Introduction

The Background News Network scoured the web and is bringing you the details of Mr. O.J. Simpson. This covers Mr. Simpson's life from his glory days at USC to the murder of his ex-wife and her friend to his most recent involvement and arrest in a Las Vegas robbery. The BNN team is also bringing you videos in 'O.J. in Action' and the original news stories from which our information was gathered in the 'Related Links' section. Look around and learn about the life of Mr. O.J. Simpson.

The Las Vegas Robbery

On September 18, 2007, eleven criminal charges were filed against O.J. Simpson and three other men—Walter Alexander, Clarence Stewart, and Michael McClinton—for an armed robbery at a casino hotel room in Las Vegas. Among these charges are two counts of robbery with a weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and two counts of first-degree kidnapping.

The group entered the casino and demanded the return of sports memorabilia that had belonged to Mr. Simpson. Mr. Simpson and the others are accused of kidnapping because they pointed guns at Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley with the intent of detaining them against their will. The group left with a box full of autographed footballs and other memorabilia.

Mr. Simpson was arrested on Sunday, September 16, 2007. At the court hearing on September 19, 2007, Mr. Simpson pled not guilty, insisting that he went unarmed into the hotel to collect items that had been stolen from him. A hearing will take place next month; if Mr. Simpson is found guilty of all charges, he will face decades in prison.

The Book Deal

O.J. Simpson wrote a book entitled “If I Did It” which entails a description of how he would have killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman, ‘if’ he did it. The book tells of Mr. Simpson’s and his wife’s early life together and the end of their marriage. He then details ‘hypothetical’ murder scenes.

The rights of the book are owned by the Lorraine Brooke Corporation, which has recently filed for bankruptcy. Judge A. Jay Christol, a federal bankruptcy judge, accused Mr. Simpson of setting up a scheme of defrauding his creditors because he set up the corporation in his daughter’s name. He ruled that Fred Goldman is now the corporation’s largest creditor and is eligible to seek the rights to Mr. Simpson’s book.

Mr. Goldman published the book on September 13, 2007, and changed the title to “If I Did It: The Confessions of the Killer.”

The Civil Trial

Once again, O.J. Simpson was on trial as of September 17, 1996. But this time, almost a year after his criminal trial, all he had to lose was his money. He was being sued by the families of the murder victims, Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman (pictured above). Mr. Simpson faced losing millions of dollars if he was found liable for the murders in this civil trial in Santa Monica, California. Unlike the criminal trial, media coverage of this civil trial was extremely limited.

The odds were against Mr. Simpson: according to polls, most whites believed he got away with the murders, and Santa Monica was a predominantly white area. On February 10, 1997, the jury decided that Simpson would pay 25 million dollars in punitive damages for the killings, as well as 8.5 million dollars in compensation to the victims' families.

Murder and Criminal Trial

On June 4, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found dead in the doorway of Mrs. Simpson’s condo. According to the L.A. County Police Department, the former wife of O.J. Simpson and Mr. Goldman were victims of “sharp-force injuries.” Mr. Simpson, who was en route to Chicago around the time of the murders, was called in for questioning but the L.A.P.D. did not make a formal charge against Mr. Simpson until June 18, 1994. When Mr. Simpson learned he would be brought in for questioning, he fled from his home. Leaving a suicide note behind, Mr. Simpson’s high speed chase lasted six hours and was broadcasted live across the United States. This bizarre chase was the beginning of one of the most infamous trials in United States history.

After being charged with the two murders, Mr. Simpson employed a strong team of defense lawyers who began working on his case. Nevertheless, there was strong evidence against Mr. Simpson. Blood was found in his car, the knife used in the murder matched one that Mr. Simpson had bought weeks before, and Mr. Simpson had been charged with physically beating Mrs. Simpson in 1991. The defense team uncovered many discrepancies in the evidence against Mr. Simpson. Such discrepancies included contamination of evidence and the moral integrity of the Los Angeles Police Department, specifically Detective Mark Fuhrman. Detective Fuhrman eventually pleaded the 5th amendment to avoid questioning on his integrity towards the case. However, after nearly a year in court, the jury spent only four hours in deliberation to reach a final verdict. As Simpson was found “not guilty,” every American stood still to watch the live broadcast. As the verdict was announced, everyone seemed to have an opinion. Due to the nature of the trial, race was a primary indicator of how Americans felt after the reading of the verdict. According to the New York Times, “6 in 10 whites believed the wrong verdict was reached, while 9 in 10 blacks said the jury had come to the right conclusion.” The O.J. Simpson trial showed the nation just how racially divided Americans still feel.

The Football Career

Orenthal James "O.J." Simpson was a running back at USC for the Trojans and then went on to play a majority of his career with the Buffalo Bills from 1969-77. He was the first player to ever run for 2000 yards in a single season.

Mr. Simpson led the college nation in rushing in 1967 when he ran for 1,451 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. In 1968, he rushed for 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns, earning the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp Award that year. He also holds the record for the Heisman's largest margin of victory, defeating second place by 1,750 points. Mr. Simpson also won the Walter Camp Award in 1967 and was a two-time consensus All-American.

Mr. Simpson gained 11,236 rushing yards, placing him 14th on the NFL's all-time rushing list. He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1972, 1973, and played in six Pro Bowls. Mr. Simpson was inducted into the Pro Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year of eligibility.

1967 USC vs. UCLA. His 64 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter tied the game, with the PAT after the touchdown being the deciding factor. This was the biggest play in what is regarded as one of the greatest football games of the 20th century.

Sources

The sources for this website are as follows:
Pictures:
Introduction- nytimes.com
The Las Vegas Robbery - smokinggun.com
The Book Deal - barnesandnoble.com
The Civil Trial - cnn.com
The Murder and Criminal Trial - crime.about.com
Football Career - espn.com
Article Information:
The Las Vegas Robbery - dallasnews.com
The Book Deal - dallasnews.com
The Civil Trial - cnn.com
The Murder and Criminal Trial - nytimes.com
Football Career - espn.com/about.com