who was the hot black female attorney on simpsons defense team that sat behind the defense team

by Nikita Cronin 10 min read

Who was on the defense team for Nicole Brown Simpson?

F.Lee Bailey was part of O.J. Simpson’s defense team that made history. Dubbed as the Trial of The Century, Simpson was charged with the murders of …

Who was the defense attorney for Simpson?

Pleading not guilty to the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, which occurred on June 12, 1994, Simpson hired a "dream team" defense, which included lead …

Who was on OJ Simpson defense team?

Mar 16, 2016 · She was the jury consultant who told Simpson’s attorneys exactly who should be on the panel. She says that when it comes to her role in …

Who was the lawyer for Nicole Brown Simpson in her case?

Sep 24, 2015 · Lawrence Schiller, author of "American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the O.J. Simpson Defense," had unprecedented access to Simpson and his dream team during the 1995 criminal trial, obtaining ...

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Who was OJS attorney?

The attorneys representing O.J. Simpson included F. Lee Bailey, Robert Blasier, Shawn Chapman Holley, Robert Shapiro, and Alan Dershowitz. Johnnie Cochran later became the defense team's lead attorney. The attorneys were known as the “Dream Team."Jan 24, 2022

Who was OJS best lawyer?

F. Lee BaileyFamed attorney F. Lee Bailey, who defended O.J. Simpson, dies at age 87. F. Lee Bailey, the flamboyant defense lawyer best known for his key role in O.J.Jun 3, 2021

How many attorneys did O.J. Simpson have?

Actor and football star O. J. Simpson had four lawyers representing him at his trial for murder: Johnnie Cochran, Robert Kardashian, Robert Shapiro and F.(34)… The Search for Justice: A Defense Attorney's Brief on the O.J.

What did Johnnie Cochran say when asked if he would join the Simpson team of lawyers?

Now officially on the prosecution team, he would have to face down Simpson's star defense attorney, Johnnie Cochran, best known for his now famous quip, “If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.” This was the making of an epic duel, the likes of which the country had never seen.Jul 25, 2017

What was OJ's defense?

Simpson was represented by a high-profile defense team, referred to as the "Dream Team," which was initially led by Robert Shapiro and subsequently directed by Johnnie Cochran.

Who was Mark Fuhrman and what role did he play?

A Los Angeles Homicide detective, Mark Fuhrman became one of the most controversial figures in the Simpson trial. Fuhrman arrived at the murder scene and was responsible for the significant discovery of the "bloody glove" on Simpson's property.

How much did Robert Shapiro make for O.J. Simpson?

Ultimately, Shapiro settled the case for $450,000 (nearly twice the amount he said he was paid to represent the client in the first place), without admitting any wrongdoing.

Why did the glove not fit Simpson?

The glove was covered in blood. According to the prosecution, that blood seeped into the fibers of the leather and shrunk it, thus explaining why Simpson's hand did not fit inside. ... Marcia Clark famously opposed using the gloves at all. “I did not want [Simpson] to try on the evidence gloves.Sep 30, 2020

Did Johnny Cochran redecorate OJ house?

According to one member of the defense team, the answer is yes. Defense attorney Carl Douglas said in Dateline NBC's special THE PEOPLE vs. OJ SIMPSON: What the Jury Never Heard that he organized a redecoration of Simpson's estate before the jury visited.Mar 1, 2016

Did Darden and Marcia date?

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.

Who is Marcia Clark?

Marcia Clark (Prosecution) An ace trial lawyer for the L.A. District Attorney's office, Clark spent years in the Special Trials Unit, which involved some of the most complex investigations, before becoming the lead prosecutor of the Simpson murder trial.

Who was Christopher Darden?

Christopher Darden (Prosecution ) Despite being a co-prosecuting attorney with Clark, Darden had limited trial experience. Still, as a Black man amid a majority Black jury, his participation was important so as to dismiss the notion that the otherwise all-white people prosecution had racist motivations against Simpson.

Who did Michael Jackson and James Brown represent?

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.

Who said if it doesn't fit you must acquit?

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.". That moment became a turning point of the trial, giving Simpson's defense a huge advantage.

Who was the witness for the prosecution?

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.).

Who is Robert Shapiro?

Robert Shapiro (Defense) A lover of the spotlight, lead defense counsel Sha piro knew how to make a deal without going to trial and was a master at manipulating the media in order to garner sympathy for his famous clients. In fact, he was praised as the "Defense Counsel of the Year" in 1994, which even Judge Ito applauded.

Who is Lance Ito?

Judge Lance Ito. Photo: POO/AFP/Getty Images. Before Lance Ito was appointed to the bench in 1989, he was an attorney for the L.A. district and at one point, worked under Cochran.

Jo-Ellan Dimitrius spoke to INSIDE EDITION about her portrayal in the miniseries

Jo-Ellen Dimitrius was known as O.J Simpson’s so-called “Dream Team's” secret weapon during his 1995 murder trial.

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Why is the racial gap shrinking?

