In April 2024, the man who had subverted the perception of American justice passed away.
Simpson, 76, died of cancer, having been indicted 30 years ago for killing his ex-wife.
All the evidence at the scene pointed to him as the murderer, but he successfully exonerated himself by taking advantage of loopholes in the judicial process and racial sentiment.
Now, Simpson's soul has returned to his hometown, and he has also hidden all his secrets on his body and brought them into the earth.
More than two weeks ago, a piece of news dominated the front pages of major mainstream media in the United States. After more than 30 years, a man's name has once again become the traffic password of the American media — but this time it is his death.
O.J.辛普森（O. J. Simpson），这个熟悉而又有些陌生的名字在他的死讯被媒体曝光后再度点燃全球舆论。
He is a famous football star with a lot of money, a lot of money, more famous cars and watches than ordinary business cards, and he is a major suspect in a murder case that shocked the world, but he is openly exonerated with the help of a team of lawyers.
However, his life after his exoneration was actually not easy until he died of cancer.
The last 30 years of Simpson's life were like a steady stream of retribution, with his son dying, losing all his family property, and ending in depression. Now, due to cancer, he has brought this unsolved case that has been shrouded in suspicion for more than 30 years to the grave.
图源:LA Times
1. The male protagonist of the most controversial case in history died at home due to cancer
According to the global network, citing CNN, USA Today and other American media sources, O.J. Simpson, an African-American former football star who became famous for his wife murder in the 90s of the last century, died of cancer in Las Vegas on April 10 local time at the age of 76.
Soon after, Simpson's family released a statement on the social platform X to confirm the matter.
Professional NFL Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement that Simpson's prostate cancer diagnosis was made public about two months ago and that Simpson underwent chemotherapy.
It is reported that the most famous incident about Simpson occurred in 1994, when he was accused of killing his ex-wife and her friends, causing a sensation around the world.
However, Simpson was finally acquitted after a lengthy trial, and the case sparked public controversy over the fairness of the American justice system, highlighting the differences of opinion among different ethnic groups in American society.
The famous scene of Simpson trying on gloves as evidence in court. Source: Times
Who is The Simpsons?
Born in San Francisco on July 9, 1947, Simpson suffered from rickets at an early age and didn't have to wear a leg brace until he was about 5 years old, according to ABC, but Simpson's athletic skills showed early on, and he spent most of his time at the local recreation center.
It is worth noting that Simpson also broke the law several times when he was young. As a teenager, he joined multiple San Francisco street gangs and was arrested several times, including one after a fight, to which he said it was just "part of life" in the low-income community.
Simpson later attended City College of San Francisco, where he played American football while also running.
Source: Times
According to People magazine, Simpson scored 54 touchdowns in two years, drawing the attention of admissions officers at other schools, including the University of Southern California.
Simpson won the Heisman Award (an annual award given to the most outstanding player in American college football) as a senior running back at USC in 1968 and went on to play for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). In 1973, Simpson set another record, becoming the first defender in history to rush the ball more than 2,000 yards.
In 1978, Simpson joined the San Francisco 49ers, retiring two seasons later. During his athletic career, Simpson also ventured into acting and soon became a commercial salesman, at a time when African-American athletes rarely received endorsements or merchandising. Simpson has also had roles in television and film and worked as a sports announcer.
Source: Times
Simpson also once said in People magazine, "I want people to like me, and I think that's my biggest motivation." All of this helped Simpson to project an amiable and charismatic image, and he could even talk and laugh in public with white American celebrities in the context of the times.
It seems that Simpson has stepped into the peak of his life, and he will undoubtedly be prosperous for the rest of his life after retiring. However, the gears of his fate began to turn in reverse after he met 18-year-old Nicole.
One day in 1994, Simpson's wife, Nicole Brown, was found tragically dead in her home and pressed the play button on a mystery of the century that exploded the world.
图源:LA Times
Second, the famous football star likes the new and hates the old, and the "little three" wife is deeply involved in domestic violence
On June 13, 1994, Nicole and her 25-year-old friend Ronald Goldman were found dead by their neighbors at their home in Brentwood, California, both from stab wounds with sharp weapons.
