On this day, Oct. 3, in 1995, former football star O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend Ronald Goldman. The “Crime of the Century” and the 252-day trial had a carnivallike atmosphere.
Simpson’s “dream team” of lawyers painted him as a victim of a racist and incompetent Los Angeles Police Department. The defense was aided by audiotapes of detective Mark Fuhrman using racial epithets.
When the verdict came down, much of the nation, including President Clinton, stopped to watch.
As the clerk read, “not guilty,” Simpson breathed a sigh of relief and said “thank you” across the courtroom to the jurors. The former Buffalo Bills running back and television personality quickly returned home to throngs of waving fans.
— Scott McCabe