While declining to say whether or not he thinks Simpson is innocent, defense attorney Carl Douglas stated that the racial gap concerning Simpson's guilt is shrinking for 2 reasons: first, Simpson's celebrity status has faded among African Americans; secondly, there is greater acceptance of DNA evidence as reliable.

What was the EDTA in the blood drop on the back gate of Nicole Brown's house?

Dr. Fredric Rieders, a forensic toxicologist, testified on July 24, 1995 and again on August 14, 1995. During direct examination, he testified that the results reported by FBI Agent Roger Martz showed that EDTA was found in Simpsons blood drop on the back gate at Nicole Brown's home and Brown's blood drop on the sock in Simpson's bedroom. Using a reference article from the EPA, he testified that because the amount of EDTA in that blood is measured in " parts-per-million " (PPM) and the reference article states normally EDTA in the blood should only be detectable in " parts-per-billion " (PPB), the evidence blood contains a thousand times more EDTA than it should. Because EDTA is used as a preservative in purple top tubes for lab draws, he stated the blood could have come from their reference vials.

How much blood did Thano Peratis draw?

Prison nurse Thano Peratis testified he drew an undocumented amount of blood from Simpson. When the defense asked him to estimate how much he drew, he stated approximately 8 mL. Records from the testing labs show that only 6.5 mL of blood could be accounted for, and the defense claimed that 1.5 mL was missing. During the rebuttal phase, Peratis testified again and clarified he believes he only took 6.5 mL as the records show.

Where was the blood found in the Bronco?

the blood inside and outside Simpson's Bronco (matched Simpson and both victims) the glove found at Simpson's residence at Rockingham (match Simpson and both victims) the blood inside and outside of his home on Rockingham (match Simpson) the blood on the socks in his bedroom (match Simpson and Nicole Brown).

Who was the judge in the DNA case?

Judge Lance Ito. Judge Lance Ito made several important decisions concerning the DNA section of the trial. First, he allowed the defense to argue that some of the evidence was planted despite producing no evidence that it was. Next, he ruled that the prosecution must reserve at least 10% of the DNA samples for the defense to test themselves.

Did Nicole Brown's blood come from a sock?

The defense claimed that blood found on a sock in Simpson's bed was planted there by Detective Vannatter. As evidence, they offered that Vannatter did have possession of Nicole Brown's autopsy blood briefly prior to booking it into evidence and the blood contained EDTA, a preservative found in the reference vial of Nicole Brown autopsy blood. The claim was refuted by the defense's own witness, FBI special agent Roger Martz who showed the level of EDTA in that blood drop is consistent with unpreserved blood and not even close to the levels that would be seen in blood from a purple top tube. The prosecution also countered that no blood was ever claimed to be missing from Nicole Brown's reference vial and that the records show Detective Vannatter booked the reference vials from the victims immediately into evidence right after receiving it from Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Irwin Golden. Dr. Cotton conclusively refuted that claim by showing the blood in the reference vial is substantially more degraded than the blood on the sock, proving it did not come from that vial.

What was the blood on Nicole Brown's home?

As evidence, they offered the blood contained EDTA, a preservative found in purple top tubes used for blood draws, it was collected several weeks later on July 3, rather than on June 13, and 1.5 mL of Simpsons donated reference blood was unaccounted for. The officer who planted it was not named by the defense. The prosecution countered that the EDTA levels found in the blood was consistent with that found normally in unpreserved blood and not even close to the levels found in blood preserved in a purple top tube. A different photograph of the gate on June 13 shows the blood was already there and the claim of some of Simpson's reference blood missing from the vial was refuted during rebuttal by the nurse who drew it who clarified he believes he only drew the amount the records show was used for testing.

Why didn't the gloves fit?

At the prosecution's request, Simpson tried on the bloody glove found at the scene of the crime at his criminal trial. "He had latex gloves on. He was trying on a glove that had been soaked in blood," Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman's father, told "20/20.".

Who is Lawrence Schiller?

Lawrence Schiller, author of "American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the O.J. Simpson Defense," had access to Simpson and his dream team during the 1995 criminal trial. Now 20 years after Simpson was found not guilty in his criminal trial on Oct. 3, 1995, Schiller co—produced with Stephen Auerbach and Chuck Braverman two new documentaries airing ...

Who is Ron Goldman's father?

He was trying on a glove that had been soaked in blood," Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman's father, told "20/20.". "He would hold the glove, and he did this. He wasn't yanking at the glove. It was – so of course – he couldn't get it on.".

Who said "I want all of the citizens of Los Angeles to remain calm"?

‘I want all of the citizens of Los Angeles to remain calm,” said an enraged Johnnie Cochran in a sentence that said one thing but that could be interpreted as meaning another, during a press conference in which he blasted Judge Ito for ruling that only 2 of the 42 uses of the word “nigger” on the Fuhrman tapes could be presented to the jury. “The cover-up continues,” said Cochran, suggesting that Judge Ito himself could be part of a conspiracy against Simpson. Many people were shocked by Cochran’s statements. Later, in a sidebar in the judge’s chambers, Ito told Cochran that he was going to overlook his public outburst.

