O.J. Simpson, who gained public attention as an NCAA star at the University of Southern California and became an outcast decades later after being charged with stabbing his ex-wife and her friend to death, has died at the age of 76.
Nicknamed “Juice” on the field, he won the Heisman Trophy, spent 11 seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, and had several roles in Hollywood.
After his arrest in 1994 for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, his name was forever tarnished. He was later acquitted of this charge at trial.
O.J. Simpson dies at 76, family says
O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson attend the premiere of When Harry Met Sally at the Academy Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA. (Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection, via Getty Images)
Even his arrest was spectacular, as he broke his promise to surrender to police and took off in the back seat of a friend’s SUV.
The image of Simpson fleeing an army of police cruisers in a white Ford Bronco in Los Angeles became part of the national consciousness.
Photo: O.J. Simpson’s history
O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson pose at the premiere of “The Naked Gun: The Last Insult” starring O.J. on March 16, 1994 in Los Angeles, California. (Vinny Zufante/Archive Photo/Getty Images)
Simpson and Brown split after seven years of marriage following reports of a rocky relationship and domestic violence altercations.
Here are some key moments from the historic legal battle.
- June 12, 1994 – Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman are stabbed to death in the courtyard outside their home in Los Angeles’ upscale Brentwood neighborhood.
- June 13th – OJ Simpson is questioned and released.
A family photo of Ronald Goldman, who was murdered in California on June 12, 1994, along with O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson. (Lee Serrano/Wire Image)
- June 17th – Infamous “low speed” car chase. Mr Simpson broke his agreement to turn himself in and fled from his lawyer’s home with his friend Allen “AC” Cowlings, leading police on a 60-mile low-speed chase. Officers arrested him as he parked his car in his driveway.
On June 17, 1994, police cars pursue a Ford Bronco driven by Al Cowlings carrying fugitive murder suspect OJ Simpson during a 90-minute low-speed car chase on Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, California. , drivers stop their cars and wave. Mr. Simpson’s friend Mr. Cowlings eventually drove him home, and Mr. Simpson hid under his back seat and drove to Brentwood, where he surrendered after a standoff with police. (Jean-Marc Gibou/Liaison)
- September 9 – As trial nears, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announces it will not seek the death penalty.
- January 24, 1995 – Trial begins with opening statements from Deputy District Attorneys Marcia Clark and Chris Darden.
This May 3, 1995 file photo shows murder defendant O.J. Simpson (right) with his friend Robert Kardashian (center) and Kardashian’s attorney Alvin Michelson during a hearing in Los Angeles. (Left) He is pictured having a consultation with Mr. Mr. Kardashian, a businessman and lawyer who was a central figure in the O.J. Simpson story and a member of his legal “dream team,” died in Los Angeles in 2003 of esophageal cancer. He passed away at the age of 59. (Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
- January 25 – Defense attorney Johnnie Cochran, a member of Simpson’s lauded “dream team” of high-powered lawyers, delivers the defense’s opening statement.
- February 12th – Jurors are taken by bus from the courthouse to the crime scene.
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Judge Lance Ito, second from the right. O.J.’s principal, defense attorney Carl Douglas (second from left) and the Los Angeles County Sheriff stand on Bundy Drive in front of Nicole Brown Simpson’s condominium in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on February 12, 1995. Deputy Public Defender Guy Magnella (left). The murder scene is visited during the Simpson double murder trial. On the right is an unidentified sheriff’s deputy. (AP Photo/Eric Draper)
- May 15th – Gloves don’t fit. Simpson tries on gloves in court.
- Aug. 31 – A judge rules that jurors can hear a controversial recording of detective Mark Fuhrman in the case, who is accused of using racist language. He declined to comment Thursday.
Attorney Johnnie Cochran appears at the O.J. Simpson murder trial on July 25, 1994 in Los Angeles, California. (Ted Soki/Sigma via Getty Images)
- September 26-28 – Lawyers from both sides make closing arguments. Cochrane utters the now-famous line, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
- Oct. 3 – Jurors agree. After less than four hours of deliberation, Simpson was found not guilty of two counts of murder.
Prosecutors in O.J. Simpson murder case receive support from judge for judicial campaign
O.J. Simpson tries on the leather gloves allegedly used to kill Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman during testimony at Simpson’s murder trial in Los Angeles on June 15, 1995. . (Lee Serrano/Wire Image)
The trial lasted months and became a worldwide spectacle, the first case to be televised from beginning to end to a national audience.
Judge Lance Ito presided over a morning court session on September 1, announcing a new witness who could testify about LAPD Detective Mark Fuhrman’s alleged use of racial slurs in the O.J. Simpson serial murder trial. The prosecution and defense are in discussions regarding the invitation. (AFP via Getty Images)
“I was lucky that I was able to convince the judge.” [Lance] Ito asked for the cameras to keep rolling despite the hype, but we certainly paid a high price,” said Royal, a media lawyer who persuaded the judge to allow television news cameras in court. “That hasn’t changed in the years since the Simpson trial,” Oakes said. It is very difficult to get a judge to give the go-ahead for cameras. ”
Murder defendant O.J. Simpson (C) listens to the not guilty verdict with his attorneys F. Lee Bailey (left) and Johnnie Cochran Jr. (right). Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. (Myung J. Chun/AFP/Getty Images)
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After being acquitted of murder charges, Simpson went to civil court and was found responsible for the deaths, resulting in $33.5 million in damages, most of which were never paid.
His financial difficulties later led to an armed robbery in Las Vegas, and he was eventually sent to prison.
On June 17, 1994, the Ford Bronco carrying O.J. Simpson (hidden in the back seat), driven by Simpson’s former teammate Al Cowlings, crashed several times on a Los Angeles-area freeway. He was reportedly chased by dozens of police cars during the hour-long chase. (Sam Milkovich/Reuters)
He was released in October 2017 and received early release from parole in November 2021.
He attempted a comeback on X (previously known as Twitter), posting selfie videos about current events.
In 2017, Simpson was granted parole and released from prison for a Las Vegas robbery. (Jason Bean/Reno Gazette Journal via AP, Pool, File)
Simpson’s children announced Thursday morning that their father had died the night before.
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He was battling cancer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
