The OJ Simpson case has been hailed “The Trial of the Century.” One of the longest running court trials in history, this case was filled with conspiracy, controversy, and the power of celebrity. The biggest part of the trial was the evidence. The submission of the blood samples, the DNA testing, and the articles of clothing made the case what it was. Amidst all the accusations of planted evidence and conspiracy plans against Simpson, the jury and Judge Ito had to try to sift through and find Simpson guilty or not guilty. On June 12, 1994 Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were brutally murdered with what appeared to be a single-edged sharp weapon, most likely a knife. Nicole Brown was the ex-wife of a celebrity; this made things complicated in any crime. Brown, age 35, was born in West Germany in 1959. She was working as a waitress at the Beverly Hills nightclub “The Daisy” in 1977 when she met OJ, she was 18, he was 30. When she was 19, the two began living together and they seemed like the perfect couple, the famous football player and the pretty, young, blonde. On February 2, 1985, they were married. They had two children together, Justin and Sydney, that’s when things started to go bad. In 1992 they were divorced and Nicole settled for $433,000 in cash and $10,000 monthly child support (Darden).
According to Nicole’s sister Denise Brown she had broken up with OJ a week and a half prior to her death, but he did not agree with the decision. Ron Goldman, 25, was a waiter at Mezzaluna, part-time model, and aspiring actor. He grew up in the Chicago suburbs until his family moved to LA in 1987. Friends quoted Goldman as saying that riding in Brown’s Ferrari and having people check him out was “the coolest high” he had ever had. Goldman longed for the celebrity lifestyle, which he acquired after his death. Ron’s father Fred Goldman had been very outspoken in the case and for the incarceration of the killer – OJ Simpson. On June 17, 1994 when police charged Orenthal James Simpson, Brown’s ex-husband, and after leading police on a 60 mile low speed chase down the highways of southern Los Angeles in his friend Al Cowling’s white Bronco, was arrested and jailed with out bail, the story became even more complicated. This was when the police knew this would not be just any murder case. This was OJ Simpson, the famous football player, this would be complicated. Their only hope of conviction was the evidence that would place him as the murderer. Their first set of evidence, and possibly the best part of attaching the three to each other that night, was the blood. There were approximately 22 submissions of blood evidence found at the Bundy Condo (murder scene), Rockingham (Simpson’s residence), and in the Bronco (Simpson’s vehicle).
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Block A. A. Terms problem- The teams are not communicating primarily caused by the J. Edgar Hoover Model, page 37, Detective Terms. [This model does not require identifying the investigative building blocks or rules of investigations and assumes that everyone on the team will know them. It can be argued that this is the main cause of most problems in building cases. Further evidence for this lack ...
All of which were a match to either Brown, Goldman, Simpson, or a mixture of the three. All figures of the blood samples were found in the testimonies of Dr. Robin Cotton, laboratory director at Cellmark Diagnostics Inc. and Gary Sims, senior criminalist with the California Department of Justice DNA laboratory (Toobin).
At the Bundy crime scene police found the bodies, Brown’s, amassed in a pool of blood bigger than her body, and Goldman’s, his shirt pulled over his head as if to keep him from helping Brown. Of the nine blood samples found on the property six were a match to Simpson. Many found near the victims and others found on the walk, leading out to where the killer’s car would have been parked. The matches automatically place Simpson at the scene that day. Although it does not place him as the murderer. Also found at the Bundy Condominium was a sample of nail scrapings that when tested matched a set of cuttings from Brown’s hands. This leads to believe that Brown was able to try to pull herself away from the murderer, obviously much more powerful than her. Another, more accusational, blood sample was one from a bloody shoe print found near the bodies. This was something that would plague officers until they could fine a match for the size and fit. The next scene the officers found blood was at Rockingham Estate, Simpson’s residence. Eight selections were found on this property matching both the victims and Simpson. On the infamous glove police found one spot of blood on the inside of the ring finger that matched Goldman.
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On a pair of socks found in Simpson’s bedroom police found blood from both Simpson and Brown. One sample of blood found in the foyer of the home matched five genetic markers attributing it to Simpson. And finally a trail of blood leading from the garage to the house that matched Simpson. This alone would match the trail at the crime scene that led to where the killer’s car was parked to the one that led from Simpson’s garage – was this telling police that he had been at the other house and been a little messy? The last place police searched and found blood samples was Simpson’s vehicle – the white Bronco. Here they found eleven places where blood from either Brown, Goldman, or Simpson stood on their own or mixed with the others. All of these submission would have been enough to place Simpson and his car at the scene and had to have been involved somehow to get the blood all over. DNA testing is what the scientists used to prove that the blood matched that of the victims and Simpson. It is usually a foolproof way to determine those factors. Prosecution witnesses have testified that the DNA tests undeniably place OJ Simpson as the murderer, but the defense witnesses support the claim that the samples had been contaminates or could have been planted as a part of a conspiracy theory against Simpson. One of these witnesses was Dr. John Gerdes, director of a DNA lab in Denver testified that the LAPD Crime Lab has a “substantial contamination problem,” (Darden).
