OT- OJ Simpson Granted Parole

Submitted by ijohnb on

No link necessary.  Just visit your preferred news outlet.

After nine years in prison, OJ Simpson has been granted parole for an armed robbery in a Nevada hotel.  I did not think he stood a chance after he closed his presentation with "you go ahead and stamp your form sonny, because to tell you the truth, I really don't give a shit."  But I guess it worked.

Can't say I am particularly surprised.  That was a really hefty sentence for this particular offense.  He was rumored to be involved in something else, though, IIRC.

DMack

July 20th, 2017 at 11:01 PM ^

Always found the OJ saga intriguing because of the many facets to the story playing out in real life. Here's a guy who had completely assimilated into mainstream white American culture because he was a great athlete. He used his fame to become an icon in Hollywood, doing crappy movies, commercials sports and commentating. OJ crossed over and wasn't even thought of as black anymore by whites until he was charged with killing a white woman and her boyfriend who was also white. To see his defense team paint him as another black victim, while strategizing a defense based on racism and corruption was brilliant and it showed that those with resources and money get a different kind of Justice in the courts. Most blacks don't see the type of Justice that people like OJ or most whites receive and they finally felt in some ways vindicated that justice prevailed for someone who at least looked like them. It's tragic that anyone would be murdered and their death would go unresolved for so long black or white. I strongly believe that the case would have been a layup had it been Tyrone Jenkins poor-middle class defendant or maybe there would never have been charges filed if OJ had been accused of killing his wife who was black. LAPD should have kept Mark Furman away from this case because they knew of the racial overtones he brought with him from day 1. The systems arrogance came back and bit them in the ass this time around. It was funny that OJ would find himself ultimately going to prison for trying to steal his own memorabilia back. Lol I guess what goes around comes around.

Mr. Yost

July 21st, 2017 at 8:58 AM ^

Agree 100%...and while the murder went unresolved for so long, I do hope the families can take a little bit of (don't know the right word) knowing that this tragic situation moved this country forward and forced a serious conversation and some understanding of race. Still a long way to go...and we'll never be 100% as long as people look different, but there was some progress made and MANY people naive to the entire scale and scope have been exposed to a topic they may have never truly understood in their lifetime.

ijohnb

July 21st, 2017 at 9:39 AM ^

me, the families don't take anything from the fact that OJ Simpson was acquited.  You can't find the right word for it because there is no right word.  "I do hope the families can take a little bit of [severe and unrelenting existential grief] knowing that OJ Simpson was rich enough to hire a team of brilliant lawyers to get him off scott-free for cutting off the heads of their beloved family member."  No, don't think that quite works.

 

In reply to by ijohnb

Year of Revenge II

July 21st, 2017 at 11:47 AM ^

Most of his lawyers were very good (Shapiro was god awful), but the reality was that the case against him was very weak.  

The blood evidence in the Bronco was the best thing they had, and went that went down the tubes for contamination, so did the case.

There were at least 4 prosecutors in Grand Rapids who might have won that case regardless.  Marcia Clark and Oliver Darden rightly retired; if that was the best LA County had to offer, that is a sad state of affairs.  A thoughtful prosecutor would not have issued so quickly against OJ, but would have taken more time to investigate and build an actual case, give OJ some rope to hang himself.  

When the whole case is "OJ hit her in the past, therefore he is a bad guy, so he must have killed her", and your prosecutor actually believes that logic, you are in trouble.  You cannot even argue that theory in closing; it would be grounds for reversal.

In sum, he probably did it, or knows who did it, but because law enforcement bungled the thing from start to finish, we will probably never know for sure.

Perhaps the craziest decision was to not even introduce the Bronco chase video.  Everyone in America thought it showed consciousness of guilt but the prosecution team.

ijohnb

July 21st, 2017 at 1:22 PM ^

was not a weak case.  It has some strengths and weaknesses.  The physical evidence was good (but see below).  OJ's erratic behavior after the murder, conflicting statements to limo driver, how he obtained the cut, etc. all helped.  Motive was vaguely present but not fully developed.   They showed past abuse, but thought that was a substitution for motive to murder and it completely wasn't.

None of it mattered after Furman though.  When they lost the ruling as to the admissibility of those tapes, the case was over.

 

ijohnb

July 21st, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^

was brilliant at doing what OJ needed him to do.  His job was front loaded, he was PR and damage control.  He was never expected to be OJ's trial attorney, that isn't what he was.  He was largely responsible for the involvment of Bailey, which proved vital. 

Shapiro was a very good lawyer, just a different kind of lawyer than the rest of them so he became the odd man out.

JFW

July 21st, 2017 at 9:50 AM ^

I was at UM during the trial (I saw part of the white bronco chase in the Union...)

I remember talking with him one morning after he read the paper and he thought the prosecution was doing a really shitty job keeping control. He thought that they leaked some stupid information, and that they weren't keeping a good face on the case. 

When OJ hired his guys it ended up being like legal porn. 

I'm always torn in this instance. He got his day in court and won. Then went on to f*ck up his life further. There are two people dead and cirumstantial evidence points strongly to him. The dead people's families are still devestated. 

I guess I hope at this point he's a different person, and can do some great things with the time he has left. 

Megatron

July 23rd, 2017 at 12:04 AM ^

I thought for the crime it really was 2 or 3 years max not 33 years jury & judge gave OJ 33 years because he killed his ex-wife & Ron Goldman. I believe that OJ will live the quite life and stay out of trouble just my opinion.