who was the prosecuting attorney in the o j case

Who were the lawyers in OJ trial?

Dec 31, 2007 · (Court TV)-- Profiles of the key attorneys in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson: THE PROSECUTION TEAM (in alphabetical order) Marcia Clark , born 8 …

How did the defense dismantle the prosecution case against OJ?

One figure made famous by the landmark case was former Los Angeles deputy district attorney Christopher Darden, the prosecuting attorney who worked alongside lead prosecutor Marcia Clark. Now, FX Networks' original series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story has thrust the unforgettable trial back into the public consciousness, and ...

Why was OJ Simpson acquitted?

Sep 23, 2021 · 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.

How was the jury chosen on the OJ Simpson trial?

Feb 09, 2016 · Marcia Clark was an L.A. deputy district attorney when she was tasked with taking on Simpson’s highly-paid “Dream Team” of lawyers.

What happened to the prosecutor in the OJ trial?

The lead prosecutor in the case, Marcia Clark, resigned from the Los Angeles County district attorney's office after the trial ended. Now 68, Clark has spent the years following the trial as an author, legal analyst and television producer.Oct 2, 2020

Who was the main defense lawyer for OJ?

F Lee Bailey was the showman-like criminal defence lawyer whose roster of celebrity clients included OJ Simpson and Patty Hearst. Bailey, who has died aged 87, could have continued his successful career and retired in wealth and fame, had it not been for an unwise error that ultimately brought him ignominy.Jun 21, 2021

Did William Hodgman have a heart attack?

"Hodgman, 42, a low-key but tenacious attorney known for his ability to keep juries focused on the facts, suffered chest pains and began gasping for air," People reported, explaining that it happened hours after opening statements "during a prosecution strategy session." "Doctors said later he did not have a heart ...

Who was the judge on the O.J. Simpson case?

Judge Lance Ito is best known for presiding over the O.J. Simpson murder trial back in 1995.Aug 9, 2021

How much did O.J. Simpson's lawyers cost?

As it turns out, Simpson was allowed to keep generating memorabilia during his trial, which allowed to afford the "Dream Team" of lawyers — which the doc notes cost him an estimated $50,000 a day. Here's how he did it.Jun 19, 2016

What is OJ net worth?

ESPN's Darren Rovell has postulated that Simpson may have made over $600,000 while incarcerated at Lovelock Prison in Nevada. It was estimated that Simpson was worth approximately $10.8 million when he and Nicole Brown Simpson divorced in 1992. That would equate to about $19 million as of May 2017.Jul 20, 2017

Why did the jury go to OJS house?

Prosecutors maintain that Simpson killed the two victims and left a literal trail of blood from the murder scene to his house. Among other things, they wanted jurors to see the small area in which the murders were committed to bolster the contention that a single assailant, not two or more, was responsible.Feb 13, 1995

Who is Marcia Clark?

THE PROSECUTION TEAM (in alphabetical order) Marcia Clark, born 8-31-53, is the lead attorney in the case. She is assigned to the Special Trials Division. She joined the District Attorney's Office in 1981 and has prosecuted about 60 jury trials, including 20 murder cases.

Who is Christopher Darden?

Christopher Darden, born 4-7-56, is co-counsel. He has taken more than 19 homicide cases to jury since becoming a Los Angeles County prosecutor in 1980. Darden became a deputy district attorney in 1981 and completed a six-and-a-half year assignment with the Special Investigations Division before joining the prosecution team. He is a graduate of San Jose State University and Hastings College of the Law.

Who is Gil Garcetti?

He is a graduate of San Jose State University and Hastings College of the Law. Gil Garcetti, born 8-5-41, is the Los Angeles District Attorney, elected in 1992. He joined the District Attorney's Office in 1968 and served as chief deputy from 1984-1988.

Who is William Hodgman?

William Hodgman, born 12-14-52, is director of the Bureau of Central Operations, which includes the Special Trials Division. He joined the District Attorney's Office in 1978 and has prosecuted about 130 trials, including 40 murder cases. He helped win the 1992 conviction of Charles Keating for securities fraud.

Who is Lisa Kahn?

Lisa Kahn, born 12-28-57, is the DNA coordinator for the district attorney's office. She joined the District Attorney's Office 10 years ago and is a member of the Organized Crime Division. She successfully prosecuted the first DNA evidentiary jury trial in California.

Who is Cheri Lewis?

