Simpsons trial results

There were two pieces of physical evidence relied on by the prosecution:. The prosecution also argued that blood splatter transferred from the victims to OJ Simpson during the murders had been transferred to his car from his person and from the glove which was later found behind his house saturated blood.

Evidence had been mishandled during the investigation. Racism in the Los Angeles police department had biased the investigation. The first task for the defence was to explain the presence of blood belonging to OJ Simpson in his car and home.

Their case was that OJ Simpson had simply cut himself at his home on the night of the murders and this explained the blood found in his car, driveway and foyer. The other evidence - the sample taken from the crime scene that produced a DNA profile consistent with OJ Simpson, the samples taken from the car that showed DNA belonging to victims and the sample taken from the glove that found DNA consistent with OJ Simpson - was more difficult for the defence to explain.

Their case sought to discount this evidence on the basis that it was improperly collected, tested and reported. Their job was made easier by the various mistakes and mishaps that occurred in the course of collecting and testing the evidence.

The defence also argued that the samples taken from the blood drops were degraded and destroyed as a result of mishandling. This was supported by evidence of the samples being packaged in plastic bags and then left in a hot truck for several hours before being transported to the testing facility. Expert evidence, including from the prosecution, agreed that DNA rapidly degrades in such conditions and crucially, all of the experts agreed that a degraded DNA sample would falsely produce a positive match if it is later contaminated.

This provided substantial support to the prosecution's core argument that the evidence was mishandled and contaminated making the results of the tests that linked OJ Simpson to the crime scene and the victims, unreliable.

Furthermore, the defence argued that the small quantity of DNA that was found on the exhibits was consistent with inadvertent transfer leading to the contamination. There was also substantial evidence of mishandling of the evidence by Los Angeles Police Department.

This time, however, is a bit different for me. Now, I am viewing these scenes in the context of as a long time practicing lawyer and somewhat of a seasoned and moderately successful trial lawyer. Also very different now is the context in which I see this story. Following recent events in Ferguson, Missouri and Charleston, South Carolina, the idea that members of the police force can intentionally kill a suspect makes it easily plausible that the same officer could plant evidence.

The decision to use the glove, calling Mark Furman despite his history, the reason Chris Darden was brought in, that Marcia Clark is a chain smoker, that Johnny Cochran had been arrested for domestic violence in the past and that Robert Kardashian was a nobody whose children would become the most famous infamous reality TV stars in the history of this country. I thought that the initial scene of the series showing the Rodney King beating was quite telling. Being a white male from the Southeast US, it never occurred to me at that time that the Rodney King incident would have any effect on the O.

Simpson case. Looking back, how could it not. At the time of the verdict, I certainly was surprised but was not shocked.

Then again, I was always looking for a way for O. I remember being embarrassed when news programs would show the difference in reaction to the verdict between predominantly white crowds versus African American audiences. Not fully appreciating the different perceptions that existed then in regards to police behavior prevented me from fully understanding the disparity in reaction to the verdict.

Today, I get it completely. I think recent events of blatant racially motivated police brutality captured on video have gone a long way of shaking up those of us who live long lives and never appreciate the horrible treatment some of us endure daily from the police. The prosecution made some pretty significant mistakes: relying on Mark Furman as the most critical witness without fully vetting his past, allowing OJ to try the glove on for the first time in front of the jury, failing to appreciate the impact of the Rodney King case on the jury, and finally treating this prosecution just like all the rest in the office.

The defense strategy was near perfect—use the tremors of racial intolerance associated with the King case and parlay it to assist in the acquittal of O. The thing that was most illuminating for me following the verdict was how different the American experience is for its citizen depending upon their race. I am glad that I was able to make this personal observation about my misconceptions. Our country, however, has made very little progress on this issue since the white Bronco chase.

Monthly Committee Meeting. All welcome. Minutes of meetings are available to all club members by request, email: sandra. Its easy, simply follow this link and sign up, then whenever you shop online search for the retailer with easy fund raising and a percentage of your order will be donated to Scott Trial Charities! The provisional results are available to download here: Gerald Simpson — Provisional Results These results are provisional — contact Chris Wallis on for any queries.

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