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Subscribe to RSSCORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the status of F. Lee Bailey, a member of O.J. Simpson’s 1995 murder defense team. Bailey is alive.
Nearly 17 years after O.J. Simpson walked away from his murder trial a free man, a prosecutor at the center of the case has alleged that the lead defense lawyer tampered with a crucial piece of evidence.
Former Los Angeles deputy district attorney Christopher Darden on Thursday accused Simpson defense lawyer, the late Johnnie Cochran, of "manipulating" one of the infamous gloves that the prosecution said linked Simpson to the grisly double murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Msnbc's Thomas Roberts speaks with William Dear, a private investigator who authored the new book "OJ Simpson Is Innocent and I Can Prove It."
After Simpson struggled to fit the gloves on his hands -- in one of the defining moments of the racially charged trial that captivated the nation -- Cochran famously admonished the jury, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."
On Thursday, during a panel discussion about the trial at Pace Law School in New York City, Darden, a member of the prosecution team, declared: "I think Johnnie tore the lining. There were some additional tears in the lining so that O.J.'s fingers couldn't go all the way up into the glove."
'Total fabrication'
Darden said in a follow-up interview on Friday that he noticed that when Simpson was trying on a glove for the jury its structure appeared to have changed. "A bailiff told me the defense had it during the lunch hour."
He said he wasn't specifically accusing anyone, adding: "It's been my suspicion for a long time that the lining has been manipulated."
He said he had previously voiced similar concerns in TV interviews, but could not recall the details.
Darden's incendiary charge surprised key participants in the trial and related legal action.
Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, who was a member of Simpson's defense team, and Paul Callan, who represented Nicole Brown Simpson's estate in a successful civil trial against Simpson, said it was the first time they had ever heard the allegation.
TODAY's Professionals — Star Jones, Nancy Snyderman, and Donny Deutsch — discuss controversial topics, including a new book claiming to prove O.J. Simpson's innocence and a study showing women work harder than their male colleagues.
On Friday, Dershowitz called the claim that the defense had an opportunity to tamper with the gloves "a total fabrication" and said "the defense doesn't get access to evidence except under controlled circumstances."
"Having made the greatest legal blunder of the 20th Century," Dershowitz said of Darden, "he's trying to blame it on the dead man."
Darden's remarks came after Dershowitz, a fellow panelist, called Darden's decision to have Simpson try on the glove for the first time before the jury "the most stupid thing" a prosecutor could have done.
Why didn't he report misconduct?
Dershowitz said that if Darden had evidence that there had been tampering, he would have had an ethical obligation to report the alleged misconduct. He also questioned why Darden hadn't filed a grievance with the state bar association. Darden responded by saying that this would have been a "whiny-little-snitch approach to life" and that was not what he believed in because it didn't change anything.
The event was part of a "Trials and Errors" series, co-sponsored by Pace Law School and the Forum on Law, Culture & Society at Fordham Law, that examines America's most controversial cases. Also on the panel were Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, and his sister, Kim Goldman.
Derek Sells, the managing partner of Cochran's old law firm, The Cochran Firm, did not respond to requests for comment. A call to Cochran's daughter, Tiffany Cochran Edwards, who is a communications director for the firm, was not immediately returned. Cochran died in 2005 from a brain tumor at age 67.
Simpson was acquitted in the double murder case despite what prosecutors described as a "mountain of evidence" against him. The evidence included a blood-soaked glove found on Simpson's estate and a matching one found at the scene of the murder.
Questions about the lining of the gloves emerged during the 1995 trial, but they did not involve allegations of tampering by defense lawyers.
Three other members of Simpson's defense team, Robert Shapiro, Barry Scheck and F. Lee Bailey, did not immediately return requests for comment. Robert Kardashian, who also represented Simpson, is deceased.
A civil jury in 1997 found Simpson liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the murder victims' families. Simpson is currently serving up to 33 years in prison for a 2007 armed robbery in which he claimed he was trying to recover his own sports memorabilia.