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Young Goodman Brown versus the Community All people have problems with the community in which they live. Their conflicts are either with the people or the ideas of the community. In the story Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows his main character having conflicts with his society. Young Goodman Brown, the main character, does not notice these problems until after his trip into the ...
This testimony alone put doubts in the mind of every juror on the validity of the blood samples. Los Angeles Police Department Mark Furhman caused a lot of controversy regarding the evidence in the case. Furhman testified many times over the duration of the trial on the police initial an thorough investigation of the crime scenes. On July 5, he said that they entered the Rockingham estate because there was concern for Simpson’s safety, they were afraid of another homicide. Furhman told the jury that he had gone to investigate some thumps that groundskeeper Kato Kaelin had heard. He was alone with the Bronco and the walkway where Simpson’s blood was found. While there it has been speculated that Furhman planted blood samples in strategic places to incriminate Simpson. Also submitted was a transcript in which Furhman uses racial language regarding African-Americans. The defense thought this would prove that Furhman had hatred towards Simpson. However, of the multiple uses of expletive language used by Furhman in the transcript, only a few were shown to the jury. A few are nothing to some people. Though the defense, but twenty-five are another story. The defense though this had been an unfair judgment that would hinder their case. It has been said that Furhman single-handedly let a murderer go free (Toobin).
Brian Jerard “Kato” Kaelin, the groundskeeper/ baby sitter at Rockingham Estate. Kaelin first lived in Nicole’s guesthouse then moved to the guesthouse at Rockingham. He was a key witness to give information on Simpson’s whereabouts that night. However he could not say where Simpson was between 9:37 and 11p.m. the night of the murders. He did say that he saw Simpson leave for Chicago carrying a mysterious black bag, but not return home with it. Prosecution argued that the black bag could have contained bloody clothes and the murder weapon and that Simpson could have dumped them at the airport or in Chicago. Prosecution lawyer Marcia Clark used Kaelin to expose Simpson as a jealous ex-husband. Kaelin had seen Brown and Simpson fight many times, once causing the 911 call that was introduced to the jury. Kaelin didn’t say that Simpson seemed dangerous, but Clark did get him to say that Simpson may have been jealous that he was having sex with Nicole. This was a clear case of the prosecution playing on a man with a dull mind. Clark then tried to get Kaelin listed as a hostile witness, she didn’t succeed, but she was permitted to “harshly interrogate” him (Toobin).
The Essay on Oj Simpson Trial Blood Racist Defense
The O. J. Simpson trial was one of the most recognizable cases in American history. It went on for nine months. There were 11 lawyers representing the O. J. and 25 working around the clock for the largest prosecutor's office in the country. The opinion of the Jury was for the defense, not guilty. I agree with them. It would have been crazy if O. J. was convicted because the evidence was not ...
On April 14, the question of Kaelin’s truthfulness came into question. He was accused of lying on the witness stand, an offense that is sentenced to jail and high fines. On April 17, notes from a meeting were introduced to the court, notes that were believed to be from a meeting regarding a book deal for Kaelin; he was discounted as a reliable witness. Also submitted were eleven hair and fiber traces. The glove found at Bundy had traces of Brown’s hair, fibers with blood on them that matched Goldman’s shirt, and fibers consistent with Goldman’s jeans. In many places, almost all, there were hairpieces found that matched the Akita (guard) dog. A blue knit hat was found at Bundy having on it hairs from the Akita dog, hairs from Simpson that appeared to have not been ripped, but shed naturally, fibers consistent with Goldman’s shirt, fibers that matched the inside of the glove, and a fiber that matched the interior of the Bronco. This one piece matches the glove and the hat together, and on Simpson. The socks found in Simpson’s bedroom had blue-black fibers on them; Simpson supposedly wore blue-black clothing the night of the murder.
On the glove found at Rockingham, it was found that it contained several hairs from Brown, one with blood; ripped hairs from Goldman; fibers of Goldman’s shirt and jeans; fibers from the Bronco carpeting; and fibers that matched the supposed outfit of the defendant. The carpeting from the Bronco was very easily identified because it had an unusual x shape, linking some crime scene objects closely to Simpson. One of the thing prosecution placed in evidence to show that Simpson was abusive towards Brown was the dialogue from a 911 call Brown made when Simpson was ransacking her house and screaming. At one point Brown says “he’s (expletive) going nuts” while sobbing (Toobin).
At another she yells that she wants to hang up because she’s afraid “he’s going to beat the (expletive) out of me” (Toobin).
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On February 23, 2005 a nine-year old girl in Homosassa, Florida disappeared after attending a Wednesday evening church service. She was missing for almost 3 weeks before police found her body in a trash bag, holding a purple stuffed dolphin, in a grave no more than 3 feet deep. Publicly released autopsy reports said that the little girl, Jessica Lunsford, who dreamed of being a fashion designer ...
