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OJ Simpson

OJ Simpson. Period 3 Forensics. Background Information. Jury Selection. While picking a jury racial composition was strongly enforced The prosecution filed the murder case in downtown LA, instead of Santa Monica where the crimes occurred

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OJ Simpson

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  1. OJ Simpson Period 3 Forensics

  2. Background Information

  3. Jury Selection • While picking a jury racial composition was strongly enforced • The prosecution filed the murder case in downtown LA, instead of Santa Monica where the crimes occurred • This was a race issue, had the crime been filed in Santa Monica, OJ’s jury would’ve been mostly white • Poll data showed that white people were more likely to find Simpson guilty when compared to African Americans • Jury selection lasted two months

  4. Jury Selection • On Sempter 24th, 1994 jury selection began • 250 potential jurors, Judge Ito, Simpson and both the defense and prosecutor were present • The potential jurors had to fill out a 79-page, 294 question questionnaire • Questions were composed by both the defense and prosecution • Jury selection lasted two months • Judge Ito began eliminating people based on their exposure to the media • One person was eliminated for watching cartoons with her child, another was eliminated because they woke up to a clock radio

  5. Jury Selection • The release of Faye Resnick’s book on Nicole Simpson and OJ’s relationship caused controversy and halted the juror selection • A week later the judge dealt with another controversy, prosecutor Marcia Clark accused the jury of lying on their applications in order to be on the case • She asked for the entire jury to be dismissed, Judge Ito refused • By November 3rd, an initial jury was chosen • It was composed of eight blacks, two Hispanics, 1 half-Caucasian half Native America, and one Caucasian female • Fifteen alternate jurors were chosen over the next few weeks

  6. Final Jury Composition 9 Blacks, 1 Hispanic, 2 Whites 10 Women, 2 Men 2 With College Degrees, 9 With High School Diplomas, 1 With No Diploma

  7. Fun Facts About The Jury • None of the jurors regularly read the newspaper, but eight of them regularly watched tabloid television shows • Five thought that using force on a family member was sometimes acceptable • All twelve were Democrats • Five reported that they or a family member had experienced a negative interaction with police • Nine thought OJ Simspon was less likely to be a murderer, because he was a professional athlete

  8. Key Players • OJ Simpsom • Defendant • Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman • Victims • Mark Fuhrmam, Philip Vanatterand Dennis Fung • Investigators • Rosa Lopez, Brian Kaelin, and Allan Park • Witnesses • Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden • Prosecutors • Robert Shapiro, F. Lee Bailey, Alan Dershowitz, Robert Kardashian, Barry Scheck, and Johnnie Cochran • Defense “The Dream Team” • Lance Ito • Judge

  9. OJ Simpson • Orenthal James Simpson, mostly known by the name O.J. Simpson • Football Career • One of the most famous running backs in football history • Gained fame as a running back for the USC Trojans • He set NCAA records, and won the Heisman trophy • Previous marriages • Marguerite L Whitley, together they had three children, one of whom died before her second birthday, this is speculated to be the cause of their divorce • Marriage to Nicole Brown • Married six years after divorce with Marguerite Whitley, together they had two children • In 1989 OJ pleaded “no contest” against a domestic violence charge, at the time he was separated from Brown, he was paying child support • They divorced in 1992

  10. Nicole Brown-Simpson • Marriage to OJ • Brown-Simspon met OJ Simpson while she was 18 and he was 30 • They had their first child seven months after they were married • Divorce • They divorced in 1992, earning her a $433,000 cash settlement, and $10,000 per month for child support • Alleged abuse • Brown-Simpson often complained to others of being beaten by Simpson, citing that he did not like her flirtatious relations with other men • Simpson denied the abuse, claiming that the injuries resulted from “friendly wrassling”

  11. Ronald Simpson • He was a “young and energetic” man • Lived in Southern California • Employed as a waiter at a restaurant, he occasionally modelled • Soon after he became close friends with Nicole Brown-Simpson, though he regularly cited that the two were only friends • The prosecution claimed that his death came as an accident, as he went to return Brown-Simpson’s glasses that she left at the restaurant he was murdered by the “assailant”

