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PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: OJ: THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY TWENTY YEARS LATER {HIGHLIGHTS}

Summary

An abridged version of a documentary about the O.J. Simpson murder trial and the media attention surrounding it.

On June 13th, 1994 at 875 South Bundy Lane in Los Angeles, California, police cordon off the house of Nicole Brown Simpson, ex-wife of actor and former football player O.J. Simpson, as a crowd of onlookers gather. The bodies of Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman are removed from the scene by the police. The situation quickly becomes convoluted when O.J. returns to Los Angeles and is questioned by the police; the police are suspicious due to a history of domestic abuse towards Nicole. At Parker Center LAPD Headquarters in downtown Los Angeles, the media crowds about as O.J. exits the station; he refuses to answer any questions. At his home at 360 North Rockingham Avenue, the police launch an investigation while continuing to fend off news reporters as O.J. returns home. At a press conference, LAPD spokesman David Gascon formally announces the identities of the victims, but will not specifically name O.J. as a suspect.

By June 15th, speculation continues about the murders and Fred Goldman, Ronald’s father, speaks to the press alongside his family to express their grief over the death of Ronald. Police find evidence in the form of a bloody glove at O.J.’s home matching one found at the murder scene. Robert Shapiro, O.J.’s lawyer, tells the press that O.J. was supposedly at his home at the time of the murder. On June 16th funerary services are held for Nicole. The next day, the LAPD officially files murder charges against O.J., and it is expected that he will surrender himself to the police. The media waits surrounding the LAPD headquarters, but O.J. does not arrive. After several hours, Gascon announces that O.J. has not appeared as per his agreement and that the LAPD is actively searching for him. The police soon find him driving in a white Ford Bronco and engage in a low-speed chase, receiving massive international media coverage, and being closely watched by many. Eventually the Bronco turns and heads back to O.J.’s home, where the police quickly establish a perimeter in an attempt to control the situation. Onlookers gather by the side of the road to cheer on O.J. in a show of support. Detective Tom Lange of the LAPD places a call to O.J. inside the car as the driver of the Bronco, O.J.’s friend Al Cowlings, pleads with him before O.J. hangs up. Time passes and the situation remains unchanged and tense. At approximately 8:47 PM, O.J. exits the car and gives himself up to the police. Shapiro arrives to give a brief impromptu press conference, and onlookers cheer him on, asking him to “win the case.”

The preliminary hearing for O.J.’s murder trial begins on July 8th, watched by millions on television. The prosecution presents its argument against O.J. in the form of the large amount of compelling evidence pointing to him as the killer, such as the blood trails at the scene of the crime matching O.J.’s blood, and what appears to be a flimsy alibi on O.J.’s part. He is held in custody without bail awaiting a further trial to be held, as there is sufficient cause to believe the possibility of his guilt. The defense claims that the LAPD mishandled evidence and might have unjustly targeted O.J. on account of his race, a claim bolstered by recent incidents involving the LAPD of a similar racially-based motivation. LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman is put on the witness stand, and he in particular is accused of harboring racist attitudes and using offensive racial slurs. The prosecution attempts to scientifically prove Simpson’s guilt via the blood-stained glove found at the scene of the crime, which is proven to have been purchased by Nicole. The prosecution asks that O.J. try on both the glove found at the scene of the crime and the glove found at his home, but they do not easily fit. Johnnie Cochran, one of O.J.’s defense lawyers, utilizes the ill-fitting glove in his infamous closing remarks, denying that other conditions could have affected the gloves’ fit; he claims that “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” He plays on the jury directly and their “common sense;” the judge notes that the jury must endeavor not to be influenced by the extensive media circus surrounding the trial.

On October 3rd, 1995, the jury deliberates for several hours and reach a verdict. During the hours leading up to the announcement of the verdict, the LAPD prepare for the worst, believing that considerable backlash will ensue from the general public. Thousands gather outside the courthouse, some in support of O.J. and others hoping for a verdict against him. The court convenes and tension mounts as the verdict is announced: O.J. is found not guilty of the murder charges against him. This sparks a wave of celebration from a great number of viewers, particularly African-American ones. O.J. is promptly released and reactions are highly mixed throughout the nation: some believe that the trial exposed corruption and racism in the LAPD and that O.J. was unfairly targeted, while others believe that the defense lawyers manipulated the presentation of the evidence against O.J. and skewed the jury’s perspective. Some believe that the verdict represents a failing of the judicial system as a whole to exact justice. It represents the longest murder trial ever to take place in California, lasting over sixteen months; an epilogue notes that the verdict was viewed by over 150 million people. The case goes on to generate over a billion dollars in media and merchandising. No one else has been subject to the murder charges other than O.J.

Details

  • NETWORK: N/A
  • DATE: June 12, 2014
  • RUNNING TIME: 0:43:46
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: 114564
  • GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries
  • SERIES RUN: N/A
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Nicole Rittenmeyer … Executive Producer
  • Louise Norman … Executive Producer
  • Diana Sperrazza … Executive Producer
  • Allison Ferner … Producer
  • Adrian Murray … Producer
  • Timothy Moran … Associate Producer
  • Paul Yannes … Associate Producer
  • Peter Challis … Composer
  • Ed Bradshaw … Composer
  • Larry Carroll
  • Johnnie Cochran
  • Al Cowlings
  • Mark Fuhrman
  • Gil Garcetti
  • David Gascon
  • Fred Goldman
  • Ronald Goldman
  • Tom Lange
  • Robert Shapiro
  • Nicole Brown Simpson
  • O.J. Simpson