Jun 23, 2015 · Judge Lance Ito, the Superior Court judge who presided over the Simpson trial, is still slogging away in the Los Angeles court system. He …
Oct 03, 2020 · Marcia Clark, the trial’s lead prosecutor, resigned from the Los Angeles District Attorney's office after the case and left the practice of law. Her memoir of the trial, Without A Doubt, fetched a...
Jul 13, 2016 · Tony Maglio | July 13, 2016 @ 2:02 PM OJ Simpson prosecutor Chris Darden was fired following his loss in 1995’s so-called “Trial of the Century” — …
The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson was a criminal trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court in which former National Football League (NFL) player, broadcaster and actor O. J. Simpson was tried and acquitted for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.The pair were stabbed to death outside …
Last October, NBC News reported that Ito had presided over 500 cases since the Simpson trial before retiring in January 2015. He had few post-retirement plans aside from learning to play the guitar. The article also noted that Ito had recently celebrated his 34th wedding anniversary and resides in Pasadena, California.Feb 23, 2016
Simpson, dies at age 87. F. Lee Bailey, the flamboyant defense lawyer best known for his key role in O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team," has died, a longtime colleague said Thursday. Bailey's death was confirmed by his associate Peter Horstmann.Jun 3, 2021
He also started his own private practice in Los Angeles as a criminal defense attorney. Outside of the court, Darden is a successful author with numerous books to his name. He wrote “Apart from In Contempt”, which documents his journey during the OJ Simpson trial.Jan 18, 2022
Following the infamous events in the '90s, Marcia, now 65, continued her career in law. She expanded her skills to penning both fiction and nonfiction books and lending her services to several TV series. Some are saying her latest, The Fix on ABC, is inspired by her experience with O.J. Simpson.Mar 19, 2019
Marcia Rachel ClarkAlameda, California, U.S. Marcia Rachel Clark (née Kleks, formerly Horowitz; born August 31, 1953) is an American prosecutor, author, television correspondent and television producer. She is known for being the lead prosecutor in the infamous O. J. Simpson murder case.
Johnnie CochranThe attorneys representing Simpson, known as the “Dream Team,” included F. Lee Bailey, Robert Blasier, Shawn Chapman Holley, Robert Shapiro, and Alan Dershowitz; Johnnie Cochran later became the defense team's lead attorney.
Christopher Darden, a longtime litigator and former attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, announced he was stepping away from the case, citing threats against him and his family.May 11, 2019
After the trial, Cochran continued to practice law and appear as a TV commentator. He died of brain cancer in 2005 at age 68.Oct 3, 2020
OJ Simpson prosecutor Chris Darden was fired following his loss in 1995's so-called “Trial of the Century” — he just didn't know it for about a year. “I left the day of the verdict,” Darden told “Reasonable Doubt” hosts Adam Carolla and Mark Geragos during a podcast recorded on Monday.
June 16, 1994Nicole Brown Simpson / Date of burial
Although rumors persisted of a sexual relationship between Marcia Clark and Darden, both have denied such a relationship existed. Both consider their relationship to be extremely close, a result of the intense pressures of the Simpson trial.
Simpson trial? Marcia was the lead prosecutor on the case, which attempted to charge O.J. with the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman in 1994. The sensational 252-day trial ended on October 3, 1995, when O.J. was acquitted.
According to her website, it’s the only nonfiction tome she’s published. She’s also penned two popular mysteries series, The Samantha Brinkman series and The Rachel Knight series. The former comprises three books, and the latter is made up of four.
After the 2016 series, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, rumors circulated that Marcia (played by Sarah Paulson in the show) and Christopher Darden (played by Sterling K. Brown ), her fellow prosecutor, had a romantic relationship. She neither confirmed nor denied the fact when Ellen DeGeneres confronted her with the question, ...
Mar 19, 2019. Marcia Clark was first thrust into the spotlight when she served as the lead prosecutor on the O.J. Simpson trial. Her name, credentials, and even appearance were widely discussed throughout the murder case which still catches the media’s attention today.
