O.J. Simpson acquitted of 1994 murders after nine-month trial

On the night of June 12, 1994, a neighbor walking a dog in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles discovered the bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman outside Brown Simpson’s condominium. The call came in around midnight. Both had been stabbed to death with a knife. Goldman had defensive wounds. The two had been seen earlier that evening at a nearby restaurant, where Brown Simpson had dined with her family and Goldman worked as a waiter.

The victims were Nicole Brown Simpson, ex-wife of football star and actor O.J. Simpson, and Ronald Goldman, a waiter and friend of the Brown family. The accused was Orenthal James Simpson, known as O.J. Simpson, a Hall of Fame running back and broadcaster. The lead prosecutor was Marcia Clark. The lead defense attorney was Robert Shapiro, later joined by Johnnie Cochran. Judge Lance Ito presided over the trial. Goldman’s father, Fred Goldman, and Nicole Brown Simpson’s family, including her sister Denise Brown, who testified, publicly represented the victims’ families. The lead detective was Mark Fuhrman, whose testimony became central to the defense.

Police went to Simpson’s estate that night to notify him of the deaths. Simpson was not home; he had flown to Chicago. Officers later noticed a bloodstained glove on the property, matching a glove found at the crime scene. A blood trail led from the bodies to Simpson’s Bronco. Blood samples were taken from Simpson, the victims, and the crime scene. The prosecution’s case relied heavily on DNA evidence linking Simpson to the blood at the scene and in his car and home. The defense attacked the handling of the blood samples, alleging contamination and police misconduct.