People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson
Simpson was in a criminal trial for murders of Brown and her friend Goldman in June of 1994. Before that he had pleaded to no contest in a charges of domestic violence after he was separated from Brown whom he was paying child support. He was charged with the murder of the two, and he failed to turn himself in and this led to the most dramatic and publicized cases in the history of America. In the end, he was found to not guilty of the murders against the state (Schertz, et al, 1999).
The case started as a double murder case then changed to a criminal case which was as a result of legal problems in the law and court procedures. The criminal trial was held in LA, California superior court in 1994, and the verdict was reached in 1995. The prosecution presented evidences of blood samples and other exhibits (Schertz, et al, 1999). The jury thought it had a solid case even though in the Simpson’s defense was able to convince the jury that the lab scientists mishandled the evidence as well as the circumstances that surrounded the produced exhibits (Meier, 1994. The federal judge issued an order that restrained Simpson from getting an advance he received from the TV and book deal he had received.
The case was publicized and therefore had much influence on the ruling from the public between the lines of racialism. The judge named Lance did not lead the jury to avoid the case being so publicized. This might have influenced the question of Simpson’s acquittal. The court procedure was needlessly prolonged, and the courtroom turned to a circus when the defense and the prosecution sided started questioning one another about the evidence (Meier, 1994). . In conclusion, it was the trial of the year since it was unusually long, changed from a murder to criminal case, and in the end the verdict changing as the courts was also changed.
Meier, Barry (1994). "Simpson Team Taking Aim at DNA Laboratory" The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2012
Schertz, Janice E.; Lilley, Lin S. (1999). The O.J. Simpson trials: rhetoric, media, and the law. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press.
