O.J. Simpson, the sports star turned eternal suspect in his ex-wife’s murder, dies at 76

Orenthal James Simpson, known around the world as O. J. Simpson, died of cancer on April 11 at the age of 76. His family confirmed the news on social media on Thursday morning. They asked for privacy and mercy for the man who was one of the biggest sports celebrities in the United States in the 1970s and decades later became the main suspect in the June 1994 murder of his ex-wife and her lover. Despite being acquitted of the crimes in what was dubbed “the trial of the century,” in his country and around the world, he could never shake the suspicion of having committed the double murder.

Simpson starred in a moment etched in American memory when he fled police in a white Bronco van on a Los Angeles freeway in June 1994. It forced the television networks to modify their broadcasts, even interrupting the NBA finals. The former player had decided to turn himself in to the authorities to face charges in the death of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. He then changed his mind. The police pursued him for several miles until they finally arrested him at his residence several hours later.

That spectacular chase, conducted at low speed because authorities feared Simpson would take his own life, reminded many of his glorious past. Born in San Francisco, O.J. made a name for himself in football by running away from defensive backs on college football fields. He started at his hometown college and then transferred to the University of Southern California, where he rose to fame in 1966. He led in yards run in 1967 and 1968, which earned him the prestigious Heisman Trophy by a comfortable margin over his rivals.

Simpson entered professional football in the 1969 draft. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills. His arrival in the NFL was not easy. However, he began to take off in 1972. The following season, he became the first player to break the 2,000-yard mark in runs, and he won Most Valuable Player (MVP). In the years that followed, he averaged 1,000 yards each season. In 1978, he returned to his hometown with the San Francisco 49ers; he retired from professional sports as a 49er in December 1979.

His fame as an athlete was such that it allowed him to make the leap to Hollywood and star in several films, including The Klansman (1974), in which he starred alongside Lee Marvin, and the Naked Gun comedy franchise, starring Leslie Nielsen.

But the role of his life came over several months in 1995 inside courtrooms in downtown Los Angeles during the so-called “trial of the century.” Simpson faced murder charges stemming from the investigation. The prosecution had focused its case based on DNA findings at the crime scene. The right glove was found at the athlete’s home. The left glove, located at the double homicide residence, contained blood from both victims and probable genetic material from Simpson. The defendant tried on the pair of gloves on June 15, 1995, and they appeared to be a bit too small for him.

His defense attorney, Johnnie Cochran, contended that carelessness in the chain of custody of the genetic samples and lack of police training led to the samples being contaminated and tainted. In his closing arguments, the lawyer memorably told the jury, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” referring to the gloves, a central piece of evidence.

That’s what happened 474 days after O.J. Simpson’s arrest. The athlete was acquitted by a jury of nine Black jurors, two whites and one Latino. The entire trial was set against the backdrop of a climate of racial tension sparked by the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, when a majority-white jury exonerated four police officers for beating Rodney King, despite being caught on videotape.

Simpson’s acquittal did not give him peace but rather became a burden that he carried throughout his life. His name became a joke on late night comedy shows and a synonym for anyone who gets away with murder in the United States. The jury’s decision did not end the matter. In 1997, the victims’ families sued him in a civil suit. Simpson lost that trial, and he was ordered to pay $33 million in damages. The legal debts that he had accumulated over the previous years meant he could barely pay a part of what he owed. Simpson moved to Florida with his family to try to restart his life.

Thereafter, Simpson could not avoid new clashes with the law. In September 2007, he and another man were arrested for an armed robbery in a Las Vegas hotel. The victim was a sports trophy collector. Simpson claimed that, with the robbery, he was trying to recover objects that had been stolen and that he held in high regard, including the certificate with which he was admitted to the NFL Hall of Fame, and a photograph of his years as an athlete with J. Edgar Hoover, the famous former director of the FBI.

A year later, in 2008, he was convicted of 12 charges, including armed robbery and kidnapping. Experts believed that the sentence was too harsh, perhaps even revenge for the 1995 verdict. In this trial, the alleged victim, sports memorabilia collector Bruce Fromong, testified on Simpson’s behalf, asserting that the gun had not been pointed at him and that the 6-foot-1 veteran former athlete was not a threat to anyone. Nevertheless, Simpson was sentenced to between 9 and 33 years in prison. He was released in 2017 after serving the minimum sentence.

In December 2021, O.J. Simpson regained a life free of judicial hassles. The Nevada authorities lifted the post-release parole that hung over him. After becoming a free man, Simpson stayed on to live in Las Vegas. He moved into a private gated community, took up golf and opened a Twitter account where he opined on various topics, especially football, the sport that made him famous until a double homicide etched him into U.S. collective memory and popular culture.

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