The case of OJ Simpson is one of the most complex and confusing cases that happened to the US courts. The arrest and consecutive trial of the former NFL star generated a mass media frenzy. All of the participants of the case received high publicity and even people outside the United States followed the case. The controversy around this particular case was based on the errors in the method of processing the evidence and numerous additional factors (Cooper 159). Nonetheless, one should consider the fact that OJ Simpson was not found innocent. Instead, he was found not guilty, and this makes a slight difference. The paper presents a brief summary of the case itself and discusses the reasons why OJ Simpson was found not guilty despite his virtually inevitable participation in the crime.
Details of the Case
OJ Simpson’s wife and her friend were found murdered in her apartment house. OJ Simpson himself became the primary suspect, and numerous evidence indicated against him, but he refused to submit and was stated to be a fugitive (Williams 41). The law enforcement agency would later find a suicide note and then spot OJ Simpson riding a white Ford Bronco with his friend Al Cowling driving. The police engaged in a chase, and it ended up at Simpson’s condominium in Brentwood. This is where OJ Simpson gave up and voluntarily surrendered to the police. After that, Simpson was charged with a total of two cases of homicide with the involvement of special conditions (Dear 300). The case questioned numerous strange facts about the case and evidence that was found by the law enforcement agency. Later, OJ Simpson was pronounced not guilty due to several important details.
Discussion of the Verdict
There was a number of reasons that contributed to the fact that OJ Simpson was found not guilty. First, it is the absence of convincing evidence. It has repeatedly been stated that no blood traces were found on any of the clothing. The home that OJ Simpson lived in also presented no adequate evidence. No blood samples were found around the house or on the white carpet. No blood was found in Simpson’s infamous Bronco either. It would be rather strange to assume that no blood would be found in OJ’s house or car if he had brutally killed two people. Simpson also specified that he went to the airport that same night and that practically tells us that he had almost no time to change his clothes. Moreover, he would not have enough time to wash off the traces of blood off his clothing and car, but, for some reason, the clothing was never found. The murder weapon was never found as well.
Second, the fact of compromised evidence and the adverse reputation of LAPD played an essential role in the case. It is hard to believe, but the samples of the blood found by the law enforcement agency were not reserved straightaway. The blood was simply kept idle for several hours. When the blood samples were finally transferred to the laboratory, some samples were missing, and no clarification for the fact of missing samples has ever been provided. The judges reviewing the case believed that the situation was rather confusing. The latter actually makes sense if we take into consideration the experience of the police officer who was responsible for the evidence. Clearly, his actions lacked carefulness in terms of processing and storing the evidence. In addition to this, we might also bear in mind the prejudiced nature of the LAPD of that era and the outcome was pretty obvious.
If we go into even more detail, much of the responsibility lied on Mark Fuhrman. As soon as the jury perceived the attitude Furman displayed toward blacks and heard him saying racist things (including the n-word), they reconsidered his value as a witness. Moreover, Fuhrman was caught invading the private property of OJ Simpson. One of the reasons could have been him planting evidence. Overall, Mark Fuhrman was a rather crummy witness and his participation in the case also played a big role in finding OJ Simpson not guilty.
The fourth and the last major factor that impacted the verdict reached by the jury was a combination of a flawless defense team and the bloody glove that was primarily used as evidence against Simpson. On a bigger scale, the glove became the decisive factor for the prosecution. The glove was considered to be the primary evidence that signified OJ Simpson’s guilt. When the latter tried it on in the court, and it did not fit, the possibility to prove that he was guilty was virtually lost. The fact that the glove did not fit became the critical factor for the judges as they believed that this evidence could have been planted by Fuhrman in OJ’s house. Finally, one should not underestimate the defense team. They were able to find serious loopholes in this tangled trial and use all the evidence in favor of OJ Simpson.
References
Cooper, Sarah. Controversies in Innocence Cases in America. Ashgate Publishing, 2014.
Dear, William. O.J. Is Innocent and I Can Prove It!: The Shocking Truth about the Murders of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman. Skyhorse, 2012.
Williams, Ronald. The OJ Simpson Trial. Xlibris Corporation, 2013.