It has been almost a year since a movie was released in theaters that did not make much sense to the critics, but its subject matter is more than interesting, even if its capture on the big screen was not the one that would give… five stars.
The reason for the film "The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson", which concerns an event that describes: namely the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, who on June 12, 1994, along with her boyfriend Ronald Goldman, were found stabbed at her home in Brentwood, California.
The corpses were discovered by a passer-by, with Nicole's lying on the steps in front of the main entrance, while the young waiter was a few meters away, in the yard. At the time of the murder, which the medical examiner identified around midnight, the two children of the murdered woman from her marriage to Orenthal James Simpson (or just Jay) were sleeping in their rooms. The father of the children and a famous American football athlete, with whom they parted ways two years ago in a highly episodic manner, were considered the main suspects in the crime.
This is where a unique thriller begins, which has occupied the American public as little as possible, with the turn of the story having incredible upheavals and culminating in a court decision, which "paralyzed" the USA, as it stuck millions of people on television. In the end, Simpson did not escape prison, not for murder, but for other reasons.
But let's start from the beginning Ό Oriental James Simpson was born on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco. From a young age he showed his tendency in sports. He was famous for how fast he ran, as well as for his amazing physical condition. This is how OJ came about, which is a direct reference to Orange Juice. In 1968 he received the award for the best player in the college championship in American football and the NFL was one way. His professional career began in 1969 and he made his sponge in the sport until 1979. The list of great moments on the field is huge and he became one of the most recognizable people in USA.
Before he even retired from racing, he had started film appearances, which from 1979 onwards became more and more. He participated in many commercials and people loved him no matter what he did. During this time he married twice, in 1967 to Margaret Whitley, with whom he had three children (the youngest of whom was found dead in the pool just five months after the couple divorced in 1979) and in 1985 to Nicole Brown, which he had met eight years earlier. They had two children with the beautiful blonde and divorced in 1992, due to "unresolved differences".
A hot June 1994 night would change Simpson's life forever and end for Brown and her boyfriend. Authorities immediately launched an investigation. The main suspect from the beginning was one. Police went to OJ's home to inform him. A few hours earlier he had boarded the plane for Chicago, on which he had traveled for business. According to urban legend, in the telephone communication that took place with the researchers, he did not ask either how or who. Only he will take the first available plane and return.
As soon as he got home, Simpson saw a crowd of police and journalists. That restless man began to cooperate directly with the authorities. What made sense to the detective who took over the case, was a wound on the finger of the left hand of the athlete-actor. Among those provided was blood donation, which he did not deny. Most of the evidence from the crime scene led to him. Thus, on June 17, 1994, he was charged with double murder. And while his lawyers claim he will surrender, he never shows up. The police consider him a fugitive and are looking for him.
OJ was spotted in a white Ford Bronco, driven by a teammate and friend, Al Cowlings, in the back seat, threatening to end his life. A cinematic pursuit began, but at a slow speed. Τthe whole scene was the best "food" for the big US television networks, which recorded it live and for two whole hours the audience was stuck on the screens.
In fact, the chase set a record for television viewing, as it was watched by 95 million people. At the same time, Simpson had an even surreal dialogue with the police chief, which contained large doses of guilt. "I am the only one who deserves something bad. Only me λα I just wanted to be with Nicole. I have already said goodbye to my children… ". Prior to the incident, the defendant's lawyers had read a letter in public stating that he would commit suicide. Something that in the end did not work.
Finally, at 9 pm, the white vehicle stopped at OJ's house, where hundreds of journalists and reporters, as well as special police forces, were waiting for him. The protagonist remained in the car for 45 minutes, until he got permission to enter the house and was arrested. Cowlings was found with $ 9.000 in his pocket, while a fake beard and mustache, disguise tools and a pistol with which he had threatened to end his life were found in Ford.
Five days later, Simpson appeared in court and declared "absolutely, 100% one hundred innocent". To make this legal adventure as painless as possible, he brought together some of the most prominent lawyers in the United States, led by Johnny Cochran, who had many other celebrities on his agenda. Also, Among his lawyers was Robert Kardashian, of the well-known family, a close friend of OJ - was the one who had read the public suicide letter. However, things were not easy for the accused. The other side has as its "weapons" three very important elements: the behavior of OJ before and after the murder, the evidence found at the crime scene and the DNA analysis that showed him as the only culprit.