Among them, Nicole was stabbed multiple times in the throat and nearly decapitated, and her spine was almost broken, and her face was swollen. When the bodies were found, Nicole's two children, who had previously been with Simpson, were sleeping soundly in the upstairs room.
It is reported that at about ten o'clock that night, the Akita dog raised by Nicole and Simpson at home kept barking, attracting neighbors to check. Later, it was found that the Akita dog was wandering and barking at the door, its limbs were covered with blood, and it was extremely nervous.
A neighbor couple followed the Akita dog into the Simpsons home, "the walkway was full of blood, and the tiles were all blood red." At the end of the slender aisle is Nicole's horrific corpse, and not far away lies another corpse, which is found to be Nicole's friend Goldman.
The mansion where Simpson and Nicole live and the scene of the crime. Source: Times
It is reported that Goldman and Nicole dined at the restaurant that night, and Nicole accidentally left her glasses in the restaurant, and Goldman made a special trip to deliver them to her. Goldman is a tennis coach and is physically strong.
Police said he had engaged in fierce fighting before his death, and was eventually killed by a throat cut and stabbed 22 times.
Similarly, Nicole's body had a severely swollen face and had been beaten before her death.
Police found the dead Goldman outside the house. Source: Times
The police learned that the deceased Nicole was Simpson's ex-wife, and the two were divorced at the time of the crime. Simpson, who was not at the scene at the time, raised significant suspicion from the police.
From this time on, the competition between the American police and Simpson and his team of lawyers officially began, and a confusing debate of the century began, and even the entire American justice was briefly dragged into the quagmire.
戈德曼（左）和妮可（右）图源：New York Post
In the public perception of the United States, Nicole is Simpson's "little three".
In 1977, Simpson met Nicole, then 18, at a nightclub where she was working a summer job.
Simpson was married in 1967 to his high school sweetheart, Marguerite Whitley, an African-American woman, with whom they had three children: Arnelle, Jason and Aaren.
A year after meeting Nicole, Simpson separated from Wheatley. Soon after, Simpson moved in with Nicole.
辛普森和惠特利。 图源：New York Post
At that time, Simpson had retired from the army, while enjoying leisure time and the accolades that society brought him, Nicole was a fledgling and fascinated by Simpson.
Shortly after meeting Nicole, Simpson mentioned to a friend that he wanted to marry Nicole.
图源:bilibili
It is reported that Simpson and Nicole tried to tear her pants and sexually assault her on their first date. And Nicole is not disgusted by this and agrees to be his lover.
It was the year of Simpson's prime, a neighbor of Michael Jackson and inseparable from Trump, one of the few black men in the upper echelons of American society.
图源：New York Post
In 1979, Simpson and Wheatley divorced, and in the same year, Simpson's son Allen drowned in a pool.
Since then, Nicole and Simpson have frequently appeared in public on various lavish occasions, and their lives have been accompanied by luxury cars and mansions.
Nicole's family was also "pitied by" by Simpson, and sat on a Bentley and went on vacation.
图源:bilibili
After the two fell in love for 8 years, Simpson ushered in his second marriage in 1985. According to his friends, Simpson didn't actually want to remarry, but Nicole urged her to marry at one point.
38-year-old Simpson and 26-year-old Nicole became the focus of the American media, but at that time, blessings were still the main tone of public opinion.
图源:bilibili
很快，辛普森和妮可就迎来了两个新生儿——西德尼·布鲁克·辛普森 (Sydney Brooke Simpson) 和贾斯汀·瑞恩·辛普森 (Justin Ryan Simpson)。
However, the relationship between the two is allegedly unstable, and the years together are littered with reports of domestic violence.
Source: Times
Simpson can't get rid of the habit of messing with flowers and grass, and after marriage, he has reached the point where he does not shy away from suspicion. Simpson's friends have revealed that Simpson complained at the party that the pregnant Nicole was bloated and "unappetizing", so she would date other women.
Nicole once saw Simpson holding hands with other women on a TV show and having an ambiguous relationship, and she felt humiliated for it.
In addition, Nicole also suffers from domestic violence. Unlike the image of cute, kind, and kind in the eyes of the public, Simpson is a control freak and sadist. Nicole, from dressing up to her daily routine, must be controlled by the Simpsons.
