For many it is one of the most fatal mistakes in US judicial history: the former football star O.J. Simpson is not convicted for the murder of his wife. The fact that he is then in prison has to do with robbery and assault. Its story is legendary. But he celebrates his 75th birthday as a free man.
Known for his lithe stride and agility on the football field, O.J. Simpson’s spectacular escape after the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, would go down in history off the field. 95 million people watched the drama live on US television. After Simpson’s arrest and a trial of the century, a historically surprising acquittal followed. Simpson turns 75 on Saturday and lives as a free man.
Orenthal James Simpson was born on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco. From a young age in high school, he showed his athletic talent, which eventually brought him to the prestigious University of Southern California (USC). There he set records not only on football but also on the track and field team and ended up in the books of American football talent scouts. “The Juice,” as Simpson was soon dubbed for his agility, also set NFL records for longest runs and most touchdowns.
After the end of his career, the charismatic Simpson became a popular figure, starring in films and television series and also commentating on sporting events. Then came the June 17, 1994 chase and Simpson made history: the star in the back seat of a white Ford Bronco, at times holding a gun to his temple. His friend and fellow athlete Al Cowlings is behind the wheel, helicopters and police cars follow Simpson on the freeway in Los Angeles.
The chase eventually ends in front of Simpson’s mansion, where the then 46-year-old surrenders. Simpson was due to turn himself in to authorities that day on an arrest warrant. Five days earlier, his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman had been killed. On the night of June 12, 1994, a passer-by discovered the stabbed victims in pools of blood outside Brown’s home in Brentwood, Los Angeles. The children of the couple, who were already divorced at the time, slept in the house unsuspectingly. Suspicion quickly fell on the ex-husband.
But O. J. Simpson always maintained his innocence, even in the eight-month court drama that went down in US judicial history as the trial of the century. The criminal case ended with a surprise: the jury acquitted him. The legal community was shocked, as the evidence against Simpson in the circumstantial trial was considered extremely overwhelming. It was little satisfaction for the victims’ families when Simpson was found guilty in a civil trial in 1997 and sentenced to pay a fine of millions.
The fact that Simpson then spent years in prison had nothing to do with the murder case. The ex-footballer was sentenced to prison in Nevada in 2008 for armed robbery and assault. With accomplices, he had pressured two collectors of fan articles in a hotel room in Las Vegas to hand over personal memorabilia. He has been out of parole since December.
After nine years in prison, he has been free since autumn 2017. The amateur golfer lives in Las Vegas and leads a comparatively inconspicuous life, sometimes reporting on current topics on Twitter. But he no longer wants to talk about the murder of Nicole Brown – unlike in a 2006 TV interview in which he hypothetically spoke about how he would have committed the murders if he were guilty. To many, that sounded like a confession.
However, in 2019 he told the US news agency AP: “We don’t have to go back and relive the worst day of our lives”. He wants to focus on the positive things because his life is good.
