{"id":2506,"date":"2024-04-12T02:00:08","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T02:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=2506"},"modified":"2024-04-12T02:00:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T02:00:08","slug":"oj-simpson-controversial-figure-in-high-profile-murder-case-dies-at-76","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=2506","title":{"rendered":"OJ Simpson, controversial figure in high-profile murder case, dies at 76"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 36 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

OJ Simpson, the former American football star turned actor who was controversially cleared of double murder, has died aged 76.<\/p>\n

San Francisco-born Orenthal James Simpson rose to fame in college before playing in the NFL.<\/p>\n

In 1995, he was acquitted of the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend in a trial that gripped America.<\/p>\n

In 2008, he was sentenced to 33 years\u2019 imprisonment on unrelated charges of armed robbery. He was released in 2017.<\/p>\n

Simpson died of cancer on Wednesday \u201csurrounded by his children and grandchildren\u201d, a family statement read.<\/p>\n

In 1994, Simpson was arrested as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. The pair were found stabbed to death outside Ms Brown\u2019s home in Los Angeles. Simpson became an immediate person of interest in the case.<\/p>\n

On the day he was due to turn himself in, he fled in a white Ford Bronco with a former teammate, and led the police on a slow-speed chase through the Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n

OJ Simpson\u2019s notorious 1994 car chase<\/em><\/p>\n

That chase engrossed audiences in the United States and abroad as it was broadcast live on \u201crolling\u201d 24-hour news channels still in their relative infancy.<\/p>\n

In the ensuing court case, dubbed the \u201ctrial of the century\u201d by US media, prosecutors argued Simpson had killed Brown in a jealous fury. Evidence included blood, hair and fibre tests linking Simpson to the murders.<\/p>\n

The defence argued Simpson was framed by police who were motivated by racism.<\/p>\n

In one of the trial\u2019s most memorable moments, prosecutors asked Simpson to put on a pair of blood-stained gloves allegedly found at the scene of the murder, but Simpson struggled to fit his hands into them. It led to one of Simpson\u2019s lawyers, Johnnie Cochran, telling the jury in his closing arguments: \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t fit, you must acquit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getty Images\/ During the trial, OJ Simpson tried on a leather glove allegedly used in the murders<\/em><\/p>\n

The jury ultimately sided with Simpson, who had declared he was \u201cabsolutely 100% not guilty\u201d. The acquittal proved hugely controversial.<\/p>\n

The families of Ms Smith and Mr Goldman did not give up \u2013 they pursued a civil case against Simpson in 1997 and a jury found Simpson liable for the two deaths. He was ordered to pay $33.5m (\u00a325.8m) in damages to their families.<\/p>\n

In 2006, Simpson sold a book manuscript, titled \u201cIf I Did It\u201d, and a prospective TV interview, giving a \u201chypothetical\u201d account of the murders he had always strenuously denied.<\/p>\n

Public objections ended both projects, but Mr Goldman\u2019s family secured the book rights, added material imputing guilt to Simpson and had it published.<\/p>\n

Simpson\u2019s final disgrace came in 2008, when he was convicted of armed robbery for breaking into a Las Vegas hotel room with four accomplices, holding two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint and stealing items related to his NFL career.<\/p>\n

He was sentenced to 33 years in jail, but was granted parole after serving the minimum of nine years.<\/p>\n

Before his legal problems, Simpson was well-liked, known as an athlete, actor and the face of several major companies.<\/p>\n

He was a college football star at University of Southern California before signing with the Buffalo Bills in 1969, where he played until 1977.<\/p>\n

He became one of the greatest ball carriers in NFL history. In 1973, he was the first NFL player to \u201crush\u201d \u2013 running to advance the ball for his team \u2013 more than 2,000 yards in a season.<\/p>\n

He retired in 1979 to concentrate on a career in film and television. His credits include roles in the Towering Inferno, Capricorn One and the Naked Gun series.<\/p>\n

Broadcaster Bob Costas, who worked with Simpson on NBC\u2019s American football coverage, said that while he was not the first African American star, \u201che was the first to do it in a big way, an African American who broke through\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Heisman Trophy organisation, which names college football\u2019s player of the season, said in a tweet that it mourned the 1968 winner and extended sympathies to his family.<\/p>\n

Attorney Carl Douglas, who represented Simpson alongside Robert Kardashian and Johnnie Cochran, said that he was \u201cshocked and surprised\u201d to learn of the football star\u2019s death. The attorney said that his and Simpson\u2019s names will \u201cforever be linked together in some way\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the Pro Football Hall of Fame outlined Simpson\u2019s achievements as an NFL player, and said records of those contributions would be preserved in its archive.<\/p>\n

Fred Goldman, Ronald\u2019s father, described Simpson\u2019s death as \u201cno great loss\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thing I have to say is it\u2019s just further reminder of Ron being gone all these years,\u201d he told NBC News. \u201cIt\u2019s no great loss to the world. It\u2019s a further reminder of Ron\u2019s being gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gloria Allred, an attorney who represented Nicole Brown Simpson\u2019s family during the murder trial, said that Simpson\u2019s death served as a reminder that the justice system failed abused women and allows \u201ccelebrity men to avoid true justice\u201d, according to a statement obtained by CNN.<\/p>\n

Caitlyn Jenner, once part of Simpson\u2019s social circle, echoed Mr Goldman, posting two words on Twitter\/X: \u201cGood riddance.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Former NPP Chairman sends strong message over Bawumia\u2019s running mate<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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