Cheri Lewis, born 8-8-52, is assisting in the research and preparation of prosecution motions and pleadings. She has successfully tried eight murder cases during her five years with the District Attorney's Office. She previously worked in the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

Who was the doctor who killed his wife?

He was successful in overturning the conviction of Sam Sheppard, a Cleveland doctor accused of murdering his wife. The case became a landmark on the issue of pretrial publicity. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the Boston University School of Law.

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.

Early life and education

Clark was born Marcia Rachel Kleks in Alameda, California, the daughter of Rozlyn (née Masur) and Abraham Kleks. Her father was born and raised in Israel, and worked as a chemist for the FDA. She was raised in a Jewish family. She has a younger brother by six years who became an engineer.

Career

Clark was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1979. She was in private practice and worked as a public defender for the city of Los Angeles before she made a complete turnaround and became a prosecutor in 1981. She worked as a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, California, and was mentored by prosecutor Harvey Giss.

In popular culture

In August 2013, Clark appeared as Attorney Sidney Barnes in the Pretty Little Liars episode, " Now You See Me, Now You Don't ".

Personal life

When Clark was 17 years old, she was raped on a trip to Eilat, Israel. She has said it was an experience she did not deal with until much later, and that it influenced much of why she became a prosecutor.

Bibliography

Without a Doubt with Teresa Carpenter (1997). Viking Press. ISBN 978-0-670-87089-9

How many people watched OJ Simpson's trial?

Twenty-five years ago today, October 3, 1995, nearly 150 million people watched the live verdict as O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Lyle Goldman. The shocking verdict may have brought an end to the nearly-year-long trial, which was marked by incessant media coverage ...

Where is OJ Simpson now?

He was released on October 1, 2017, and has remained a free man since. Now 73, Simpson lives mostly under the radar in Las Vegas.

Who is Chris Darden?

6) Chris Darden. Like his co-counsel Marcia Clark, Darden resigned from the DA's office in the wake of the trial. He went on to teach law at California State University and, similarly to Clark, published a memoir and co-authored several legal thrillers.

How old is Gil Garcetti?

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.

When did Kim Kardashian divorce?

In 1991, she divorced Kardashian and married former US Olympian Caitlyn Jenner (born Bruce Jenner.) They divorced in 2015. After the trial, she shot to fame with her reality series with her family,"Keeping Up With the Kardashians.".

Who was Nicole Brown Simpson's friend?

8/16 SLIDES © Getty Images. 7) Kris Jenner. 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.

Why was Cowlings arrested?

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.

Who is Ron Goldman's father?

Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman’s father, still stands as an example to the families of murder victims everywhere. Throughout the trial he was an eloquent spokesperson for the victims who couldn’t speak for themselves, and spent more than a decade pursuing civil claims against Simpson.

Who is Nicole Brown's sister?

DENISE BROWN. Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister, Denise Brown, was a powerful voice for victims of abuse. Her testimony about the abuse that Nicole Brown Simpson suffered at the hands of O.J. made for some of the trial’s most memorable moments.

Who was Marcia Clark?

Marcia Clark was an L.A. deputy district attorney when she was tasked with taking on Simpson’s highly-paid “Dream Team” of lawyers. It was the kind of case that could make or break an attorney’s career, but Clark was no newcomer; in 1991, she successfully prosecuted Robert John Bardo for the murder of My Sister Sam actress Rebecca Schaeffer. And while the outcome in the Simpson trial wasn’t in Clark’s favor, it did help her to discover a new passion in life—writing. 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. “Writing novels and being in the courtroom—it's a storytelling job, no matter how you look at it,” Clark told Oprah in 2013. “It's the same thing.”

Who said if the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit?

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.

Who wrote the search for justice?

Like so many other key people in the O.J. Simpson trial, lawyer Robert Shapiro, who successfully defended Simpson, eventually wrote a book about the case— The Search for Justice: A Defense Attorney’s Brief on the O.J. Simpson Case.

The Evidence

The murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman was a violent crime. Accordingly, there was a large amount of blood at the crime scene. Almost all of the blood was found to have come from Nicole Brown Simpson and Goldman.

Prosecution Case

There were two pieces of physical evidence relied on by the prosecution:

Conclusion

The above discussion details just some of the many instances of mishandling and contaminating evidence that occurred during the investigation. It is no surprise that the jury were left with a reasonable doubt about whether OJ Simpson had murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

Overview

Trial

Background

Murders

Flight to Chicago

Arrest

Preliminary hearing

Media coverage