The oj simpson trials

This distinction can be seen in O. Criminal sanctions can be in the form of community service, rehabilitation, or jail sentence and can be as serious as life in prison or the death penalty. On the other hand, the penalties in a civil law case are often monetary such as paying a sum of money or damages to the other party or a restraining order. While O. Simpson did not face any criminal sanctions, he was given a hefty monetary sanction in the civil court. This final difference between criminal and civil law is exactly why O.

In criminal cases, there is the burden of proof. This means that the defendant must be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in order for them to be charged with a criminal offense. Simpson was not able to be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt because his defense lawyers argued against the credibility of the Los Angeles Police Department, saying that they possessed contaminated evidence and held biases against O. There was enough evidence in the O. The shocking verdict may have brought an end to the nearly-year-long trial, which was marked by incessant media coverage that gripped the nation, but the case still casts a long shadow.

The trial made bona fide celebrities of some of the peripheral characters in Simpson's life, like Kris Jenner, and has been the subject of numerous documentaries and dramatizations, like The People v. Simpson: American Crime Story. In the two decades since the trial, several members of the Dream Team have passed away, while other key lawyers have left the legal profession entirely. Some, like Alan Dershowitz , remain fixtures in the political scene. Simpson himself later did jail time for armed robbery.

Here, take a look at the major players from "The Trial of the Century" and where they are now. In , he was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with armed robbery and kidnapping, of which he was later convicted and sentenced to 33 years in prison, with a minimum of nine years without parole. He served nine years at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada and was granted parole in July He was released on October 1, , and has remained a free man since.

Now 73, Simpson lives mostly under the radar in Las Vegas. Clark, now 67, has gone on to write a series of crime novels and has also appeared as a television commentator about high profile trials.

After the trial, Cochran continued to practice law and appear as a TV commentator. He died of brain cancer in at age Another member of "The Dream Team", the year-old F. Lee Bailey who also famously represented Patty Hearst has fallen from grace since the trial: he was disbarred in both Florida and Massachusetts for his handling of stock owned by a drug-smuggler client. He also filed for bankruptcy in Even after passing the bar in Maine, where he now resides, he has still been denied a license to practice.

The sample from the carpet contained a profile consistent with Nicole Brown Simpson. Police also collected blood samples from the vehicle over two months after the homicide. Police also found blood in the driveway and foyer of the property belonging to OJ Simpson. Tests showed that this blood belonged to OJ Simpson. Many more pieces of evidence were adduced during this trial.

It is likely that the other pieces of evidence, some of lacks forensic relevance, also played an critical role in the outcome of this trial. 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. The DNA testimony begins and jurors learn one day later that one in million people, including Simpson, would have the genetic characteristics as a drop of blood that discovered at the crime scene.

Simpson trying on the "too tight" bloody gloves during his double murder trial. Christopher Darden presenting evidence that O. Simpson owned similar, if not the same, gloves found at the crime scene. Darden has Simpson try on the leather gloves in front of the jury. Simpson puts them on and declares them "too tight.

The jury hears old taped recordings of Fuhrman making multiple racial slurs, which he had denied ever having done during his cross-examination , and also bragging about his enforcement of police brutality. The cover of the 'New York Post' when O.

Simpson was found not guilty. Deliberating for less than four hours, the jury returns with a verdict of not guilty on two counts of murder. Simpson is a free man. The prosecution and defense teams, combined with star witnesses, aided in the case being named the "Trial of the Century.

Lyle and Erik provided some much-needed advice to the fallen football star as all three awaited their trials on murder charges in the same Los Angeles prison. From Gacy's first sexual assault conviction to his eventual execution, here are the key moments from one of the most notorious murder sprees in U.