Simpson goes to trial without Cochran or Black Juriors

O. J. Simpson

The O.J. Simpson murder case was a highly publicized U.S. criminal trial in which O.J. Simpson, former NFL star and actor, was accused of killing his white ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her white friend Ronald Goldman. The County believed it had a solid prosecution case.

Simpson hired a high-profile defense team led by the late Johnnie Cochran and F. Lee Bailey. Cochran out-performed the prosecutor team by creating doubt in the minds of the jury thus causing reasonable doubt about the DNA evidence, including that the blood-sample evidence had been mishandled. Cochran and his outstanding defense team also alleged other misconduct by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Simpson was subsequently acquitted after a lengthy and racially divisive criminal trial. The pool of prospective jurors in the O.J. Simpson civil trial split along racial lines, with whites saying Simpson was probably guilty of murder and African-Americans saying he is innocent. Despite his acquittal by our outstanding legal system, most white still believe today that he was involved in the murder of his wife.

Sadly for O.J. Simpson, he is in another legal mess again. Unfortunately for him this time around, he does not have Johnnie Cochran or Johnnie’s outstanding legal team around. Worst of all, he does not even have a single Black or African-American person among the prospective jurors.

What is most scary is that most of the prospective jurors have said they disagree with the 1995 verdict to acquit Simpson on charges of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and friend Ronald Goldman, though many have said they still believe they can fairly consider the Las Vegas case.

Simpson, 61, this time around, is accused with co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart, 54, of kidnapping, armed robbery and other crimes for allegedly stealing his own stolen items from two sports memorabilia dealers in a hotel room confrontation last year. They have pleaded not guilty.

The prospective jurors consist of nine women and three men, none of them African American. Lawyers for Simpson and his codefendant, who is also black, charged that African Americans were being systematically excluded after the prosecution removed the lone black panelist who had been in contention for the jury.

The defense renewed those accusations after prosecutors used another challenge to dismiss an African American from the pool of alternates. The remaining six alternates include two black men.

If found guilty, O.J. will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Do you think O.J. can get a fair trial? Do you think that he is actually been trial for the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson?