O.J. Simpson, who broke into the public eye as a star NCAA running back at the University of Southern California and became a public pariah decades later when he was charged with fatally stabbing his ex-wife and her friend, has died at 76 years old.
Nicknamed “Juice” on the field, he won a Heisman Trophy, spent 11 seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, and found a few roles in Hollywood.
Then Simpson’s name became forever tarnished after his 1994 arrest in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman – charges of which he would later be acquitted at trial.
Some analysts have argued the jury and even the judge were influenced by heightened racial tensions after the acquittal of a group of Los Angeles police officers in the beating of Rodney King in 1992. There were also reports of alleged “jury nullification” – in which the majority Black jury was accused of acquitting him based on racial motives.
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O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson during premiere of “When Harry Met Sally” at Academy Theater in Los Angeles, California. (Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Even his arrest was a spectacle after he broke his promise to surrender to police and took off in the back seat of a friend’s SUV.
The image of Simpson in a white Ford Bronco fleeing an army of police cruisers in Los Angeles became part of the national consciousness.
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A split image shows the different reactions as large groups of people gathered to hear the verdict in O.J. Simpson’s 1990s murder trial over the deaths of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. (Hector Mata/AFP via Getty Images | Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Simpson and Brown split after seven years of marriage, following reports of a volatile relationship and spats of domestic violence.
Here are some key moments from the historic court battle:
- June 12, 1994 – Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman are stabbed to death in the courtyard outside her home in LA’s upscale Brentwood neighborhood.
- June 13 – O.J. Simpson is questioned and released.
A family photo of Ronald Goldman, who was murdered with O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, June 12, 1994, in California. (Lee Celano/WireImage)
- June 17 – The infamous “slow-speed” car chase. Simpson broke an agreement to turn himself in and fled his attorney’s home with a friend, Allen “AC” Cowlings, leading police on a slow-speed pursuit that spanned 60 miles. Officers arrested him after he pulled into his own driveway.
Motorists stop and wave as police cars pursue the Ford Bronco driven by Al Cowlings, carrying fugitive murder suspect O.J. Simpson, on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase on June 17, 1994, on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles. Cowlings eventually drove Simpson home to Brentwood, where he surrendered after a standoff with police. (Jean-Marc Giboux/Liaison)
- Sept. 9 – With the trial approaching, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announces it would not be seeking the death penalty.
- Jan. 24, 1995 – The trial begins with opening statements from Deputy District Attorneys Marcia Clark and Chris Darden.
O.J. Simpson consults with Robert Kardashian, center, and Alvin Michelson during a hearing in Los Angeles on May 3, 1995. (Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
- Jan. 25 – Defense attorney Johnnie Cochran, part of Simpson’s acclaimed “Dream Team” of high-powered lawyers, delivers an opening statement for the defense.
- Feb. 12 – Jurors are taken to the crime scene on a bus from the courthouse.
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Principals in the O.J. Simpson trial tour the site of the murders, in front of Nicole Brown Simpson’s condo in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, Feb. 12, 1995. (AP Photo/Eric Draper)
- May 15 – The gloves don’t fit. Simpson tries on a pair of gloves in the courtroom.
- Aug. 31 – The judge rules jurors can hear controversial recordings of a detective on the case, Mark Fuhrman, who was accused of using racist language. He declined to comment Thursday.
Attorney Johnnie Cochran appears in court during O.J. Simpson’s murder trial in Los Angeles on July 25, 1994. (Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images)
- Sept. 26 to 28 – Lawyers on both sides deliver closing arguments. Cochran delivers the now-famous line, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
- Oct. 3 – Jurors agree. In less than four hours of deliberations, they find Simpson not guilty on two counts of murder.
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O.J. Simpson tries on a leather glove allegedly used in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman during his murder trial on June 15, 1995, in Los Angeles. (Lee Celano/WireImage)
The trial stretched on for months and became a global spectacle as one of the first televised start-to-finish legal proceedings to a national audience.
Judge Lance Ito presides over the O.J. Simpson double murder trial. (AFP via Getty Images)
“We were fortunate to convince Judge [Lance] Ito to keep the cameras running in spite of the showboating, but we certainly paid a steep price,” Royal Oakes, the media attorney who convinced the judge to allow TV news cameras in the courtroom. “For years after the Simpson trial, it was extremely difficult to get judges to give a green light to cameras.”
O.J. Simpson listens to the not guilty verdict with his attorneys F. Lee Bailey, left, and Johnnie Cochran Jr. (Myung J. Chun/AFP/Getty Images)
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After his acquittal on the murder charges, Simpson faced a civil trial and was found liable for the deaths, costing him $33.5 million – most of which he hadn’t paid.
His financial troubles later led to an armed robbery in Las Vegas, and he finally went to prison.
A Ford Bronco carrying O.J. Simpson (hidden in rear seat) is driven by Simpson’s former teammate Al Cowlings as it is chased by dozens of police cars during an hours-long pursuit through Los Angeles area freeways on June 17, 1994. (Sam Mircovich/Reuters)
He was freed from prison in October 2017 and received early release from parole in November 2021.
He attempted a comeback on X, formerly known as Twitter, posting selfie videos about current events.
In 2017, Simpson was granted parole and released from prison on Las Vegas robbery charges. (Jason Bean/The Reno Gazette-Journal via AP, Pool, File)
Simpson’s children announced Thursday morning that their father died the prior evening.
O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson pose at the premiere of “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult,” in which O.J. starred, on March 16, 1994, in Los Angeles. (Vinnie Zuffante/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
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He had been struggling with cancer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.