The so-called 'O.J. trial' was one of the most highly publicized media spectacles in LA murder trial history. It found its place in the popular culture via TV movies and of course 'don't squeeze the juice' T-shirts. The footage of Simpson attempting to evade the police in a white Bronco with football pal Al Cowlings, is perhaps some of the most well-known (or at least most shocking) live news footage of all time.
On June 13, 1994, O.J. Simpson's ex-wife and Mezzaluna server Ronald Goldman were found dead with their throats slit at the former's condo on Bundy Dr. in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Goldman was apparently there returning Brown's sunglasses (which she had left at the restaurant).
The evidence led to O.J. Simpson as the prime suspect. But, he failed to appear at the police station as anticipated and instead led authorities on a low-speed chase which ended at his home in Brentwood. Police found $8,000 in cash, a change of clothing, a gun, passport and fake mustache in the vehicle.
After a lengthy nine-month trial for which Simpson hired a team of high-priced attorneys including F. Lee Bailey, Johnnie Cochran, Barry Sheck, Alan Dershowitz, Robert Kardashian and Robert Shapiro, he was ultimately found not guilty. The case was fraught with mishandled evidence and jury dismissals, and was later deemed by critics an example of how celebrities seem to be above the law in our judicial system.
In 1997, the Brown and Goldman families sued Simpson for damages in a civil trial and won. In an unrelated incident, Simpson was arrested in 2007 in Las Vegas and found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping. He was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison and is currently serving out his sentence in Nevada.