Who said "This is a bombshell"?

There was jubilation in the defense camp. “This is a blockbuster. This is a bombshell,” Johnnie Cochran cried out to Judge Ito, with a prance in his step and excitement in his voice. “This is perhaps the biggest thing that’s happened in any case in this country in this decade.”.

What was the defense team's reasonable doubt theory?

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.

How many women were on the jury in the trial of the murder of the slain man?

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.

When was the blood on the back gate of the Bundy crime scene?

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.

Who was the Dream Team?

The pursuit and Simpson' s subsequent arrest were among the most widely publicized events in American history. Simpson was represented by a high-profile defense team, referred to as the " Dream Team ", which was initially led by Robert Shapiro and subsequently directed by Johnnie Cochran.

Did the police plant blood on the socks?

The defense alleged that the police had planted Brown's blood on the socks found in Simpson's bedroom. The socks were collected on June 13 and had blood from both Simpson and Brown, but her blood on the socks was not identified until August 4. The socks were found by Fuhrman, but the defense suggested Vannatter planted the blood. He had received both blood reference vials from the victims earlier that day from the coroner and booked them immediately into evidence. Vannatter then drove back to Rockingham later that evening to hand deliver the reference vial for Simpson to Fung, which the defense alleged gave him opportunity to plant the blood. Fung testified he could not see blood on the socks he collected from Simpson's bedroom but the prosecution later demonstrated that those blood stains are only visible underneath a microscope.

What is the book if I did it about?

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."

Who was the author of the book Journey to Justice?

In 1996, Cochran wrote and published a book about the trial. It was titled Journey to Justice, and described his involvement in the case. That same year, Shapiro also published a book about the trial called The Search for Justice. He criticized Bailey as a "loose cannon" and Cochran for bringing race into the trial. In contrast to Cochran 's book, Shapiro said that he does not believe that Simpson was framed by the LAPD, but considered the verdict correct due to reasonable doubt. In a subsequent interview with Barbara Walters, Shapiro, who is Jewish, claimed that he was particularly offended by Cochran for comparing Fuhrman's words to the Holocaust, and vowed that he would never again work with Bailey or Cochran, but would still maintain a working relationship with Scheck.

The Glove

A bloody glove reportedly discovered at O.J. Simpson's home may be the most famous piece of evidence from the trial, according to a 2014 article in the Los Angeles Times. In 1996, the glove's matching twin was found at the scene of the crime, leading prosecutors to argue that Simpson had allegedly dropped it by accident.

Methods Of DNA Evidence Collection

Blood found at the crime scene played a critical role in the Simpson case. Prosecutors claimed that Simpson allegedly cut his hand with a knife on the night of the two murders, according to USA Today, leaving blood tied to him in multiple lab tests.

Accusations Of Planted Evidence

Cochran and his team challenged the police. Attorney Alan Dershowitz, who served on Simpson's defense team, revealed in an interview with PBS in 2005 that he still believed the blood-soaked sock was planted at the scene.

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Background

  • Judge Lance Ito
    Judge Lance Ito made several important decisions concerning the DNA section of the trial. First, he allowed the defense to argue that some of the evidence was planted despite producing no evidence that it was. Next, he ruled that the prosecution must reserve at least 10% of the DNA sa…
  • Thano Peratis
    Prison nurse Thano Peratis testified he drew an undocumented amount of blood from Simpson. When the defense asked him to estimate how much he drew, he stated approximately 8 mL. Records from the testing labs show that only 6.5 mL of blood could be accounted for, and the de…
See more on en.wikipedia.org

Prosecution Case and Witnesses

  • The only physical evidence linking Simpson to the crime was DNA evidence. The volume of DNA evidence was unique and criminalists felt they could reconstruct the crime with enough accuracy to resemble an eyewitness account. With over 100 exhibits, the defense would have to discredit all of them to establish reasonable doubt. The prosecution also produced corroborating evidenc…
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Defense Case and Witnesses

  • "Compromised, Contaminated, Corrupted"
    The defense stated the DNA evidence against Simpson was not reliable. They said the police compromised the evidence by committing several mistakes when collecting it including occasionally not changing gloves between evidence items, using one swatch to collect blood fro…
  • Police conspiracy allegations
    The defense conspiracy allegation of planted evidence primarily focused on three exhibits initially: the blood on the Bundy back gate, the blood on the sock from Simpson's bedroom and the glove found at his Rockingham estate. However, by the end of the trial the defense would eventually cl…
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Acquittal and Aftermath

  • All of the jurors were initially confident in their reasonable doubt about the DNA evidence. All maintain they understood the DNA evidence presented at trial and defended their decision in books and interviews. However, their confidence began eroding following events subsequent to the trial and acquittal of O. J. Simpson.
See more on en.wikipedia.org

External Links