Another event that led to the realization that OJ had beaten Nicole was the morning detectives had called the Brown house to tell them their daughter had been murdered. Lou Brown, Nicole’s father, picked up the phone and took the news quietly, but Denise, her oldest sister, had also picked up and began screaming “he killed her! He finally killed her!” When the detective asked who she meant she yelled “OJ”! (Toobin).
One of the more example-based pieces of evidence was a large knife. Prosecution witness Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran told the jury that he believed the killings were done with a single-edged knife. Prosecution thought this would be an incriminating argument as Simpson had bought a knife like the one thought to be the weapon prior to the murders. However, during cross-examination, Sathyavagiswaran said that he could not be positive (Darden).
The most important fact regarding the knife is that the weapon has not been recovered, has anyone thought to look in OJ’s kitchen? There was a bloody shoe print found at the Bundy crime scene near the victim’s bodies, this was a questionable piece of evidence. Prosecution tried to prove that it could have belonged to Simpson and the defense tried to convince on the commonality of the object. FBI shoe print analyst William Bodziak, a prosecution witness, testified that the shoe print belonged to a size twelve pair of Bruno Magli shoes (Darden).
The size matched Simpson’s, the shoes have not been recovered, but the fact that the sizes were the same was enough to place them together in the minds of the prosecution. Also submitted was a pair of Reeboks confiscated from Simpson’s house to show that he wore the same size as the killer. One of the defense’s main arguments was that Simpson was not physically able to commit the crimes as he had an arthritis problem. To counter act this the prosecution submitted two tapes. The first was a copy of the OJ Simpson Exercise Video, taped two and a half weeks before the murders in which Simpson seemed in top condition. The second was a promotional video from March 1994 during which Simpson claims that he has been relieved of his arthritis and was beck to top health. Both of these showed that he would have had no problems physically in committing the murders. Perhaps one of the most famous of the pieces of evidence submitted were the gloves. The right found at Rockingham and the left found at Bundy. This was the most logical way for the prosecution to prove Simpson was the killer. They figured how could anyone dispute the fact that a glove found in the position of Simpson, and having blood from one of the victims on it, matching one found on the crime scene.
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Nicole had bought him a pair of gloves, just like the ones used by the killer, in 1990. However on June 15, 1995, a full year after the murders occurred, Simpson was asked to try on the gloves which appeared too small. The prosecution claimed that there were a couple of factors inhibiting the fit. One, Simpson wore rubber gloves underneath to try them on, this could have made it hard for the cashmere lining to slide on easily; and two that the gloves had been drenched in blood and had shrunk so they didn’t fit. The defense relished in this major victory, as the gloves didn’t fit so they couldn’t be Simpson’s. As Johnnie Cochran, one of Simpson’s lawyers, made the famous statement “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” (Toobin).
According to Jeffery Toobin, author of “The Run of His Life,” the conspiracy theory could have happened, but Simpson was undeniably the killer. “Notwithstanding the prosecution’s many errors, the evidence against Simpson at the trial was overwhelming” (Toobin, pg. 435).
Not to mention the fact that Simpson had no alibi for the night, nor was his car parked at his house, his blood was all over the crime scene, and the victim’s blood was all over his house. The hat the killer wore had traces of Simpson’s hair all over it, and Nicole had bought those gloves for him in 1990, what other killer would have a pair of cashmere lined gloves and use it for a murder?
The defense insisted that the police planted at least Simpson’s blood at Bundy, Goldman’s blood in the Bronco, Brown’s blood on the sock in Simpson’s bedroom, Simpson’s blood on the same sock, and the glove at Rockingham with all that blood on it (Toobin).
They never actually told the jury their theory on how this was pulled off, but their main debate was that Detective Furhman took one glove from the murder scene to Simpson’s home. This would have required Furhman to have transported to glove from the crime scene, unnoticed, find some of Simpson’s blood, from means unknown, then wipe the glove on the inside of the locked Bronco, again means unknown. The whole time planting his case against him, not knowing whether Simpson had an irrefutable alibi for the time of the murders (Toobin).
This argument is just not believable, even taking into account Furhman’s “repugnant racial views” (Toobin, pg. 436).
The ‘Trial of the Century’ became more like a circus as the lawyers and witnesses boasted untruths and incredibly inflated stories to make it more interesting to the jury, scratch that audience. Agreeing with Toobin, it does have to be said that the evidence pointed fundamentally to Simpson as the murderer, but the tabloid media of news made it fun to watch. The news also made it impossible for any patriotic American to convict a national hero.
Bibliography:
Bibliography and Works Cited Darden, Christopher A. (1996).
In Contempt. New York: Regan Books. Defense lawyers in OJ case accuse Det. Furhman of being racist. (1994, August 30).
The New York Times, A14. OJ Simpson goes on trial in Los Angeles for murder of ex-wife. (1994, September 27).
The New York Times, A1. Simpson defense case for contaminated blood samples. (1996, December 13).
The New York Times, A23. Simpson judge rules on Furhman records. (1994, August 31).
The New York Times, A12. Toobin, Jeffrey. (1996).
The Run of His Life. New York: Random House.
