O.J. Simpson case: one year later

Jet, June 26, 1995 by Aldore D. Collier

A year has passed since police found the bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman near the entrance of her condominium in the Brentwood section of L.A. and O.J. Simpson, an American legend, jailed for the bizarre crime.

In the fast-moving year, the American public has been witness to Simpson, a much-beloved superstar go from limousines and black-tie outfits to handcuffs and prison blues. They've also seen the slow-speed freeway car chase watched around the world, wild rumors, mega-book deals, nationwide debates, a shrinking pool of jurors, charges of racism and made-for-television movies. All part of what has been labeled the trial of the century.

The O.J. Simpson double-murder trial has brought sharply into focus an age-old problem in America that is rarely discussed with open honesty-race. Polls have shown since the trial began in January that most Whites believe he is guilty and Blacks do not. The racial makeup of the jury (which at JET press time is 9 Blacks, 2 Whites and 1 Latino) and even the racial composition of the attorneys in the case have become major issues.

When well-known attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. came aboard Simpson's defense, the prosecutors brought in Christopher Darden, who also is Black. There was immediate, and sometimes open, speculation that race mattered in Darden's appointment because Cochran and many of the jurors were Black.

Simpson is a superstar who has been embraced by both Blacks and Whites. His ex-wife Nicole, 35, was a beautiful, model-type figure. And she was White. And so was Ronald Goldman, 25.

Willie Cravin, the last juror dismissed, told the L.A. Times that his dismissal was definitely about race. He said he was convinced that he was let go as a peace offering to prosecutors after Superior Court Judge Lance Ito dismissed a White woman and a Hispanic woman. "It was racial, a personal vendetta against me," he said.

Besides the two victims, possibly the greatest casualty has been a major drop in the public's faith in the judicial system. Polls have shown from the beginning that most Americans feel the trial will end in a hung jury, possibly along racial lines. However, with 10 members of the jury panel already dismissed (only two alternates are left), there is growing speculation that the trial will end in a mistrial and possibly have to start all over again at great financial and emotional expense. Some Whites have openly questioned whether Black jurors can be objective about Simpson's guilt while some Blacks have expressed similar reservations about Whites. Thus far, it has cost taxpayers more than $5 million. No figures are available regarding how much Simpson's team of superstar attorneys are charging, but it is believed to be in the millions as well.

Because it is perceived as the trial of the century, virtually every aspect is placed under microscopes with reporters writing about the colors of lawyers' neckties, changes in lead prosecutor Marcia Clark's hairstyles and probing into the personal lives of the attorneys involved, the two victims and some of the witnesses.

Christopher Darden, one of the prosecutors, told the L.A. Times that he isn't certain he will ever want to try another case after the Simpson trial is over. "It has shaken my faith in a system, a system that I never considered perfect, but one that I felt, at least in the small number of cases that I've handled, was as close to perfect as possible."

Simpson has shown that individuals can be locked behind bars and still pull in major bucks. He has made hundreds of thousands of dollars since his incarceration with his best-selling book I Want to Tell You, trading cards, monies from the airing of movies he appeared in and replicas of trophies.

Vendors have made money hawking Simpson T-shirts, buttons and other souvenirs. Al Cowlings, Simpson's buddy who drove the White Ford Bronco during the freeway chase, has put his thoughts on a 900 number where calls cost more than $2.00 a minute.

While the atmosphere inside the court has been described as "circus-like," the true "circus" outside the court has subsided. At the beginning of the trial, hordes of people packed the area around the courthouse, selling products, and chanting about Simpson's innocence or guilt.

As tired as many claim to be of the trial, ratings have been high since the trial began in January. Cable News Network (CNN), Court TV and several other television stations have aired gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial and have received huge ratings.

Even though the murders occurred a whole year ago, the killings are still the subject of discussions and downright debates all over the country. One trial observer suggested that it still has all the hot elements that keep people intrigued-murder, race, domestic discord, child custody (Marcia Clark's battle with ex-husband), celebrity, wealth, illegal immigration, police corruption, sex and drugs. Are L.A. police officers corrupt and conspiratorial? How could Simpson have done so much in so little time? Was the whole thing a drug plot? Was O.J. framed? These are the kinds of questions that have kept the interest in the case high.