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Who really cares!!! The Brown Family got all those people to coerce OJ into the selling his sports items and now he is in prison. So like I said at the start, WHO REALLY CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No one seems to remember (or realize) that the prosecution's hands were tied in a number of ways. There was crucial evidence that was available for scrutiny by the public and the media, but was not admissible. If there is anyone to blame for what was such a miscarriage of justice, it's the judge and the dirtbag lawyers that got OJ off (included that POS who co-founded and does the commercials for Legal Zoom). I wouldn't p*ss on any of them if they were on fire (that goes for that racist jury too).
Anyone who can rub two brain cells together knows one of the worlds worst narcissists, oj himself, was guilty. The prosecution should have never used a glove soaked with blood anyway. Any glove soaked with blood would be stiff and possibly have shrunk. An identical pair (same size) of the same make of glove should have been used for the "compel to put in jail". It was sloppy prosecution that let this pathetic jock ... walk.
A lawyer would tamper with the evidence??!!! Really?!!!
Not to mention OJ wearing rubber gloves. A set of gloves and of course OJ's ego would have them skin tight. The only problem I saw in that trial was the prosecution's efforts to "overkill" their evidence. Of course they were facing the legal "dream team" they wanted to make it impossible to lose and in so doing lost lol.
It seems so typical that he waits 17 years and accuses a DEAD defense attorney?. What's the matter don't got any proof and don't want a liable lawsuit?. Just wants to get back in the headlines for more interviews and $$$ :-(. IMO ;-) LMAO
My god are these people all STUPID!
HAS ANYONE EVER TRIED TO PUT LEATHER GLOVES OVER LATEX GLOVES? IT IS IMPOSSIBLE! Please, put your speculation to rest.... Put on a pair of latex gloves an then try to put any pair of gloves on over them. You will find it is near impossible. Especially for a pair of leather gloves that fits snugly!
Please, next time you have theory's, at least look at the facts and evidence first.
"Just the facts!" "It's elementary my dear Watson."
Sam
OJ had 11 Blacks on the Jury and one white women so he walked.Black justice.
I have always believed that OJ did not murder Nicole or Ron but was covering for his son. OJ seemed to me a little gangster and a little lazy so I think if he wanted to kill her he would have shot her. I have always believed that OJ son's was either having an affair or obsessed with Nicole, saw her with another and killed her in a crime of passion. OJ knows and covered for his kid. After being in the NFL most players that I know bodies are so beat up that being able to murder a man and woman with a knife half his age would be very difficult. That is why I believed that it was OJ's 20 something son that did the crime.
speculation is fanciful, but is there a shred of evidence to substantiate the claim?
Glenn, Noticed how I started my post "I have always believed". Not speculation just what I believe. I was in college at the time and we studied this trial with a fine tooth comb for class every single day so my impression is as such.
LMAOL....This one beat back all the comments , lol OJ's son lol.
The fact remains that sports gloves change size and shape after being worn and have been exposed to sweat and being "wet". This fact was NOT debated over in detail. People playing sports and using sports gloves are well aware of this fact. That is why they did not FIT. Watching that live, I knew they would not. I was shocked that the fact was not debated in great length and poked holes in. So, when he tried them on, they were then "DRY" so they had shrunk after being wet. However you look at it, those are the facts with sports gloves. Many many years experiencing using them. He is a cold blooded killer, and even if they had presented more evidence against him, with that jury he still would have been freed.
The worst by-product of the OJ trial would have to be the Kardashians. They owe their "fame" to OJ Simpson.
Old news... OJ getting what he deserves now. He's a menace to society. He'll stand before God at judgement throne as will most people according to the Bible.
The jury knows,the defense team knows,the judge knows,the who world knows, a murderer was set free. With a little heat or drying you can make those fancy gloves shrink. I dont know why the prosecution didn't bring in a pair of new glove of the same make and size and have OJ try them on.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. i love lawyers.
Apparently Mr Darden still can't live with the fact they lost . 17 years ago get over it.
What I remember from the OJ trial is that neither side really had enough to win their case - and both sides then resorted to theatrics - complete with live camera coverage. I suspect that had this been a closed trial (not open to the media) the outcome might have been different.
The prosecutors had enough to convict - but due to investigative missteps - not enough to remove doubt. The defense only needed to add more doubt, and OJ's assembled legal team put on quite the performance. The trial was a complete mockery.
That said, fate or karma or whatever you want to call it - does have a way of circling back around. OJ left that first trial feeling above the law - which ultimately put him away.
