By Paul Jefferson

On April 10, 2024, Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson died of prostate cancer at 76. His death has reignited debate around his infamous “trial of the century.”

He initially became famous from his NFL football career, where he spent ten seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He was considered one of the greatest running backs of all time, and was inducted into the NFL hall of fame because of it.

In 1994, Nicole Brown, Simpson’s ex wife, and Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death in her Los Angeles home. Simpson was the prime suspect.

On the day Simpson was to turn himself in, he led police on the slow speed chase in a white Ford Bronco through LA before being arrested.

His indictment became known as the “Trial of the Century” where he was ultimately found not guilty of the murders. 

Despite being found innocent of the murders, the families of the victims would challenge him in a civil case in 1997. Here, he was found liable for their deaths and was ordered to pay 33.5 million dollars in damages.

His not guilty verdict has always been subject to scrutiny, and the actions of Simpson since the trial had not helped him in the court of public opinion.

In 2006, to help pay for his civil case, he sold a book titled “If I Did It,” where he went into great detail as to how he would have committed the murders if he did it.

In 2008, he broke into a hotel room to steal NFL memorabilia relating to his career. He was sentenced to 33 years for armed robbery, but was let out on parole after nine years.

He died in Las Vegas surrounded by his children and grandchildren.