Marcia is also the host of a new A&E show called, The First 48: Marcia Clark Investigates. During each episode, she takes a closer look at the cases of Casey Anthony, Robert Blake, and more. Megan Stein Megan Stein is the executive editor for The Pioneer Woman, and oversees entertainment, features, and news for the website.
The Fix is Marcia’s latest project. She's a co-creator on the ABC show that follows Los Angeles prosecutor Maya Travis (Robin Tunney) who moved to Oregon after losing a high-profile case. She’s forced to face her demon once again, when the alleged killer, Sevvy Johnson (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is accused of another murder years later. Several publications have claimed the series is a fictionalized "do-over" of the O.J. Simpson trial.
In 1997, Clark co-authored Without a Doubt, a book about the Simpson trial, with Teresa Carpenter. She has since written four novels (with a new one coming out in May) and often appears on television as a legal expert in high-profile cases.
For more than eight months, the jury—and more than 100 million interested members of the television-viewing public—watched as dozens of witnesses, experts, and legal pros were paraded in front of the cameras, and turned into instant celebrities.
Though Cowlings always maintained that he was helping Simpson turn himself in, not flee, he was arrested for aiding a fugitive but never charged due to lack of evidence. In 1997, records show that Cowlings filed for bankruptcy.
But Fuhrman has found much success since the conclusion of the trial; in 1997 he wrote Murder in Brentwood, a bestselling book about the trial, which he followed up with several more popular true crime novels covering everything from the JFK assassination to the death of Terri Schiavo.
Brown, too—along with her late father, Lou—set up a foundation in her sister’s name to educate and raise awareness about domestic abuse.
This led to Johnnie Cochran ’s famous declaration: “If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit.”. Shortly after the end of the trial, Darden left the district attorney’s office and was appointed as an associate professor of law at L.A.’s Southwestern University School of Law.
While some key members of the trial—including Simpson's prone-to-theatrics "Dream Team" defense attorney Johnnie Cochran and fellow lawyer/Simpson family friend Robert Kardashian —have since passed away, others have spent the last 20 years rehashing the events of the trial of the century. Besides being fictionalized in FX's new hit series, ...
Gil Garcetti, now 79, was two years into his first term as the Los Angeles County District Attorney when the O.J. Simpson trial began. He won reelection to the DA's office in 1996, but lost in 2000.
After his own son Brent died from a drug overdose in 2005, he founded the Brent Shapiro Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to raise drug awareness and also a rehabilitation facility. He is now 78.
After the trial, Cochran continued to practice law and appear as a TV commentator. He died of brain cancer in 2005 at age 68.
Getty Images. Resnick was one of Nicole Brown Simpson's closest friends, who gained notoriety for her cocaine addiction. She checked into a rehab facility three days before Nicole was murdered, and infamously published a salacious tell-all book with a National Enquirer columnist during the trial.
Getty Images. Kris Jenner—the former wife of Robert Kardashian, one of Simpson's lawyers—was good friends with Nicole Brown Simpson. The four were often photographed together at Los Angeles social events in the late 1980s. In 1991, she divorced Kardashian and married former US Olympian Caitlyn Jenner (born Bruce Jenner.)
Judge Lance Ito's decision to allow television coverage of the trial was controversial, and in many ways, changed the nature of criminal trials. It was also revealed that Ito's wife, Margaret York, had been detective Mark Fuhrman's superior officer in the past, but Ito did not recuse himself from the case. Ito remained a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court until his retirement in 2015. Now 70, he has kept a low profile since the trial, and has never publicly discussed it or given interviews.
During the trial, Scheck was the unknown lawyer who introduced the still-new science of DNA to jurors. He made headlines for dismantling the police handling of evidence, ultimately wounding the strength of the prosecution’s forensic evidence. He and fellow Simpson lawyer Peter Neufeld co-founded The Innocence Project, which uses DNA evidence to exonerate wrongly convicted prisoners. The project has helped overturn over 300 convictions. Scheck, now 71, also teaches at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
The reason Kato Kaelin was living with OJ, Toobin writes, is that he had formerly been a tenant in Nicole Brown Simpson's guest house. When Nicole moved into a new home, she intended for Kato to move in and help babysit her kids. But Simpson objected to Kato living under the same roof as his ex-wife.
Also Read: Chris Darden Says New OJ Simpson Eyewitness Just Came Forward. Darden told the PodcastOne duo that he technically took a (paid) year off after OJ Simpson's acquittal in the murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson -- an effort for the burned-out lawyer to burn comp time -- but Marcia Clark's wingman always intended to return ...
Darden reveals how boss Gil Garcetti broke the news. OJ Simpson prosecutor Chris Darden was fired following his loss in 1995's so-called "Trial of the Century" -- he just didn't know it for about a year.
What it didn't include was that the juror, Lionel (Lon) Cryer, was “a former Black Panther whom prosecutors had inexplicably left on the panel.”. If you liked this gallery, you might like this list of bizarre details "The People v OJ Simpson" got right ... FX.
3. From Witness to Ghostwriter. Screenwriter Pablo Fenjves testified against Simpson about hearing the "plaintive wail" of Nicole Brown Simpson's Akita when she was murdered. Later, he ghost-wrote Simpson's book "If I Did It.".
In a walk around the premises to inspect what may have caused the thumps, Fuhrman discovered a blood-stained right-hand glove, which was determined to be the mate of the left-hand glo ve found next to the body of Goldman. This evidence was determined to be probable cause to issue an arrest warrant for Simpson.
The defense alleged that Simpson's blood on the back gate at the Bundy crime scene was planted by the police. The blood on the back gate was collected on July 3, 1995, rather than June 13, the day after the murders. The volume of DNA on that blood was significantly higher than the other blood evidence collected on June 13. The volume of DNA was so high that the defense conceded that it could not be explained by contamination in the lab, yet noted that it was unusual for that blood to have more DNA on it than the other samples collected at the crime scene, especially since it had been left exposed to the elements for several weeks and after the crime scene had supposedly been washed over. On March 20, 1995, Vannatter testified that he instructed Fung to collect the blood on the gate on June 13 and Fung admitted he had not done so. The defense suggested the reason why Fung did not collect the blood is because it was not there that day; Scheck showed a blown-up photograph taken of the back gate on June 13 and he admitted he could not see it in the photograph.
Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld argued that the results from the DNA testing were not reliable because the police were "sloppy" in collecting and preserving it from the crime scene. Fung and Mazzola did admit to making several mistakes during evidence collection which included not always changing gloves between handling evidence items, packaging and storing the evidence items using plastic bags, rather than paper bags as recommended, and storing them in the police van, which was not refrigerated, for up to seven hours after collection. This, they argued, would allow bacteria to degrade all of the "real killer (s)" DNA and thus make the samples more susceptible to cross-contamination in the LAPD crime lab.
In November 2006, ReganBooks announced a book ghostwritten by Pablo Fenjves based on interviews with Simpson titled If I Did It, an account which the publisher said was a hypothetical confession. The book's release was planned to coincide with a Fox special featuring Simpson. "This is a historic case, and I consider this his confession," publisher Judith Regan told the Associated Press. On November 20, News Corporation, parent company of ReganBooks and Fox, canceled both the book and the TV interview due to a high level of public criticism. CEO Rupert Murdoch, speaking at a press conference, stated: "I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project."
The defense team's reasonable doubt theory was summarized as "compromised, contaminated, corrupted" in opening statements. They argued that the DNA evidence against Simpson was "compromised" by the mishandling of criminalists Dennis Fung and Andrea Mazzola during the collection phase of evidence gathering, and that 100% of the "real killer (s)" DNA had vanished from the evidence samples. The evidence was then "contaminated" in the LAPD crime lab by criminalist Collin Yamauchi, and Simpson's DNA from his reference vial was transferred to all but three exhibits. The remaining three exhibits were planted by the police and thus "corrupted" by police fraud. The defense also questioned the timeline, claiming the murders happened around 11:00pm that night.
