O.J.'s Comeuppance

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright October 4, 2008
All Rights Reserved.                    

              Found guilty of all 12 counts Oct. 3, 2008 in Vegas of armed robbery, kidnapping, involuntary imprisonment, etc., O.J. Simpson couldn’t escape the long arm of the law, exactly 13 years to the day he was acquitted of the June 12, 1974 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Lyle Goldman.  Simpson’s defense team headed by Yale Galanter said that O.J. was simply trying to recover stolen sports memorabilia that he rightfully owned.  He denied ordering anyone to use a handgun to reclaim his personal property.  Unfortunately there were tape recordings and eyewitnesses that said otherwise.  Unlike the 1995 trial of the century, O.J. missed the late Johnnie L. Cochran Jr.  Galanter lacked the charm and charisma that helped Cochran get O.J. off the hook Oct. 3, 1995.  When jurors returned from 13-hours of deliberation Oct. 3, O.J. headed off to jail.

            Nevada authorities had a tight case against what amounted to a simple robbery by the former USC 1968 Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Hall-of Fame Buffalo Bill’s running back.  Unlike his 1995 murder trial, Simpson lacked the sympathetic jury Cochran found in downtown Los Angeles.  Simpson’s co-defendant Charles “CJ” Stewert was also convicted on all 12 counts and carted off to jail.  “This was just payback,” said Galanter, promising to appeal the verdict.  “They were on an agenda,” suggesting that a tainted jury pool prevented Simpson from getting a fair trial.  Clark County Judge Jackie Glass ran a tight ship during the four-week trial, mindful of possible appellate issues should Simpson wind up convicted.  Unless there’s improper juror conduct, including public displays or other inappropriate behavior, Simpson’s chances of appeal are slim-and-none.

            Galanter doesn’t like the verdict but he’s the one who carefully conducted voir dire, the systematic process by which jurors are screened for backgrounds and biases that might prevent a fair trial.  Galanter vetted all jurors through a professional jury consultant before final selections.  Crying foul without any evidence after the fact won’t convince too many appellate judges that something inappropriate tainted the jury pool.  Galanter wants to question any juror that knew anything about the 1995 OJ trial, a virtual impossibility unless the jury was brain dead or mentally deficient.  Galanter expressed sympathies for Simpson’s co-defendant Stewart who was the victim of zealous prosecution because of O.J.’s notoriety.  By Galanter's standards, Simpson would have had to move the trial to Antarctica or possibly the moon to get a fair trial.  His celebrity precluded a fair trial.    

            When HarperCollin’s ReganBooks tried to publish “If I did It” in Fall 2006, there was an explosive backlash.  Regan, who was fired by Rupert Murdoch Dec. 14, 2006, owner of HarperCollins, claimed she wanted to publish O.J.’s “confession” to help victims of domestic abuse.  She admitted to paying O.J. through some unidentified third-party in effect skirting Simpson’s Feb. 5, 1997 civil judgment, ordering him to pay the Goldman family $33 million.  Simpson was ordered to cough up any and all remaining possessions and prohibited from earning money before the judgment was satisfied.  California and Florida law, where Simpson lived before doing time in Nevada, protected O.J.’s $22,000 a month  NFL pension.  Simpson reportedly made money selling autographs and sports junk at shows around the country.  Before his Sept. 19 arrest in Las Vegas, Simpson made some quick cash.

            Simpson’s story tells of a poor black kid from San Francisco whose movie-star good looks and prodigious sports’ talents rocketed him to the pinnacles of success.  Before his 1994 arrest for double-murder, he held several prestigious endorsement deals, including Hertz Rental Car where he appeared with Golf legion Arnold Palmer, was a popular CBS NFL TV analyst and owned several HoneyBaked Ham franchises.  He had a successful career as a Hollywood actor, appeared as an A-lister at Hollywood events and frequently went to celebrity events and golf tournaments.  When his marriage to Nicole collapsed in 1992, his life went downhill, leading to domestic abuse and eventually to the June 12, 1994 murders of Nicole and Ron.  His televised trial was the most watched real-life drama in U.S. history.  While it ended it acquittal, prosecutors Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden convinced the world he was guilty.

            It took 13 years and several other brushes with the law for O.J. to finally finish destroying himself.  While handed his freedom Oct. 3, 1995, his life was never the same.  Two years later, he was found guilty of “wrongful death” by Goldman family attorney Daniel Petrocelli.   He was hounded out of his posh Brentwood, Calif. neighborhood and forced to take refuge in the Miami area.  His exploits were followed closely by every tabloid in the country, now witnessing, what looks like for the last time, his final resting place in Nevada State prison.  No doubt journalists and perhaps a psychologist or two will follow O.J. into prison to find out, once and for all, why this once envied celebrity destroyed his life.  Whether he eventually confesses or not, maybe the public will gain some keen insights into the destructive path taken by some of the nation’s biggest celebrities.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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