  12. The Crime

  13. The Murder • June 13th, 1994, at 12:10am • Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ronald Goldman found murdered outside of Nicole Brown’s condo in Los Angeles • O.J. Simspon and Nicole Brown had already been divorced for two years • Brown was found staved multiple times in the head and neck, she had defensive wounds on her hands • Goldman was found in a similar situation stabbed and slashed • The bodies were found a few feet from each other

  14. Accusations • O.J. Simpson had previously been charged with domestic abuse to which he pleaded “no contest” to • This made him a prime suspect in the murder of his ex-wife • He was often jealous of her “flirtatious” relationships with other men, he was angry about her [platonic] relationship with Ronald Goldman • Another reason O.J. Simpson fit the profile for the murderer

  15. Charges • Simpson was charged with two counts of murder in the death of his ex-wife and Ronald Goldman • His lawyers convinced the LAPD to allow Simpson to turn himself in, at 11am on June 17th • The double murder charge meant that he could not be released on bail and he could possibly face the death penalty • Over 1,000 reporters waited at the police station, though Simpson never showed up • An “all points bulletin” was issued at 2pm that day

  16. “Suicide” Letter • At 5pm on June 17th, Robert Kardashian, one of O.J.’s close friends and lawyer read a letter from Simpson to the media “First everyone understand I had nothing to do with Nicole’s murder… Don’t feel sorry for me. I’ve had a great life.” • This was interpreted as a suicide note, and thus the search for Simpson began in full force • Around 6:20pm a motorist spotted Simpson in his white Bronco, with his friend Al Cowlings, the man notified the police immediately

  17. Evidence

  18. Gloves • Glove found at the scene • Another glove matching the one found at the scene was found behind O.J.’s guest house • Strand of blonde hair was found on the glove at O.J.’s house

  19. Bloody Shoe Prints • Man’s size 12 shoe (matching O.J.’s foot size) • Only 9% of American men wear size 12 • Shoe size indicates that the person is between 6’0” and 6’4” • O.J. Simpson is 6’2” • Exclusive brand of men’s shoes • Lorenzo by Bruno Magli • Rare and expensive • Only 29 pairs sold in the US • 2 of the 29 were sold at a store were O.J. frequently shopped • Denied ever owning a pair • In 1993, O.J. was photographed wearing the shoes

  20. Bloody socks • blood found on a pair of Simpson's socks found in his bedroom identified it as Nicole Brown's  • Hair • a few strands of African American hair were found on Goldman's shirt • Coins: • several coins were found along with fresh blood drops behind Nicole's condo

  21. Inside OJ’s car • Drop of blood found on the outside door handle of his Ford Bronco • Blood found on inside door, steering wheel, console, and carpeting • The blood had a combination of the genetic markings of Simpson and the victims • Car Chase • White Ford Bronco • That day was the day he was supposedly going to confess to the murder of Brown and Goldman, but he never showed • Police traced call to find him • Al Cowlings (a former teammate) was the driver of the white Ford Bronco, while OJ Simpson was the passenger. Cowlings stated that Simpson put a gun to his own head and demanded that he take him home or that he would kill himself. • OJ was in the back seat threatening to kill himself. • They went 35 mph and about 20 police cars and 20 helicopters were involved • Chase ended in Simpson's driveway

  22. Found In The House • After they arrived at the house, it was promptly searched, they found: • $8,000 cash • Change of clothes • Loaded gun • Passport • Family pictures • Fake goatee and a mustache • None of it was used in court as evidence

  23. Witnesses

  24. Witnesses • Rosa Lopez • She was walking her employer’s dog and she saw Simpson’s car outside of his house around the time of the murders • She later testified to this in court • Brian “Kato” Kaelin • Lived in Simpson’s guest house • He could not account for Simpson's whereabouts between 9:36 pm and 11:00 pm on the evening the murders took place • Testified to Simpson’s whereabouts the night of the murder, though his ‘flakiness’ caused Marcia Clark to treat him as a ‘hostile witness’ • Allan Park • Limousine driver, sent to take Simpson to the airport for a flight to Chicago • Claims he was supposed to pick up O.J. at 10:45 and O.J. came out at 11:05 after knocking on the door for 15 minutes with no answer • Before OJ came out he saw a ‘dark’ figure walk across the yard in a dark suit and go into the house at 10:55 • Was seen as one of the most significant witnesses in the case