From an original jury pool of 40 percent white, 28 percent black, 17 percent Hispanic, and 15 percent Asian, the final jury for the trial had ten women and two men, of whom nine were black, two white and one Hispanic. The jury was sequestered for 265 days, the most in American history.
Barry Scheck alleged the police had twice planted the victims' blood inside Simpson's Bronco. An initial collection was made on June 13; the defense accused Vannatter of planting the victims' blood in the Bronco when he returned to Simpson's home later that evening. The prosecution responded that the Bronco had already been impounded by the time Vannatter returned and was not even at Rockingham.
The lead prosecutor in the Simpson case, Clark continues to write books, most recently releasing "Moral Defense" in November 2016, a fictional novel about a defense attorney handling a “tabloid-ready” stabbing case that left two people dead. Sound somewhat familiar? Clark has also worked as an “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent and co-authored "Without a Doubt," a book about the Simpson trial in which she insisted that the former football star was guilty.
The former Simpson defense attorney once again filed for bankruptcy in June stemming from a longtime dispute over his handling of client assets in a 1994 drug smuggling and money laundering case , according to the Bangor Daily News.
The former Simpson defense attorney once again filed for bankruptcy in June stemming from a longtime dispute over his handling of client assets in a 1994 drug smuggling and money laundering case, according to the Bangor Daily News. The 84-year-old, who currently lives in Maine and runs a consulting business, continued to work as a defense attorney after the Simpson acquittal until he was disbarred in Florida and Massachusetts.
The former defensive linesman who drove the white Ford Bronco during the police chase, Cowlings is semi-retired and resides in Malibu, Calif. He has no contact with O.J. Cowlings is still remembered at USC, which recently named a new residential facility in his honor. The university said it received a $15 million from an anonymous donor to set up the A.C. Allen Cowlings Residential College, scheduled to open in August to connect 320 students with “faculty-in-residence and student support staff to provide a stimulating and social setting, cultural activities and academic excellence that enriches and teaches.”
Fuhrman, a key investigator and witness in the O.J. Simpson trial, now works as a forensic and crime scene expert for Fox News. In a column for FoxNews.com, Fuhrman explained why he thought Simpson would be granted parole Thursday. “I predict that on October 1, O.J. Simpson will walk out of Lovelock Prison,” Fuhrman wrote.
Garcetti, who served as Los Angeles County’s District Attorney during the Simpson murder trial, now works as a photographer with seven photo books attached to his resume. He also teaches an art class and is a goodwill ambassador to West African countries seeking fresh water, while his son, Eric, is the current mayor of Los Angeles. He told the New York Post in 2016 that he never wanted prosecutor Marcia Clark to take the lead in the O.J. case.
Cochran, the lead defense attorney of what the media dubbed Simpson’s “Dream Team” – which factored into Simpson’s estimated legal bill of $3 million to $5 million since the murders – died of a brain tumor in 2005. Cochran continued his career following the trial, founding The Cochran Firm and defending clients such as rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs and NYPD brutality victim Abner Louima. Malcolm LaVergne, one of Simpson’s current lawyers, told The Associated Press early last year that Simpson believed Cochran was depicted unfairly in the FX hit series “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” despite not being allowed to watch it.
After prosecutor Darden made the mistake of demanding Simpson try on the ill-fitted bloody gloves, Cochran uttered the famous phrase: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.".
Due to Kaelin's shiftiness on the stand , prosecutor Clark turned against him and treated him as a hostile witness. Regardless, Kaelin — with his thick tufts of blond hair and surfer dude ways — gained considerable popularity in the media as a likable and comedic character of the trial.
Reportedly, one juror wholly dismissed Park's testimony because he was unable to recall the number of cars parked at the Rockingham mansion.
A fan of media attention, Ito was arguably too lax about different aspects of the Simpson trial, giving interviews and inviting celebrities and journalists into his chambers. Judge Ito was further criticized on his decision to allow cameras in the courtroom and letting attorneys stall and have too many sidebars.
