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After passing away from cancer last week at 76, the media continues to regard former NFL player O.J. Simpson as a murderer, despite him being found not guilty of the brutal slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1995. The world watched O.J. stand trial in Los Angeles while being represented by a prominent legal team, including the late Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz, and now-deceased Robert Kardashian.
Upon the announcement of his death, several media outlets and socialites quickly took to social media to refer to O.J. as a killer and make light of his death. The New York Post's Andrea Peyser wrote, "Burn in hell, OJ Simpson — where you belong if there's any justice in this world." The article states, "In life, Orenthal James Simpson got away with a horrific 1994 double murder — nearly decapitating his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson with a knife and stabbing her friend Ron Goldman so viciously and repeatedly, the overkill continued after he was dead." Andrea also shared in her story that Johnnie Cochran sued her following the trial for suggesting he was a liar; she said, "Johnnie Cochran, the late defense lawyer and chief architect of the lunacy that set O.J. free, sued me as well as The Post for $10 million." She continued, "Because I'd suggested in print that Cochran was a liar. Sanity prevailed after judges ruled that this was my Constitutionally protected opinion."
Jimmy Kimmel wasted no time poking fun at the former NFL star's death on his show, saying, "It was a tough day; God, I miss OJ so much—already! I really do." He continued, "As most of you probably know, the big story was that OJ Simpson went to Hell today."
Even Caitlyn Jenner (formerly known as Bruce Jenner) commented on Simpson's death. Caitlyn was connected to the former running back from Jenner's then-spouse, Chris Jenner. The late Nicole Brown Simpson and Chris Jenner were friends. Caitlin took to social media to say, "Good Riddance #OJSimpson." However, several social media users called out Jenner about the statement.
Many Americans remember Johnnie Cochran's strategies during the trial, especially his closing statements, which reminded the prosecution that the leather gloves they required O.J. to try on in court from the crime scene did not fit. Cochran told the court—"It makes no sense, it doesn't fit, if it doesn't fit, you must acquit." Cochran also asked the court, "If I put this knit cap on, who am I?" [Then, after putting the hat on his head, he replied,] "I'm still Johnnie Cochran with a knit cap." Cochran continued, "O.J. Simpson in a knit cap from two blocks away is still O.J. Simpson. It's no disguise. It's no disguise. It makes no sense."
Simpson's former lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, said in a recent interview with CTV News that he believes O.J. was framed for the murder. Dershowitz recalled the high racial tension during the trial. He said, "It was a very divisive case; people that hated him, hated me for representing him—It was divided along racial lines." He continued, "I would go to the airport and somebody would run up to me and say, oh my god, it's so great that you're defending Simpson, and inevitably that person was African American, or somebody would come up and spit at me and say how could you represent somebody that was so obviously guilty and they were generally white." Dershowitz said, "The evidence was overwhelming that he was framed." He explained, "The crucial piece of evidence, the sock, which had his blood and the blood of one of the victims, on it, was tampered with—the blood was poured from test tubes—didn't come from O.J.'s body directly, it came from test tubes." "The test tube contained a chemical that's not found in the human body; that chemical was found in the sock, so we were able to prove conclusively that the police had tampered with it."
Despite the not-guilty verdict, the Brown and Goldman families won civil suits against the former NFL star. O.J. reportedly paid only a fraction of the millions owed to the families. According to People, Simpson's lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, is the executor of the now-deceased athlete's estate; Simpson's son, Justin, whom he shared with Nicole, is his successor. Malcolm said he plans to keep the Goldmans from obtaining any money from the estate; he stated, "It's my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing," LaVergne said. "Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing, according to People."
Simpson's family announced his passing via X (formerly known as Twitter) on April 10th.
Related Article: O.J. Simpson Has Died at 76 After Battling Cancer