  25. Mark Fuhrman • Los Angeles homicide detective • Responsible for the discovery of the bloody glove on O.J.’s property • Once took Simpson to jail on the charges of domestic abuse, resulting in Simpson pleading “no contest” • Was often viewed as having a consistently negative attitude towards African-Americans • Often used the word nigger derogatorily and bragged about torturing gang members he had arrested • After the trial he denied ever having been a racist

  26. Philip Vannatter • Senior Los Angeles robbery-homicide detective • One of the first detectives to arrive on the scene, he arrived at 4:05am • It was his decision to contact Simpson about his whereabouts • It was when they visited his mansion, they noticed the blood on his car • Their initial entrance into Simpson’s house was warrantless, however they justified it by claiming they believed that Simpson might have also been injured

  27. Dennis Fung • Los Angeles criminologist • Was responsible for DNA evidence because it was becoming more significant during the trial • He spent a total of nine days testifying • Testified as to how the evidence (blood and other DNA) was collected at the crime scene • Admitted to having missed blood at the scene, but that he returned weeks later to collect it • Was repeatedly asked about contamination of evidence during the cross-ex • Did not use rubber gloves when collecting samples • Defense later accused him of being involved in the scheme to frame Simpson

  28. Other Witnesses • Fredric Rieders: forensic toxicologist, director of National Medical Services in Philadelphia and expert in the blood preservative EDTA • Herbert MacDonell: blood spatter expert, said blood on the ankle of one sock from the bedroom was applied through "direct compression," • John Gerdes: testing expert, said Los Angeles police crime lab was so badly contaminated it was "by far" the worst lab he'd seen • Gilbert Aguilar: police fingerprint expert, determined the day after the killings that none of 17 prints lifted from the scene were from O.J. He said nine unmatched prints could be from anyone.

  29. Blood And DNA

  30. Crime Scene Blood • Drops found alongside the bloody shoe prints, the shoe prints were leading away from Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman • Blood was found on a gate at the back of the condo • Samples of blood found at both locations contained markers consistent with O.J. Simpsons’ • A cut on O.J.’s left middle finger was seen when he was interviewed by police the following day

  31. Bloody Shoe Prints • Bloody shoes were a size 12 • O.J. wears a size 12 • Bruno Magli, • Relatively rare and expensive brand up shoes

  32. Hair And Fibers • Hairs found in a dark cap were similar to Simpson’s hair • Fibers on the cap were similar to the ones in Simpson’s car • Dark blue cotton fibers were found on Goldman’s body

  33. Bloody Socks • A pair of dark, and crumpled socks were found at the foot of Simpsons’ bed • The socks contained genetic markers matching Simpson and Nicole Brown

  34. Bloody Bronco • Blood found on the drivers’ outside door handle • Inside the car blood was found • On the console • On the door • On the steering wheel • In the carpeting • DNA showed some of the blood was a mixture of genetic markers from Simpson and both of his victims

  35. Bloody Gloves • One dark, cashmere-lined Aris Light leather glove, it was a size extra large • Found at the murder scene, another was found behind Simpsons’ guest house, where Kaelin resided • Nicole Brown had bought Simpson the exact pair of gloves in 1990 • DNA tests showed that blood found on the glove contained genetic markers matching Simpson and both of the victims • In addition a long strand of blonde hair was also found on the glove, it proved to be similar to Nicole Browns’ • When O.J. was asked to try the gloves on in court, they were too small, and did not fit

  36. How Bloody Affected The Trial • The blood directly connected Simpson, but his lawyers found several problems with the way it was collected • Excuses: • Blood in the crime scene – blood was collected in a sloppy manner causing the DNA to be contaminated, this caused a false identification • Bloody shoe print – several thousand people bought shoes similar to the ones found • Bloody gloves – placed there by Mark Fuhrman, a notably racist detective • Bloody socks – also planted by the police • Bloody Bronco – challenged the interpretation of the DNA tests, claimed they were invalid because it was a mixture of two different types of blood

  37. Second Trial

  38. Civil Trial • Parents of Ronald Goldman: Fred Goldman and Sharon Rufo, sued Simpson for the wrongful death, and Brown’s estate • The trial took place over four months • O.J.’s lawyer (Bob Baker) made a crucial mistake in the case that allowed the prosecution to introduce O.J.’s failure to take a lie detector test, causing O.J. to be called to testify • This mistake also allowed a picture of Simpson wearing the Bruno Magli shoes that he previously denied having ever owned • A jury unanimously found there was a “preponderance of evidence” to hold Simpson liable for damages in the wrongful death of Goldman and battery of Brown

