Orenthal James Simpson Case

Words: 890
Pages: 4

The longest court trial in history, 133 days, ended with the most surprising verdict, “not-guilty”. Many people believed him to be guilty of the crime, but after all the evidence was processed, the final verdict of the trial was that he was to go free. Orenthal James Simpson was the least likely person to murder his wife, but people still believed him to be the murderer. The trial was later dubbed the “Trial of the Century.” Orenthal James Simpson was born on July 9 in 1947 in San Francisco, California. He got his name from his aunt, which originally came from a French actor that she liked. At the age of two, O.J. contracted rickets, a disease in children caused by a lack of vitamin D that causes the bones to become soft and to bend, which left him pigeon-toed and bow-legged. He …show more content…
The case seemed strong for the prosecutors, led by Marcia Clark, when a glove matching the one found near the dead bodies was found on Orenthal’s property. DNA testing connected him to the bloodstains left behind. Orenthal defense attorneys nicknamed the “Dream Team”, led by Johnnie Cochran, raised doubts about the handling of the evidence; they stated that it was “contaminated, compromised, and ultimately corrupted.”
Cochran gave an opening statement for the defense, stating that Orenthal would have been unable to commit a double murder due to his terribly arthritic hands. The evidence about the matching glove was dismissed in Cochran’s closing statements of the case, he also noted the “If it [the glove] doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” Over the next 90 days of trial, the prosecution supplied 72 witnesses. Both groups of witnesses stated that Orenthal had the motive and opportunity to kill. The first group of witnesses comprised of relatives and friends of Nicole, friends of O.J., and a 9-1-1 dispatcher. Orenthal’s daughter, Arnelle, became the first defense witness on July 10, 1995; followed by Orenthal’s mother, Eunice Simpson later that