Oj Simpson Research Paper

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Introduction The Orenthal James Simpson trial (O.J) was one of, if not, the most popular criminal trials in human history. The trial was highly televised, gaining a viewer rating of 150 million people (Britannica). In 1995, O.J Simpson was tried for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend Ronald Goldman, both of whom had been found with multiple lacerations to their bodies. To the surprise of many, the jury found O.J. Simpson not guilty of the crime. Background Information On the fateful night of June 12, 1994, the world was shocked to learn of the brutal murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The case quickly became one of the most widely covered and sensationalised crimes in American history, inciting a media frenzy and polarising …show more content…

The trial's extensive media coverage kept it in the public eye at all times, influencing public perception of the case and the participants. Simpson, an African American, was accused of murdering two white people, resulting in a racially charged atmosphere during the trial. The prosecution's largest blunder throughout the trial may have been filing the Simpson case in the downtown district rather than, as is customary, in the district where the crime happened, in this case Santa Monica. Implausibly, the decision was revealed to be political, based on concerns that a conviction by a mostly white jury in Santa Monica would trigger racial protests, if not rioting, similar to those that happened after the trial of four LAPD policemen accused of beating Rodney …show more content…

Dr. Eduard Piotrowski of the University of Krakow in Poland published the first methodical study of blood spatters, titled "Concerning the Origin, Shape, Direction, and Distribution of the Bloodstains Following Head Wounds Caused by Blows," in 1895. This early research impacted pioneering investigators in early twentieth-century Germany and France, such as Dr. Paul Jeserich and Dr. Victor Balthazard. Although research into blood spatter patterns in homicide cases continued, the watershed moment for using blood spatter evidence in American legal cases did not come until 1955, when Dr. Paul Kirk submitted an affidavit of his findings in the widely publicised State of Ohio v. Samuel Sheppard case. Prior to the 1970s, blood analysis classified blood drops based on their velocity at impact. Low velocity impact spatters (LVIS) were caused by dripping and gravity alone, medium velocity impact spatters (MVIS) were slower than gunshots but faster than gravity drips and high velocity impact spatters (HVIS) were caused by gunshots or moving machinery. Following the 1970s, these definitions shifted and instead of "impact" referring to the speed of the droplets, it has come to relate to the speed of the weapon or object that launched them. A bloodstain expert testified during the trial that the blood samples found on O.J. Simpson's socks the day after

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