  39. Key Players (Civil Trial) • Fred Goldman – Ronald Goldman’s father • Juditha Brown – Nicole Brown’s mother • Louis Brown – Nicole Brown’s father • O.J. Simpson – Defendant • Daniel Petrocelli – Represented the Goldman’s • Bob Baker – Represented O.J. Simpson

  40. State Of Nevada Vs. Orenthal James Simpson • September 13th, 2007 • Simpson and a group of men were at Palace Station hotel in Las Vegas • Bruce Fromong, a dealer specializing in sports memorabilia was robbed and help at gunpoint • September 16th, 2007, Simpson was arrested and held without bail • Simpson admitted to taking the items that were originally stolen from him • He denied breaking in • Denied that he or the other men were armed • Sentenced to 33 years in prison, he his eligible for parole in nine years

  41. The Men Involved • Walter Alexander • Had the gun, sentenced to probation • Clarence “C.J.” Stewart • Drove the getaway car, didn’t negotiate plea deal, sentenced to 7.5 years in prison • Charles Cashmore • Carried items out, sentenced to probation

  42. Civil Trial Verdict • Simpson and Brown’s children (Sydney and Justin) were awarded $12.6 million from their father, they were acting as recipient’s of their mother’s estate • The families of the victims’ were awarded $33.5 million for compensatory and punitive damages

  43. Bibliography Law 2. UMKC, n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. <http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/parktest.html>. Usa Today. The Associated Press, 18 Oct. 1996. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/index/nns30.htm>. wikipedia. wikimedia, n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kato_Kaelin>. wikipedia. wikimedia, n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fuhrman>.

  44. Bibliography Blood on the Console [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/US/OJ/daily/9-29/sights_sounds/ Bloody Shoes [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/US/OJ/evidence/shoes/index.html The matching bloody gloves found at the murder scene and outside Simpson's home [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/simpson/evidence.html OJ Simpson Civil Trial. (n.d.). Retrieved from USA Today website: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/index/nns25.htm "O.J. Simpson Civil Trial." USA Today. USA Today, 18 Oct. 1996. Web. 28 Jan.      2014. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/index/nns25.htm>.  Ramsland, Katherine. "DNA & OJ." Crime Library. Time Warner Company, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. <http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/ forensics/dna/1.html>.

  45. Bibliography The Associated Press. "O.J. Simpson Civil Trial." USA Today. USA Today, 18 Oct.      1996. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/index/      nns25.htm>. CNN. "Simpson." CNN. CNN, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/US/      OJ/>. Crime Museum. "Forensic Investigation of the OJ Simpson Trial." Crime Museum.      National Museum of Crime & Punishment, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.      <http://www.crimemuseum.org/oj_acquittal_trial_suit>. Fleming, Jameson. "19 years ago: O.J. Simpson's Bronco Chase." CBS Sports. CBS      Interactive, 17 June 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. <http://www.cbssports.com/ nfl/eye-on-football/22450990/happy-anniversary-oj-simpsons-bronco-chase>. Jones, Thomas L. "The Murder Trial of O.J. Simpson." Crime Library. Turner      Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.      <http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/simpson/      hairs_14.html>. Preston, Benjamin. "O.J. Simpson’s White Bronco Police Chase Happened 19 Years      Ago Today." The New York Times [New York] 17 June 2013: n. pag. The New      York Times. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. <http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/      17/o-j-simpsons-white-bronco-police-chase-happened-19-years-ago-today/      ?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1&>. Winton, Richard. "'Kato' Kaelin now says O.J. killed Nicole Simpson, Ron      Goldman." Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles] 20 Sept. 2012: n. pag. Los      Angeles Times. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. <http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/      2012/09/kato-kaelin-thinks-oj-simpson-killed-nicole-and-ron.html>.

  46. Bibliography ABC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. <http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=94696>. CNN. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/US/9609/16/simpson.case/>. NY Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/11/us/jury-decides-simpson-must-pay-25-million-in-punitive-award.html?src=pm&pagewanted=2>. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson_murder_case>.

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