OJ Simpson's tumultuous life—from soccer Corridor of Famer to film star to homicide suspect—has captivated the nation for many years. On Thursday, his household introduced that Simpson, 76, had died of most cancers.
It has been greater than 28 years since Simpson was acquitted of the brutal murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and bartender Ron Goldman.
Many years later, the notorious crime stays unsolved.
From the televised legal trial that captivated the nation to the kidnapping and armed theft prices that despatched him to jail, right here's a glance again on the key moments in Simpson's life.
A USC soccer star
Within the 1960s, Simpson grew to become a university soccer star as a operating again for the College of Southern California in Los Angeles. In 1968, he received faculty soccer's highest award, the Heisman Trophy.
NFL success
In 1969, Simpson was the primary choose within the NFL draft and made a reputation for himself taking part in for the Buffalo Payments.
In 1973, he grew to become the primary within the NFL to hurry for two,000 or extra yards in a season.
Simpson retired in 1979 and was inducted into the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame in 1985.
From soccer to cinema
Simpson left soccer for Hollywood and starred in standard Hertz commercials within the 1970s in addition to movies, together with “Capricorn One” within the 1970s and “The Bare Gun” within the 1980s and 1990s.
Simpson and Nicole Brown
Simpson, who had kids along with his ex-wife Marguerite Whitley, married Nicole Brown in 1985. They’d two kids, Sydney and Justin.
In 1992, Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson divorced.
A ugly double homicide
On the evening of June 12, 1994, Brown Simpson and his household had dinner at a restaurant in Los Angeles. Ron Goldman, a waiter at that restaurant, went to Brown Simpson's home that evening to return the glasses his mom had left.
Round midnight, Brown Simpson and Goldman have been discovered stabbed to dying in Brown Simpson's dwelling.
Simpson was in Los Angeles on the afternoon of June 12, however took a late flight to Chicago that evening. When he returned to Los Angeles the subsequent day, police interviewed him however didn’t instantly arrest him.
The chase of the white Bronco
On June 17, 1994, prosecutors ordered Simpson to show himself in, however as a substitute he fled in a white Ford Bronco along with his pal Al Cowlings, main police on a low-speed chase that introduced highways to a standstill. from Southern California and attracted a tv viewers. of 95 million People.
Information helicopters circled overhead, documenting the chase, and Angelenos gathered on the roads and in entrance of their televisions to look at in actual time.
Simpson ultimately surrendered and was arrested.
An unforgettable trial and acquittal
In 1995, the Simpson trial paralyzed the nation.
Protection attorneys claimed that Simpson was wrongly accused, however prosecutors argued that Simpson was a controlling husband who abused Brown Simpson. Prosecutors additionally pointed to crime scene blood present in Simpson's automobile and residential, and the truth that he was lacking for greater than an hour the evening of the murders.
Through the trial, the prosecution requested Simpson to placed on gloves believed to have been worn by the killer, however they didn’t seem to suit correctly.
Protection lawyer Johnnie Cochran instructed jurors in his closing argument: “If it doesn't match, you need to acquit him.”
On October three, 1995, Simpson was acquitted of all legal prices. He has all the time maintained his innocence.
A responsible verdict in civil courtroom
In 1997, a civil jury discovered Simpson responsible for wrongful dying within the double homicide. Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to the Brown and Goldman households.
An arrest in Las Vegas
In September 2007, Simpson led a gaggle of males to a Las Vegas resort and on line casino to rob at gunpoint what he claimed have been his personal sports activities memorabilia.
Simpson was charged with a number of felonies, together with kidnapping and armed theft.
A legal conviction
In 2008, Simpson was convicted of the botched theft and sentenced to as much as 33 years in jail.
As Decide Jackie Glass ready to condemn him, she instructed Simpson: “Earlier on this case, at a bail listening to, I requested Mr. Simpson and instructed him I didn't know if he was boastful or ignorant or each. And throughout the trial and through this continuing, I obtained this reply, and it was each.”
Glass stated of the crime: “That wasn't 'Oh, give me my stuff again, I would like my stuff.'” That was: “Nobody leaves the room.” It was truly a really violent occasion… At the very least a gun was pulled. The potential for harm to happen in that room was large. Once you carry a gun with you and also you carry males with you, for present, in a present of energy, that's not simply 'Hey, give me my stuff again.'
“I can’t ignore that the conduct on September 13 was reckless,” he added. “The legislation was damaged.”
Simpson apologized in courtroom for his actions, saying: “I didn't know I used to be doing something unlawful… I'm sorry for all the things.”
Simpson was despatched to jail. In 2013, Simpson's bid for a brand new trial was rejected, however that very same yr he was granted probation on a few of the prices, based mostly on his good conduct.
Simpson was not launched from jail at the moment, as his jail sentences would run consecutively. He needed to wait till 2017 to look earlier than the parole board once more.
Simpson will get parole
In July 2017, Simpson was granted parole, with the earliest doable launch date being October 1, 2017.
Earlier than the choice was introduced, Simpson gave his account of the botched theft to the parole board, telling board members how he realized that some “some guys” have been making an attempt to “shield” what he stated They have been his private recollections in Las Vegas.
“Like an ideal storm, all of us ended up in Las Vegas, ? I used to be there for a marriage and [was told that] The property was there.”
“I stated, 'In fact I would love the property again,'” Simpson instructed the parole board. “He instructed me the names of what he thought have been the folks within the room, and I spotted they have been mates of mine. You understand, truly, the blokes that helped me transfer in, helped me transfer and retailer a few of these issues”.
“After I entered the [hotel] “The room I seen scattered all over the place was my private property,” Simpson stated. “The one factor I noticed on show that wasn't mine have been some baseballs, and I made it clear to everybody that they're not mine. The one factor I would like is my property. … I wasn't there to steal from anybody.”
Simpson added: “I haven't made any excuses within the 9 years I've been right here and I'm not making an attempt to make excuses now.”
When requested if he believed the property was his, Simpson responded, “The state of California legally dominated that it was my property they usually gave it to me.”
Simpson additionally assured the board that he would handle to adjust to the circumstances of his parole, saying, “I'm not a man who's lived a lifetime of crime.”
“I've had some points with constancy in my life, however I've all the time been an individual who will get together with everybody,” he stated.
a free man
On Oct. 1, 2017, the primary day he was eligible for launch, Simpson, then 70, walked out of Lovelock Correctional Establishment in Nevada.
Simpson's lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, stated his shopper, upon his launch, “needs to take pleasure in quite simple pleasures that he hasn't loved in 9 years.”
Tom Scotto, considered one of Simpson's longtime mates, instructed ABC Information: “All he needs to do is spend time along with his household, his mates and his children. And play some golf.”
After his launch, Simpson lived in Las Vegas.
Simpson was energetic on Twitter and often commented on occasions, together with the Capitol riot and the trial of Derek Chauvin.
Demise
Simpson's household introduced his dying on April 11, 2024, in the future after his dying from most cancers.
“On April 10, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with most cancers,” they wrote on X, the platform previously often called Twitter. “He was surrounded by his kids and grandchildren. Throughout this time of transition, his household asks that you just respect his needs for privateness and charm.”
Sabina Ghebremedhin of ABC Information contributed to this report.
The Related Press contributed to this report.