Dear Editor,

I just learnt not too long ago from social media that OJ Simpson died.

I must confess that I did not know who OJ Simpson was until I saw the headlines on
CNN that year that the cops were giving chase because he was a suspect in the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, who it was alleged was having an affair at the time with his estranged wife, Nicole.

I was glued to the television at work, along with others, as we watched the police trailing a white Ford Bronco for almost two hours on a Los Angeles highway in which he was a passenger. I still recall those vivid images which were broadcast all across the world.

I recall that I was really captivated by the court case and the “dream team” of lawyers who represented him. It was a riveting case.

I remember when Johnnie Cochran, one of his lawyers, made the “if the gloves don’t fit, you must acquit” statement while Simpson was trying to put on a pair of gloves believed to have been used during the murders.

A few years after the verdict, Cochran was invited by The University of the West Indies to speak about the case and why the jurors returned a not guilty verdict. It was held at the Social Sciences Lecture Theatre and was well attended, especially by students from the Faculty of Law. He gave a riveting account of the details of the case and we all learnt from him the steps a defence lawyer has to take to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a client is not guilty.

The case also involved one of the most controversial figures at the time, Detective Mark Fuhrman, who it was alleged planted bloody gloves at the scene. It was interesting to hear how this allegation impacted the jurors verdict.

I think all law students today should research this case and learn from it, as there are so many takeaways.

Daniel Morgan

daniel.morgan@uwimona.edu.jm