trial progressed and throughout these proceedings, I received my
- 5:11answer, and it was both. Regarding the crime, Glass remarked, it
- 5:15wasn't a matter of oh, just return my belongings. I want my things.
- 5:21It was a situation of nobody is leaving this room. It was,
- 5:26in fact, a highly violent incident. At least one firearm was brandished.
- 5:31The potential for harm in that room was significant. When you carry a gun
- 5:35and bring along individuals to display a show of force, it's not simply a
- 5:41matter of hey, return my belongings. I cannot overlook the fact that the
- 5:46conduct on September thirteenth was reckless. She continued, the law was violated.
- 5:53In court, Simpson expressed remorse for his actions, stating, I was unaware
- 5:59that I was engaging in any illegal activity. I regret all of it.
- 6:04Subsequently, Simpson was sentenced to prison in two thousand thirteen. His request for
- 6:11a new trial was denied. However, he was granted parole that year.