The OJ Simpson Murder Trial and the Criminal Justice System

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The OJ Simpson Murder Trial and the Criminal Justice System A crime being committed is the first event to initiate our criminal justice system. On June 12th 1994 a double murder was reported at the residence of Nicole Brown Simpson the ex-wife of the then beloved Orenthal James (OJ) Simpson. It was discovered that Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman had been brutally murdered and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) began their investigation, this being the second step in our criminal justice system. The murders occurred between 10:15 p.m. and 10:40 p.m., this is based on testimony from prosecution and defense witnesses who heard barking from the area of the crime scene. Ms. Simpson's blood-covered pet Akita was found shortly before 11 p.m. Nicole Brown was found stabbed multiple times in the head and her throat was cut. Ron Goldman is assumed to have come upon the crime in progress and was also stabbed more than thirty times. The evidence discovered during the investigation suggested to the police that OJ Simpson may have had something to do with this murder and they obtained an arrest warrant. The investigators believed that they “knew” OJ Simpson committed the murders. His lawyers and him were informed of the arrest warrant and agreed to a specified time when OJ would turn himself into authorities. Investigators are later admonished, by the defense, on how they handled the crime scene. Now, as previously mentioned OJ Simpson was beloved. He was a revered hall of fame football player, actor, and sports announcer and was also well known as the Hertz rental car company spokesman. His name was essentially a household name. Because of his popularity, when the media caught wind of the issuance of an arrest ... ... middle of paper ... ...this day justice has still not been served. If OJ didn’t do it then somebody did. Although some people might say that OJ has been dealt the wrath of karma, because he does indeed sit in prison for an unrelated crime. The one good thing that I believe comes from this case is that it educated America on the mistakes being made by a law enforcement entity. The attitudes portrayed by these officers are terrible and, regretfully, most likely common. What it did was wake us up by showing us how biased criminal investigations can be and that bigotry has no place in the criminal justice system. Resources http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/simpson/index_1.html http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/Simpsonaccount.htm (A. Dershowitz, 1996) REASONABLE DOUBTS: The O.J. Simpson Case and the Criminal Justice System

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