Source: News
The Los Angeles Times, citing a police report, reported that on New Year's Day 1989, police were called to Simpson's house at 3:30 a.m., and Nicole, with her lips cracked and bruised eyes, told police, "He's going to kill me." ”
Nicole mentioned that she had called the police in the past and said to the police, "You never took any action against him. You talk to him and then you go. ”
On another occasion, Nicole questioned Simpson, who had just come home from a fishy outcry, and was unexpectedly beaten up.
She said that many times, the police came to the door after receiving the report, but after meeting Simpson, they talked to him.
In the end, Simpson did not dispute his beating of his spouse, and even yelled at Nicole in front of the police, "I don't want her to be in my bed anymore!
After the incident, a friend of Simpson's said, "Nicole has something unruly in her bones." This prevents Simpson from completely controlling her, but is attracted to her precisely because of it. I think that's why she died. ”
图源:bilibili
Despite reports that Simpson and Nicole are trying to reconcile, the two still go their separate ways. In February 1992, Nicole filed for divorce and the two separated.
Soon after, both were revealed to have a new relationship. And Simpson is still chasing Nicole.
He swore to Nicole that he would change his ways. He also used to stand in front of Nicole's house and watch her spend the night with her new boyfriend.
On the night of Nicole's killing, the local police received a report that Simpson was harassing Nicole in front of her home.
Soon after, tragedy struck.
图源:bilibili
3. The clues at the scene of the crime are complete, and they all point to Simpson
The police revealed that Nicole was stabbed multiple times in the neck and head, and there was a large bruise in the middle of her back, which was consistent with the footprints on the back of her clothes. This suggests that the killer had pulled Nicole's hair, stomped on Nicole's back with his foot, and cut her throat from behind.
And due to the excessive force of the throat cut, Nicole's cervical vertebrae were cut off, and her head was almost out of her body.
图源：Daily Mail
At the same time, when the killer killed Goldman, he also strangled him with his left arm and killed him with his right hand.
Goldman fought the killer in a fierce fight before he died, knocking off the murderer's left glove, injuring the murderer's left hand.
The left hand glove that fell on the scene of the murder. Source: Daily Mail
After the police investigated the scene, they found that Nicole was splattered with 7 drops of the murderer's blood, Simpson's hair and the blanket fibers in his vehicle, as well as a large number of bloody shoe prints.
It is reported that this pair of shoes is limited to 299 pairs worldwide, and there are only 29 pairs of shoes of the same size in the United States, and Simpson owns one of them.
图源：Daily Mail
The police then went to the Simpsons house, which was 3 kilometers away from Nicole's home.
Upon arrival, the police entered the door and conducted a search. In the backyard of Simpson's house, police found another bloodstained right-hand glove. The blood stains on the gloves were identified as coming from Nicole, Goldman, and Simpson.
At the same time, there were bloody socks hidden in the Simpsons house, and there were blood droplets on the path in front of the door.
However, the police did not obtain a warrant when they searched Simpson's home, which was considered an "illegal break-in."
Blood stains on Simpson's car. Source: Daily Mail
Where was Simpson at the time of the crime? The police sorted out the basic timeline --
At around 10 o'clock on the night of the crime, the driver who picked up Simpson explained that when he arrived at the door of Simpson's house, he rang the doorbell but no one responded. It wasn't until about 11 o'clock when he vaguely saw a tall African-American man running down the street into Simpson's house. So he went to ring the doorbell again, and this time Simpson came out, saying that he had fallen asleep before. He then took a car to the Los Angeles airport.
At 4:15 a.m. the next morning, Simpson checked into a Chicago hotel.
At 10:45 a.m. the same day, police searched Simpson's home with a warrant and found more blood stains in the house, including in his car.
At about 12 noon on the same day, Simpson rushed back to his Los Angeles residence after receiving a police notice from his hotel in Chicago. At that time, Simpson had obvious signs of injury to his left hand, and when questioned by the police, Simpson said that he was too excited when he received the news of his ex-wife's death, and accidentally broke the mirror and scratched himself.
According to Simpson's friends, Simpson said he was injured while playing golf, or was accidentally scratched while taking his phone from the car.
图源:bilibili
Simpson's contradictory confession led many of his friends to believe that he had killed Nicole, and since then, these friends have refused to testify on Simpson's behalf.
图源:bilibili
Five days after the incident, when he returned to Los Angeles, police handcuffed him and interrogated him before releasing him. But a few days later, Simpson was accused of murdering Nicole and Goldman.
Despite agreeing on a plan to surrender to police, Simpson failed to turn himself in and disappeared, and a few hours later, Simpson appeared in a white Ford Mustang driven by his friend Al Collins. At the time, Simpson's lawyer said he may be suicidal.
Police chased Simpson in a car in the busy Los Angeles area, with helicopters tailgating him. When chased by police, Simpson reportedly pointed a gun to his head, forcing officers to retreat. Simpson finally chose to turn himself in to the police that day.
The BBC reported that the chase captured the attention of viewers in the United States and overseas because it was broadcast live on a 24-hour news channel, which is still in its relative infancy, and was watched by about 95 million people.
Eventually, he went home and drank a glass of orange juice and went out to catch him. ”
Source: Times
Subsequently, police found $8,750 in cash, a set of clothing, and a loaded pistol in Simpson's car. In addition to this, there are passports and mustaches for camouflage.
Everything indicates that Simpson was preparing to flee that day.
图源：New York Post
In the ensuing protracted lawsuit, Simpson spent nearly 10 million dollars to form a strong team of defense lawyers, including Robert Kardashian, a professor at Harvard Law School, the dean of the University of California Law School, and the chief physical evidence expert in the United States, Chinese detective Li Changyu.
On the morning of October 3, 1995, more than 150 million viewers, or 57 percent of the U.S. population, watched the Simpson verdict, according to Time magazine.
At this point, an intellectual competition between the police and the lawyer group officially sounded the horn.
Simpson and his "Legion". Source: Daily Mail
Fourth, the evidence at the scene was refuted one by one, and Simpson was acquitted
In the trial, which was dubbed the "trial of the century" by the American media, the relevant evidence, including blood, hair and fiber tests, all showed that Simpson was involved in the murder.
At the same time, the Los Angeles prosecutor presented four pieces of "ironclad evidence": there were blood stains of Simpson's DNA at the scene, shoe prints as big as Simpson's feet, a bloody glove was found at the murder scene and Simpson's house, and finally a knife murder weapon.
图源:bilibili
However, Simpson's defense team found two major breakthroughs for him:
The first is the prosecution's failure in "procedural justice". Defense lawyers seized on the loophole that the prosecution's blood samples could be mixed with evidence at the crime scene due to the prosecution's irregularities, saying that the police had incorrect procedures and that the evidence was contaminated.
However, there is a basic rule in the law of the United States, which is called "exclusion of illegal evidence".
The evidence in Simpson's house was found by a police officer named Foreman, who broke into Simpson's house without a search permit, and it was "illegal evidence".
Source: Times
The other was the racist sentiments of the time.
The defense argued that Simpson was framed by racially motivated police officers.
Defense lawyers accused then-police detective Mark Foreman of racial bias that exploited the deep distrust between the LAPD and African-American communities, which was exacerbated in 1992 by a riot sparked by a police beating of African-American driver Rodney King.
Detective Foreman testified that he had not used a term that insulted a black person for a decade, but he did not contest the perjury charges.
At the same time, the defense argues that the police fabricated evidence. After the police took Simpson's blood at that time, they did not take it for testing in time, and there was a gap of 3 hours. In the end, 1.5 milliliters of blood samples were missing.
The blood stains on Simpson's bloody socks, which the police used as evidence, were not only particularly symmetrical, but also found to be preservatives. It is learnt that the police will add preservatives to the blood samples taken.
图源:bilibili
The jury in the Simpson case consisted of 12 people, nine of whom were black people of the same race as him, and the probability of supporting Simpson was high.
Simpson declared himself "absolutely 100% innocent". In one of the most memorable moments of the trial, prosecutors asked Simpson to wear a bloodstained glove allegedly found at the murder scene, which matched another glove in Simpson's home.
This led one of Simpson's lawyers, Johnny Cochran, to tell the jury in his closing argument: "If (the gloves) don't fit, you have to acquit (Simpson)." ”
The jury, which was predominantly African-American, ended up on Simpson's side.
图源：Daily Mail
Eventually, Simpson's process of putting on the gloves was difficult, and the gloves seemed to be on the small side as evidence.
