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.