OJ Simpson is dead. Ron and Nicole could not be reached for comment – Daily News

FILE – In this Oct. 3, 1995 file photo, attorney John Cochran Jr. holds OJ Simpson as the not guilty verdict is read in a Los Angeles courtroom during his trial in Los Angeles. Lawyers F. Lee Bailey, left, looks on with Robert Kardashian. Simpson, the award-winning football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend but later found guilty in a separate civil trial, has died. He was 76. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Daily News via AP, Pool, File)

When it came to the double murder case against OJ Simpson, there was so much evidence that his guilt was obvious. This evidence included, but was not limited to, blood at the crime scene and in Simpson’s white Bronco; the bloody glove found at the crime scene and the matching glove found at Simpson’s home; A knit hat with Simpson-like hair found at the crime scene; a footprint matching the size of Simpson’s foot found at the crime scene; Blood found in Simpson’s house; Blood on socks found in Simpson home; And the limousine driver who was supposed to pick up Simpson on the night of the murder rang Simpson’s intercom and got no answer.

There was other evidence, including the infamous low-speed Bronco chase, that was not used against Simpson. The evidence was not used either because the prosecution chose not to use it, the judge refused to allow it, or certain things, such as the taking and scattering of Simpson’s polygraph, were inadmissible.

One piece of evidence that was not used was the testimony of a witness named Jill Shively. On the night of June 12, 1994, Shivel saw a white Bronco driving quickly and recklessly away from the crime scene and during the commission of the crime. The driver of the Bronco almost crashed into Shivelli’s car. When he learned of the murders, he called the police, described what happened, gave the Bronco’s license plate number, and identified the driver as Simpson.

It can be considered the crucial piece of evidence that places Simpson at the crime scene on the night of the murder. Why did the prosecution choose not to use this eyewitness? Shively sold his story to a tabloid for $5,000. Chief Prosecutor Marcia Clark believed this damaged Shively’s credibility, and Clark decided not to put her on the cross-examination. Besides, the prosecution argued, there was so much evidence of Simpson’s guilt, why bother with a sleazy witness?

Simpson, without a lawyer, was questioned by police the day after the murder. Detectives saw cuts on Simpson’s hands. Simpson claimed he inflicted them “when I was in a hurry to get out of my house,” but at a preliminary hearing he said the wounds were caused by glass he broke in anger when he heard about his ex-wife’s death.

The jury consisted of eight blacks. Given the reluctance of jurors to use reason and common sense, none of the evidence mattered. Years after the trial, one of the jurors, a black woman named Carrie Bess, admitted in an interview that she had ignored the evidence.

Interviewer: Do you think there are jurors who voted to acquit Oji because of Rodney King?

Bessie: Yes.

Interviewer: You?

Bessie: Yes.

Interviewer: How many of you do you think felt that way?

Bess: Oh, probably 90% of them.

Interviewer: 90%. did you feel that way

Bessie: Yes.

Interviewer: It was payback.

Bessie: Uh-huh.

Interviewer: Do you think so?

After that question, Bess simply threw up her hands and shrugged.

During the trial, a New Jersey high school teacher wrote an article titled “Race, OJ, and My Kids.” It was published in a center-left magazine called The New Republic: