Did The State Prove Its Case?
Here is a snapshot of the prosecution’s case and the evidence they say proves O.J. Simpson’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
THE MOTIVE
The prosecution’s theory is a simple one: O.J. Simpson was a controlling husband who tried to dominate his wife - sometimes with violence - and finally killed her in an ultimate act of control.
Witnesses described violent incidents dating back to 1985. Jurors heard a dramatic 911 recording of Nicole Simpson calling for police after Simpson broke down her door in 1993.
Denise Brown described confrontations between Simpson and her sister, including one in which Simpson grabbed his then-wife and threw her against a wall.
Witnesses said Simpson looked “frightening” and “spooky” at his daughter’s dance recital hours before the slayings. Simpson complained to Kato Kaelin about his ex-wife’s manner of dress.
After the slayings, Simpson told LAPD Officer Ron Shipp: “You know, to be honest, Shipp … I’ve had some dreams of killing her.”
THE MURDERS
Prosecutors claim Simpson stabbed and incapacitated his ex-wife about 10:15 p.m., then killed Mezzaluna waiter Ronald Goldman when he appeared suddenly to return a pair of eyeglasses. Prosecutors contend Simpson, in a final act, then cut Nicole Simpson’s throat.
No one saw Simpson between 9:35 p.m. and approximately 11 p.m.
Nicole Simpson’s neighbors testified they heard loud barking about 10:15 or 10:20 p.m. Another neighbor said he found the woman’s Akita, its paws covered in blood, about 10:55 p.m.
Kaelin testified he was that he was alone in his room at the rear of the Simpson estate when he heard three loud thumps on his wall between 10:40 and 10:45 p.m.
THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
Crucial to a murder case without any eyewitnesses is the physical evidence prosecutors claim ties Simpson to the crime. That includes a literal trail of blood and other items he left at the crime scene, in the Bronco and in his home.
DNA experts testified that Simpson - and fewer than one person in 170 million - has blood sharing genetic characteristics with drops leading away from the bodies. The drops are to the left of bloody shoe prints. Simpson had a cut on the middle finger of his left hand.
The shoe prints were created by a pair of size 12 shoes - the same size Simpson wears. A blood drop on a rear gate of Nicole Simpson’s town home matches O.J. Simpson’s blood.
Blood recovered from the console of Simpson’s Ford Bronco is consistent with the blood of Simpson and Goldman at one location, and with Simpson and both victims at another.
A right glove found at Simpson’s estate shares Goldman’s and Simpson’s DNA characteristics. A drop of blood on Simpson’s sock matches Nicole Simpson’s blood.
Carpet fibers from a Ford Bronco like O.J. Simpson’s were found on a knit cap near the bodies. Other findings: Nicole Simpson’s hair and hair strands similar to Goldman found on the bloody glove behind Simpson’s house; 12 head hairs similar to Simpson’s found on the knit cap; and a single strand of hair like Simpson’s found on Goldman’s shirt.
THE DEFENSE SPIN:
Simpson’s lawyers challenged the evidence and evidence-collection methods to bolster their claim that Simpson is innocent - and a victim of a conspiracy between police investigators and criminalists.
Meeting the allegations head on, prosecutors asked LAPD criminalists Dennis Fung and Andrea Mazzola if they were part of such a conspiracy. Both insisted they were not.
During questioning, prosecutors sought to confront mistakes, but offered testimony that the errors did not compromise evidence or results gained by it.