Someone later analyzed that the leather gloves were likely to have shrunk because they had been soaked in blood, and had been repeatedly frozen and thawed, and Simpson had originally put on a layer of white gloves, which made the glove wearing process look difficult.
图源：Daily Mail
The reaction to Simpson's acquittal was largely based on race: A CNN and Time magazine poll showed that 62 percent of white respondents at the time believed Simpson was guilty, while 66 percent of African-American respondents believed Simpson was not guilty. In addition, 65% of African-American respondents believe that Simpson was framed.
After more than 400 days of twists and turns in the interrogation, on October 3, 1995, after the "sufficient" evidence provided by the police was questioned one by one, Simpson finally "escaped" the punishment of the law and was acquitted.
Detective Foreman was eventually sentenced to 3 years in prison for perjury, becoming the only person sentenced in this case.
After the judge pronounced the verdict of the trial, the exonerated Simpson and Nicole's family wept in the corner of the courtroom, creating an ironic and stark contrast.
Source: Times
Fifth, after he was exonerated from the crime, he was "reported by the world"? Simpson's life gradually declined
Simpson's acquittal caused great controversy. Nicole and Goldman's family did not give up, and they filed a civil lawsuit against Simpson in 1997.
In 1997, a jury found that there was sufficient evidence that Simpson should pay civil damages for Goldman's death and Nicole's assault.
Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million in restitution to their families.
But Simpson paid only a small portion — and after the lawsuit, he had no money.
Acquitted, Simpson filed for bankruptcy and his remaining assets were seized and auctioned.
图源：Daily Mail
Soon after, Simpson moved from California to Florida, where he relied on his remaining fame to pick up lowly jobs, such as walking the stage in nightclubs and attending nasty TV shows. He has never been able to rebuild the glorious life before the crime.
More than 10 years later, in 2006, in order to earn a living, Simpson also wrote a book called "If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer". The book details how he would have done it "if" he had killed Nicole.
The manuscript was initially unpublished due to public opposition, but Goldman's family acquired the rights to the book, adding material accusing Simpson of guilt before publishing it.
In September 2007, Simpson and a group of men with guns burst into a casino room and snatched a batch of sports memorabilia.
He argues that it was all things he used when he played rugby, and that he was just getting what belonged to him.
Simpson was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 33 years in prison, but was released on parole in 2017 after serving about nine years.
图源：Daily Mail
In 2023, someone said on social media that he met the rickety Simpson (who has suffered from rickets since childhood) in Las Vegas, "limping and walking", and filmed the scene.
Source: X
In May 2023, Simpson publicly revealed that he had prostate cancer and was receiving a full course of chemotherapy.
On April 10, 2024, his child posted on X, "Our father, Simpson, died of cancer. Surrounded by children and grandchildren at the end of his life, he hopes that all walks of life will respect privacy. ”
On this day, the 76-year-old Simpson passed away, and the truth of that day in 1994 was also carried to his grave.
图源：Daily Mail
Simpson's former agent has revealed that shortly after Simpson's acquittal, the two had a drink together to celebrate.
He once said to Simpson, "I know it's your hand, you can't hide it from me." Actually, you didn't go to kill people that night, you just wanted to see. That knife certainly wasn't brought by you. ”
Simpson responded, "If it weren't for Nicole picking up that dinner knife, she would still be alive by now." ”
It was perhaps the only moment Simpson pleaded guilty.
Source: Times
On April 10, 2024, O.J. Simpson died of prostate cancer at the age of 76.
You may know the name well, or you may be unfamiliar with it, or it may keep you in for a long time.
30 years ago, Simpson killed his ex-wife Nicole, and all the evidence the police found at the scene pointed to the murderer as Simpson.
However, Simpson, a former football superstar, hired a lawyer to prove that all evidence was invalid, and Simpson was released in court.
Source: BBC
After his acrimony, Simpson's life took a turn for the worse, and he filed for bankruptcy to pay a $33.5 million legal bill.
After that, in order to make a living, he used what little fame he had left to participate in small businesses, and eventually fell into robbery for a living.
He was eventually sentenced to 33 years in prison for robbery and released on parole in 2017.
Now that Simpson has stepped into the grave, the case surrounding him has become an eternal mystery.