Life of Orenthal James Simpson Essay

One of the most famous and publicly known cases of all time is the OJ Simpson murder case. This case was publicly announced for many years. It was very popular because not only was O. J. Simpson a famous former American football star but also an actor that had been accused of a very serious crime that changed his life forever. Although the case was publicly announced, many people don’t know many of the specifics about his early childhood, his athletic career and most importantly about the famous murder trial. Orenthal James Simpson was born on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco, California. He lived in a very low-income neighborhood outside of San Francisco. His parents were Eunice and James Lee Simpson. At two years old, Simpson contracted rickets, leaving his legs skinny, pigeon-toed. He had to wear a pair of shoes connected by an iron bar for a few hours almost every day until he was five. Being that his parents were very poor, they were unable to afford surgery for Simpson. This caused many of his childhood friends to make fun of him. In 1952, his mother and father separated. Along with a brother and two sisters, he was raised by his mother in Potrero Hill district of San Francisco. In order to maintain four children, Simpson’s mother worked at a psychiatric ward’s office. His mother was always there for him when he needed her. (Karpinski, 2012) During Simpson’s adolescence his experiments on the wrong side of the law would change his life forever. At the age of 13, he joined a local gang known as the Persian Warriors where Simpson would engage in stealing and getting into fights. One fight landed him at the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center for about a week in 1962. (Karpinski, 2012). Simpson’s early interests in sports were strongly encouraged by his mother. When Simpson attended Galileo High School he played for the school football team, the Galileo Lions. Simpson, however, didn’t have the grades to go on to a reputable school and instead played at City College of San Francisco. (A&E Television Networks). At City College, Simpson quickly garnered notice averaging 9. 3 yards per carry and scoring fifty-four touchdowns. Of the fifty colleges that tried to recruit him after his sophomore year, Simpson chose the University of Southern California in which his career began to unravel. (Karpinski, 2012). At the University of Southern California, He played running-back for the football team between 1967 and 1968. In 1967 he ran 1,451 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. In 1968, he led the nation, running 1,709 yards. Simpson was a key player in what is regarded as one of the greatest American football games of the 20th century. Starring in the 1967 USC vs.  UCLA football game, his 64-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter tied the game. Simpson enjoyed the attention of the nation playing in a national championship game and setting college football records with his physical abilities and charming personality. Before signing his first NFL contract, Simpson had already signed a three-year, $250,000, endorsement deal with Chevrolet. Before he played in his first NFL game, he had already made a guest appearance on the television drama, â€Å"Medical Center. † Simpson was drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the first pick of the draft. His first few years in the NFL were uneventful. He was rarely used in his rookie season, gaining only 697 yards in 1969. The following year he suffered a knee-injury. Also known by his nickname, The Juice, Simpson topped 1,000 yards rushing five consecutive years from 1972 to 1976 and led the National Football League four times. In 1973 he became the first NFL player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. In 1979, after being traded to the San Francisco 49ers, Simpson retired from the NFL ending his football career. After completing his career with the San Francisco 49ers and retiring from professional football in 1979, Simpson moved on to a profitable career in television commercials, as a sportscaster and an actor. He appeared in several films called The Klansman and Naked Gun. On June 24, 1967, Simpson married Marguerite L. Whitley. They had three children, including Aaren Lashone Simpson, born on September 24, 1977. Tragically, Aaren drowned in a swimming pool at the family home just before her second birthday. This was a very difficult time for both Simpson and Marguerite. Marguerite and Simpson divorced in 1979, just months after the incident. (Orenthal J. Simpson). Simpson’s second marriage was to Nicole Brown, in 1985. Nicole and Simpson had two children named Sydney and Justin. Nicole Brown Simpson often complained to friends and family that Simpson would often hit and beat her, but he denied ever hitting her. Nicole filed for divorce in 1992 and in 1989 he had been charged with domestic violence against her and pleaded no contest. Simpson’s reputation, however, was unharmed and he received a relatively light sentence of probation, community service and fines. On June 12, 1994, with two small children lying in their beds asleep, Nicole and friend Ronald Goldman were both found stabbed to death outside of her home. Detectives immediately focused their investigation on Simpson for committing the murders. Simpson, away on a business trip received the news. On June 17, after failing to turn himself in, he became a part of a low-speed pursuit in a white Ford Bronco SUV that interrupted coverage of the 1994 NBA Finals. During this speed chase Simpson held a gun to his head to commit suicide but did not go through with it. The pursuit, arrest, and trial were among the most widely publicized events in American history. The trial, often characterized as â€Å"the trial of the century,† ended on October 3, 1995 in a jury verdict of not guilty for the two murders. O. J. Simpson’s defense counsel included Johnnie Cochran, Robert Kardashian, and F. Lee Bailey. (Cerasini, 1994) The verdict was seen live on TV by more than half of the U. S. population, making it one of the most watched events in American TV history. Though acquitted, many people still considered Simpson to be guilty. In 1997, a civil court found Simpson responsible for their wrongful deaths of Brown and Goldman, and ruled against him for a $33. 5 million judgment which Simpson was ordered to pay. In 2006, O. J. Simpson once again entered the spotlight by producing a book, titled, â€Å"If I did it†, in which Simpson writes a first-person fictional account of the murders as if he had actually committed them. This controversial book was withdrawn by the publisher just before its release. The book was later released by the Goldman family with the edited title of â€Å"If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer . The Goldman family still believes that O. J. Simpson killed Nicole Brown. (Cerasini, 1994) In September 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with several felonies, including armed robbery and kidnapping. In 2008 he was found guilty and sentenced to a 33-year prison sentence, with a minimum of nine years in prison without a chance of parole. In June of 2011, O. J. Simpson again returned to the public eye as speculation rose about a potential interview with Oprah Winfrey, who publicly commented that she wanted to interview Simpson for her Oprah Winfrey Network, and wanted to ask im if he did, indeed, kill Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. The talk show host made headlines saying that one of her regrets was never having got Simpson to confess to the killing. And it appears her wish may well have come true with reports that Simpson has already told one of her producers in an interview from jail that he knifed ex-wife Nicole in self-defense claiming that he had got into an argument outside of Nicole’s home and she had threatened him with a knife. Orenthal James Simpson is currently serving his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nevada. Cerasini, 1994) With all things considered, OJ Simpson had an eventful childhood. Although he gained fame for his sporting achievements throughout his adolescence he became infamous after being accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Orenthal James Simpson went from having a successful life to being known as a criminal. And although it may have seemed that he got away with murder, his life story shows that in the end people will pay for the crimes they will commit.