OJ Simpson murder case
context
Orenthal James Simpson or as most people know him as OJ Simpson. He rose to fame through playing for the San Francisco 49ners football team. He was also known for his career as sports commentator. He is most known for the murder trial of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. He was first married to Marguerite L. Whitley in June 24, 1967. In that relationship he had three children, which included Aaren Lashone Simpson who drowned in the family’s pool before her second birthday. That same year they divorced and in 1985 married Nicole Brown. Nicole Brown always complained about her marriage to family and friends. She would tell them O.J. would be physically abusive and frequently beat her. However he denied ever hitting her. She filed for divorce in 1992. On June 12, 1994 the bodies or Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death outside of her condominium in LA’s Brentwood area. When evidence led to police to suspect Simpson of the murder, he fled (with a disguise and a passport) in his Bronco in a nationally televised slow-speed chase seen.
Criminal evidence
Entire chart citation below
The jury
The jury selection process for this case was long and extensive. In the end the jury consisted of 9 blacks, 1 hispanic and 2 whites. The jury was also 10 women and 2 men. This decision of having a majority be black is. There was a poll given to both blacks and whites. The majority of whites found Simpson guilty while most blacks believed he was innocent. Click image to go to website with more information on how the jury was selected, and see sample questions. Click here to see the alternative jurors and background on each juror. People's backgrounds play an important factor in how people would make their decision.
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"Juries formed from all-white jury pools convict black defendants significantly (16 percentage points) more often than white defendants and (ii) this gap in conviction rates is entirely eliminated when the jury pool includes at least one black member." - Economists Shamena Anwar of Carnegie Mellon.
Interview with Peter Arenella, a law professor at UCLA Law School. He is questioned on the OJ Simpson murder trial. Among the question the interviewer asks What is the legacy of the O.J. Simpson Trial? Is there a legacy? What role did race play on the jury's deliberations. Which include people's reaction of the case and many questions on the jury and what could possibly have made the jury make their decision. Click image of Mr. Arenella to read his full response on the jury's decision.
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This video goes over how a juror's life is affected because O.J.'s trial was very long and the jurors had to stay away from learning of the opinions on the case.
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After Simpson was declared not guilty. The world was divided. There were differences in opinions about the facts in the Simpson trial and that divided whites and blacks. Looking at the poll's CNN held in October 4-5, 1995 they found most whites believed Simpson was guilty while most African-American's thought he was innocent. That related back to the jury. By looking at the statistics in this CNN page that was created through polls completed by 517 whites and 400 African-American's you can get a glimpse of how the country was divided.
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This is an extra video of more information on the trial and of actual day on the murder of O.J.'s wife.
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Citations:
- "A Jury Is Chosen to Hear The Simpson Murder Case." The New York Times. The New York Times, 3 Nov. 1994. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/04/us/a-jury-is-chosen-to-hear-the-simpson-murder-case.html>.
- Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/oj-simpson-9484729#trouble-with-the-law>.
- "BBC - OJ Simpson the Untold Story." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG5CPhGoT3M>.
- "Interview Peter Arenella." PBS. PBS. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/oj/interviews/arenella.html>.
- "O.J. Jury - How They Lived While Sequestered - ABC News Report." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVZwRypexNE>.
- "Profiles: Who Are the O.J. Simpson Jurors?" Profiles: Who Are the O.J. Simpson Jurors? Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/index/nns5.htm>.
- Race and Juries." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 16 July 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2013/07/trayvon-martin-case>.
- "The O. J. Simpson Trial: The Incriminating Evidence." The O. J. Simpson Trial: The Incriminating Evidence. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/simpson/evidence.html>.
- "Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman: 20 Years Later." Obituaries. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.legacy.com/news/legends-and-legacies/nicole-simpson-and-ronald-goldman-20-years-later/2398/>.
- "O. J. Simpson." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 June 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson>.