- OJ Simpson dies at 76; acquitted of double murder
- NFL star, actor, embroiled in legal controversies, dies
- Acquitted of Brown-Goldman murders, but civilly liable later
The controversially acquitted former American football player and actor OJ Simpson, who was later convicted of double murder, has passed away at the age of 76.
Born in San Francisco, Orenthal James Simpson achieved NFL prominence after ascending to prominence in college.
The 1995 trial in which he was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her companion captivated the nation.
Regarding unrelated armed robbery offences, he received a 33-year prison sentence in 2008. In 2017, his release occurred.
A family statement read that Simpson passed away on Wednesday of cancer “surrounded by his children and grandchildren.”
Simpson was apprehended in 1994 on suspicion that he was responsible for the murders of Nicole Brown, his ex-wife, and Ron Goldman, her friend. The two bodies were discovered fatally stabbed outside of Ms. Brown’s Los Angeles residence. Simpson emerged as an immediate suspect in the investigation.
He and a former teammate escaped in a white Ford Bronco on the day he was scheduled to turn himself in and led the police on a slow-speed pursuit through the Los Angeles area.
This pursuit captivated international and domestic audiences due to its live broadcast on 24-hour “rolling” news channels, which were in their infancy at the time.
Prosecutors contended in the subsequent court case, which was labelled the “trial of the century” by American media, that Simpson murdered Brown out of jealousy. Blood, fibre, and hair analyses provided evidence linking Simpson to the homicides.
The defence contended that Simpson was framed by officers with racist motivations.
Simpson encountered considerable difficulty fitting his hands into a pair of blood-stained gloves allegedly discovered at the murder scene, which became one of the most memorable moments of the trial when Simpson was requested to do so by the prosecution. As a consequence, during his closing arguments, one of Simpson’s solicitors, Johnnie Cochrane, instructed the jury: “You must acquit if it does not fit.”
Simpson was found in the end to be “absolutely 100% not guilty” by the jury, which was in accordance with his plea. The acquittal generated immense controversy.
Ms. Smith and Mr. Goldman’s families persisted in their pursuit of a civil lawsuit against Simpson, culminating in a 1997 jury verdict that held Simpson responsible for the two fatalities. Their families were awarded $33.5 million (£25.8 million) in damages, which he was ordered to pay.
Simpson sold a book manuscript entitled “If I Did It” and a potential television interview in 2006, in which he provided a “hypothetical” account of the homicides he had consistently denied.
Both projects were halted by public opposition; however, the book rights were acquired by Mr. Goldman’s family, who supplemented the material to implicate Simpson in culpability and successfully published it.
In 2008, Simpson was convicted of armed burglary for breaking into a Las Vegas hotel room with four accomplices, threatening two sports memorabilia dealers with firearms, and stealing items associated with his NFL career. This was his final disgrace.
Although he received a 33-year prison term, he was eligible for parole after fulfilling the mandatory nine-year term.
Simpson was well-liked and recognised as an athlete, actor, and the face of a number of prominent corporations prior to his legal issues.
He attended the University of Southern California, where he excelled in collegiate football, prior to his 1969 signing with the Buffalo Bills, where he remained until 1977.
He developed into one of the NFL’s all-time finest ball carriers. He was the first NFL player to “rush” more than 2,000 yards in a season in 1973, when he ran to advance the ball for his team.
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In 1979, he retired in order to pursue a profession in film and television. His filmography includes appearances in Capricorn One, Towering Inferno, and the Naked Gun series.
Simpson, according to NBC American football analyst Bob Costas, was not the first African American to achieve star status, but “he was the first to do it in a major way; an African American who broke through.”
The Heisman Trophy committee, which selects the player of the season in college football, expressed its condolences to the family of the 1968 champion in a tweet.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame detailed Simpson’s accomplishments as an NFL player in a statement and stated that documentation of those contributions would be preserved in its archive.
Ronald Goldman’s father, Fred Goldman, characterised Simpson’s passing as “no great loss.”
“All I can say is that it serves as an additional reminder that Ron has been gone for all these years,” he stated to NBC News. “It is not a catastrophic loss for humanity.” This serves as an additional reminder of Ron’s absence.”
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