Aspiring actor and houseguest of Simpson, Brian "Kato" Kaelin was a star witness for the prosecution. Present at Simpson 's Rockingham mansion at the time of the murders, Kaelin claimed that he ate dinner with Simpson that night but could not account for the star athlete's whereabouts between the hours of 9:36 p.m. and 11 p.m. (the prosecution theorized that Simpson murdered his ex-wife and Goldman between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.).
Although Darden floundered at the start of the trial and was purportedly intimidated by Cochran, he gained momentum as events progressed. However, he made a consequential mistake when he demanded that Simpson try on the infamous bloody gloves, which ended up being too small for the accused's hands.
Having moved up the legal ranks in L.A.'s criminal division, Cochran went on to represent some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Michael Jackson and James Brown. In 1994, he was considered one of the best trial lawyers in the nation, and it was Simpson himself who asked Shapiro to bring Cochran onto the team.
In one of the most dramatic moments of the fifth episode of “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” prosecutor Bill Hodgman becomes extremely flustered during an argument with the defense team, collapses, and is taken from the courtroom in a stretcher.
Here were his actual words, according to Jeffrey Toobin’s “The Run of His Life, ” the book on which the show is based: “I have to say, Mr. Douglas, I’ve had long experience with Mr. Hodgman. I’ve known him as a colleague, as a trial lawyer, and I’ve never seen the expressions on his face that I’ve seen today.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were tried in 1950 for passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. Charles Manson and his cult-like "Family" terrified Los Angeles in 1969 with a series of murders, including that of Roman Polanski 's pregnant wife, Sharon Tate. ‘Schmigadoon!’.
It’s not like a one-and-done case for her.”. The 27-year-old actress said playing Shughart in “Dr. Death” is the most “empowering” role she’s had so far, particularly because the attorney acknowledged how people underestimated her, but never let that get to her head.
Leopold and Loeb. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb killed a teenage boy in Chicago in the 1924 to prove they were capable of committing the perfect murder. They were later arrested and imprisoned -- proving that they weren't. German Federal Archives.
Yes, later that day: Jan. 25, 1995. While Hodgman and Marcia Clark briefed their boss on what had happened in court that day, Hodgman, 41, felt a strange feeling in his chest, and was taken by ambulance to the California Medical Center.
“The Crown” shoots primarily at Elstree Studios outside of London, but also v isits many other UK locations.
The jury hears old taped recordings of Fuhrman making multiple racial slurs, (which he had denied ever having done during his cross-examination), and also bragging about his enforcement of police brutality.
The DNA testimony begins and jurors learn one day later that one in 170 million people, including Simpson, would have the genetic characteristics as a drop of blood that discovered at the crime scene.
August 29, 1995 : Tapes are released of Mark Fuhrman saying racial slurs. The jury hears old taped recordings of Fuhrman making multiple racial slurs, (which he had denied ever having done during his cross-examination), and also bragging about his enforcement of police brutality.
June 12, 1994: Nicole Simpson Brown and Ron Goldman are murdered. 6:30 pm: After attending her daughter's dance recital, Brown has dinner with friends and family at the Brentwood restaurant Mezzaluna, where Goldman works as a waiter. Brown's mother accidentally leaves her eyeglasses at the restaurant and Goldman volunteers to stop by Brown's house ...
June 16, 1994: Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman's funerals. O.J. Simpson and his children at Nicole Brown Simpson's funeral. Photo: The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images. Simpson and his two children attend Brown's funeral. A funeral is also held for Goldman.
May 10, 1995 : The DNA evidence is presented. The DNA testimony begins and jurors learn one day later that one in 170 million people, including Simpson, would have the genetic characteristics as a drop of blood that discovered at the crime scene.
Simpson gets charged for the murders of Brown and Goldman. Fans on the side of the freeway cheering O.J. Simpson on during the Bronco chase. Photo: Vinnie Zuffante/Archive Photos/Getty Images. Although he originally promised to surrender to authorities, Simpson flees and becomes a fugitive.