Another important witness was the driver of the limousine that transported OJ to the airport that night. He testified that he arrived at the house of the accused at 10:25, but that no one answered him when the bell rang. Shortly before 11:00 a.m. he saw a shadow enter the house and a few minutes later Simpson appeared, telling him that he had fallen asleep. He entered the car with a black suitcase in his hands, with the accusing authority claiming that he had hidden the deadly knife and the bloody clothes there. In general, a lot of evidence emerged that blamed him.
With the final composition of the jurors being asymmetric, as blacks were overwhelmingly more than whites, the defense largely played the "paper" of racism. An ideal "bait" for something like this was Mark Ferman, one of the police officers who gathered information from the house where the murder took place, as well as OJ's house. After answering the questions of the Prosecution, the questions of Francis Lee Bailey followed. What he tried to extract from the witness was whether he had used the word "negro". He answered in the negative, but that was not true.
Then came an audio documentary from an old interview, in which he used the word "negro" in 41 sentences, while testimonies said that he had succeeded many times against his black fellow citizens. In fact, in the document he seemed to admit that he had "planted" evidence in various crime scenes, in order to be more likely to be convicted. In fact, the defense showed a videotape from Nicole's house, which she took from the security company, which did not show any of the elements that could activate Simpson.
What finally lifted the scales in favor of the accused was when he was asked to test one of the most important pieces of evidence at the crime scene. Two gloves with blood on them. First he put on latex gloves so that there is no alteration in the elements and when he tried to put the others in his hands, they did not do it to him. He turned to the jurors, showed his hands and said: "They do not do it to me. See; They do not fit me ". Cochran then starred in a scene he connected to like no other in trial. Wearing a hat, he turned to the jurors, gave them a summary of the facts and said: "It does not fit. And if it does not fit, you must acquit "(" They do not. And if they do not, he must be acquitted ").
The trial lasted a total of 133 days and cost an astronomical sum of $ 11.000.000. Nearly 57% of the country's population watched the process during this time, as it is estimated that even for a little over 150 million people in the US saw - even for a few minutes - its evolution. As you can imagine, on the day of the verdict, everyday life had nothing to do with what American society knew. Almost everyone was stuck on screens and receivers to hear the decision of Justice.
The diary read October 3, 1995. The jurors were locked in a room to make a decision. They came out after 3 hours. At 10 a.m. the judge's secretary, Lance Ito, picked up the microphone and announced: "We, the jurors in this case, have ruled that the accused, Orenthal James Simpson, is innocent of the crime of murder." For the first time during the whole process, OJ smiled, while Cochran was celebrating next to him. At the same time, the families of the two victims burst into tears.
According to interviews given by some of the jurors over time, when they came in and voted for the first time, ten argued that the accused was innocent and the other two guilty (it was not specified if these two were his only whites). body). However, because the decision had to be unanimous, they changed their minds and this result emerged. At the same time, the California authorities where the trial was taking place, had taken draconian measures, for fear of outbreaks, in case the verdict found the accused guilty.
The popular athlete-actor did not enjoy his acquittal for a long time. More than a year later, in the civil trial, OJ no longer had the dream team of lawyers by his side. The court found him "responsible" for Brown-Goldman's death and ordered him to pay $ 33,5 million to the victims' families, an amount he did not have. The -finally- justified side was never really interested in the amount, as its concern was to restore the reputation of the deceased.
In January 2007, Simpson made another move that would create even more intrigue around the case: he published a book entitled "If I Did It", in which he hypothetically referred to the murders. But at some point the killings were described in so much detail that many rightly thought that only someone there could know so well. A few months later, Goldman's family won the rights to the book and republished it with a cover that carefully hid "If" so that it could be read as "I did it". I did").
In September of the same year, authorities arrested OJ for a series of crimes involving armed robbery, kidnapping and financial misconduct. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison, where he was held until October 2017, when he was released from a Nevada prison, after the request for suspension of his sentence was accepted. The first thing the former brilliant star did as a free citizen was to go to a store of a well-known fast food chain and enjoy a burger. Somehow, an epilogue entered a case that even the most imaginative screenwriters could not imagine.