OJ Simpson shot to fame as an American football hero, but he saw a dramatic fall from grace when he was accused of murdering his ex-wife.
The former NFL star, who died of cancer on Wednesday aged 76, was controversially acquitted of killing Nicole Brown following one of the most explosive court cases ever seen. In 2008, he was then sentenced to 33 years for armed robbery, before being released in 2017.
In a statement released to X today, his family confirmed his passing, saying: "He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren." Orenthal James Simpson, known as OJ, saw the breakdown of his marriage to Nicole just two years before her harrowing death.
On June 12, 1994, Nicole was walking into her home in Los Angeles with her friend, Ron Goldman, when the pair were attacked with horrifying violence. She had been stabbed seven times in her face and scalp and her throat had been slit. The wound on her neck was so violent it had almost decapitated her. Simpson, who always insisted he was innocent, was arrested and charged with both murders.
OJ Simpson during his infamous murder trial (Reuters)After a lengthy, and very public, court case, which was dubbed the 'trial of the century', Simpson was acquitted of the killings. But Nicole and Ron's families filed a civil suit against the fallen star, which they won. Simpson was ordered to pay them £26million in compensation for the vicitms' wrongful deaths.
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And in a TV interview 15 years ago, OJ appeared to confess to the killings, although he insisted all his "memories" are hypothetical. The 2006 chat with Judith Regan was shelved for being too controversial but re-emerged in 2018.
Simpson said: "This is very hard for me to do this because it's hypothetical. Charlie shows up, a guy I'd recently become friends with and he told me you won't believe what's going on over there [at Nicole's house].
"And I remember thinking whatever going on there has got to stop... We get into the Bronco and go over. Hypothetically we park in the alley... in the hypothetical I put on a cap and gloves." He then explained he always kept a knife in the car he used in the police chase.
OJ Simpson and Nicole Brown before their split (Getty)Simpson added: "[I reached under the seat and pulled out] a knife. I always kept a knife in that car for the crazies 'cos you can't carry a gun. And I remember Charlie saying 'You can't bring that' and I didn't but I believe he took it..."
The former sportsman then described, hypothetically, going into his ex-wife's Los Angeles home via the backgate, seeing lit candles and hearing music before seeing Goldman arrive. Simpson said he started arguing with him before Brown came out and they became embroiled in a "verbal fight".
He added: "It got a little loud and Nicole had come out and we started having words about who is this guy, what's going on... Charlie followed this guy in and brought the knife. As things got heated Nicole fell and hurt herself and this guy got into a karate thing.
"I said: 'Well you think you can kick my ass?'. I remember I grabbed the knife, I do remember that portion...and to be honest I don't remember anything else except I'm standing there and there's all kind of stuff around... blood."
Simpson then laughed and insisted the story is hypothetical, adding: "This might make people think that I'm a murderer." And following his acquittal for murder, seven disturbing questions remained about the night Nicole and Ron were murdered.
1. Why wasn't the bloody fingerprint secured?
On the night of the murders a bloody fingerprint was said to have been seen on the gateway to Nicole's home. It was discovered by lead detective Mark Fuhrman, who later incriminated himself in Simpson's trial by lying about using a racial slur, who documented it in his notes from the scene.
However, no action was taken to secure the fingerprint and it was later removed and accidentally thrown away by a locksmith, who assumed police had dealt with it.
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Nicole Brown was found stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles home (PA)2. Why was one of the lead detectives not called to give evidence?
Detective Brad Roberts was one of the first police officers at the scene but was never called to testify. Fuhrman has since suggested this is because he didn't want to highlight the poor police procedure that had taken place on the night of the crime. The two officers had claimed to have found all the evidence - but there were rumours key items were missed.
3. Why was more care not taken when gathering evidence from the scene?
Simpson's defence team made a point of highlighting the problems with how the evidence in the case had been handled by police. They argued there had been cross-contamination, along with DNA samples being left in a van that was too hot and a lack of procedure.
4. Was Simpson really taking the medication he claimed to be?
One of the most memorable moments in the trial was when Simpson was asked to try on one of the bloody gloves that had been left at the scene. When he couldn't pull it over his hand, his lawyer exclaimed "if it doesn't fit, you must acquit".
However, it has been rumoured that a month before he stood trial for the murder of his ex-wife Simpson stopped taking anti-inflammatory medication he had been using to treat his arthritis. It has since been claimed this caused his hands to swell, which meant he couldn't pull the gloves over them.
5. Why didn't Nicole's dog protect her?
Nicole's beloved Akita dog, Kato, was the one who led neighbours to the crime scene. He was hard howling and when Steven Schwab found him with bloody paws and realised the dog wasn't hurt he was led to Nicole and Ron's body.
The prosecution in Simpson's trial used the dog's behaviour to determine the time of the murders, which they said took place between 10:15pm and 11pm. Kato was clearly devastated by what had happened to his owner but seemed to have done nothing to protect her.
6. Why did Simpson go on the run?
On June 17 police asked Simpson to hand himself in. But instead of going to the nearest police station, the former football player went on the run. Detectives soon discovered he was in the back of a white Ford Bronco being driven by his best friend and former teammate, Al Cowlings, and had a gun.
Officers chased Simpson for 60 miles through Los Angeles and when they finally pulled him over found thousands of dollars. As well as the gun there was also a fake beard and moustache, make-up adhesive and Simpson's passport.
7. How did Simpson cut his hand?
As soon as he became a suspect in Nicole and Ron's murders, police noticed he had a cut on his left hand. He claimed it had happened either when he was carrying luggage or his golf bag.
But as soon as he realised police were suspicious about his explanation, Simpson changed his story to say he'd cut himself on a broken glass after he had been told about his ex-wife's death. Following his fall from grace Simpson was arrested and charged with armed robbery and kidnap in 2007 and jailed for 33 years the following year. He was granted parole and released from prison on October 1, 2017.
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