The People v OJ Simpson, often dubbed as the “Trial of the century”, was a court case that enthralled America in the mid to late 90s. Everyone was glued to their TV’s and the tabloids, anxiously waiting to hear the verdict. The country was split. Hardcore fans of “The Juice”, a well-known football player, were chanting “Let The Juice Loose” while many rallied around victims Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman families in hopes of obtaining justice. OJ Simpson, however, was acquitted of this murder, all thanks to his “Dream Team”, consisting of Lawyers Robert Shapiro, Robert Kardashian, and Johnnie Cochran.
This case produced many controversial moments, ranging from the scrutiny faced by Prosecutor Marcia Clark, her hairstyles, Johnnie Cochran’s iconic “If it [the glove] doesn’t fit, you must acquit” phrase, and Robert Kardashians struggling loyalty (his ex-wife Kris Jenner was a longtime friend of Nicole Brown Simpson, OJ’s wife and the victim of his alleged crime). It was a case with many limitations and biases, a lot of evidence had been tampered with by the LAPD, and many key witnesses of the prosecution had been found unreliable. The prosecution (Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden), who essentially thought they had this case in the bag, were proven wrong as it was a case not dictated by facts, but the media and emotion behind it.
After OJ Simpson was acquitted of murder, he laid low for a while, that is, until 2007. In September of 2007 in Las Vegas, OJ and some others robbed a hotel room of sports memorabilia, holding people at gunpoint. He was sentenced to 30 years in jail with at least 9 years without parole. He was granted parole in July of 2017 and was set free October 1, 2017. Although he didn’t go to jail for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, people will never stop associating him with it, and I’m sure many see him getting convicted for armed robbery in Las Vegas as some sort of karma.
There are many strong emotions people have felt during the OJ case and with him being released those same emotions are being felt again — especially for the family of Ron Goldman, who have tried so hard to get justice for him. While OJ may not have been convicted or found guilty, his name has permanently been stained with blood, and due to the extent of how influential this case was, it will be hard for anyone, now or in the future, to ever see OJ as anything more than the man who may have killed his wife and her friend.