As I recall, OJ was a has been ex NFL player whose celebrity was revived by this case. When the news flashed the slow speed chase, most people had forgotten who "OJ" was. The fear of riots if he were found guilty, IMO was a joke. Simpson was considered an "Uncle Tom" because he left his wife who supported him throughout his "career" for a white teenaged girl. There was no love lost on him in the Black community...certainly not enough to cause a racial uproar.
LOL Slow speed chase (nice one). Notice how all them cops and not a one of them did a PIT maneuver no road block, heck just pull in front of them and stop LMAO.
Of course, Johnnie Cochran can't respond. In law school you are taught never to ask a question that you do not know the answer to. The prosecution flubbed this one.
is o.j. the pitcher or the catcher in prison? baaaaahahahahahaaaaaaaaaawaaaaaaa.
This is a prime example of how our justice system is all about who can do a better job of lawyering (I know, not a word) as opposed to finding what is really the truth.
We all know he did it. Not guilty and Innocent are two different things. OJ is in prison and was recently beat up by his mates. He will rot in hell for eternity. Justice, albeit long in coming, has been done. My heart weeps for the vicitms of #32.
First, if someone calls you "stupid" to your face in front of a large group of people, its pretty natural to call them a liar back - not a good thing to do but understandable. Dershowitz could have phrased that better to say the least. He was at least as unprofessional as Darden.
Second, normally I would scoff at the idea that the defense had unsupervised private access to a piece of evidence, but Lance Ito (the judge) was so star struck with the defense dream team and so incompetent that it would not surprise me.
Third, the gloves were already damaged and stiff from being wet. Of course they didn't fit, but would have fit if they were in proper condition. Under the circumstances, it was not wise to have OJ try the gloves on, and if the defense tried to do it instead he should have objected based on their condition.
Fourth, I do think there is a very high likelihood that Robert Kardashian (OJ's friend) who had possession of the dufflebag from OJ's flight, disposed of bloody clothing. Kardashian was put on the defense team to prevent him from being called as a witness and to create the fantasy of attorney/client privilege.
Finally, this was not that long after the LA riots. Darden described in his book written shortly after the trial that when he was assigned to replace another prosecutor in the trial (who had a heart attack) that as soon as he saw the jury he knew the case was lost. The jury was not so much biased as afraid - of each other and the community.
Along with the Casey Anthony trial, the OJ trial is an example of why trials should not be televised. Everyone, including the jurors, are playing to the camera, their post trial interview and their book deals, and the viewership and not attending to the matter in front of them. Juries should also not be sequestered for months on end. After awhile, they are suffering from some version of Stockholm Syndrome and are no longer competent to make rational decisions under the circumstances.
LEATHER + WATER + HEAT = SHRINKAGE. Not one of those "experts" brought this up! It doesn't take a college degree to know the obvious. The man got away with murder because of these idiots.
VCB or maybe by design....
LEATHER + LIQUID (BLOOD) + HEAT = SHRINKAGE...
None of the so called "professionals" brought this to anyones attention and now we have another "professional" insinuating the glove was tampered with. HA!
While I believe fully that OJ was guilty, I also believe Chris Darden is a liar and shows a complete lack of character in these comments. He was tasked with prosecuting this case and he and his team did a poor job of it. If OJs team had a chance to manipulate evidence, it's only because this team of lawyers failed to evaluate that evidence properly through physical inspection, both before and after the defense team had possession of it! What a POS! In any case, OJ is in jail, where he needs to be!
After 17 years...who really gives a @!$%#. As it turned out, OJ is lying in the bed he made for himself. Unfortunately at the expense of lost lives and troubled times he made for other people.
OJ's son Jason did it....that's why OJ knew that he himself was innocent, but he also knew that he couldn't turn his own son in for the crime. Just Google "OJ Simpson's son Jason", it'll explain in depth...
LAPD says he had an alibi!
Thank you! I have always thought his son did it too. BMW, Stacy Peterson gave Scott Peterson an alibi and he was just convicted of murder so things change.
Yeah, not too hard to come up with an alibi, all you gotta do is pay someone to lie for you....it might cost a lot, but it can, and probably is, done quite a bit...by those who have lots of dough, like OJ had back then...