black lawyer who defended oj simpson

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Jun 20, 2021 · F Lee Bailey was the showman-like criminal defence lawyer whose roster of celebrity clients included OJ Simpson and Patty Hearst. Bailey, who has died aged 87, could have continued his successful...

Who was the lead prosecutor in the Simpson murder trial?

An ace trial lawyer for the L.A. District Attorney's office, Clark spent years in the Special Trials Unit, which involved some of the most complex investigations, before becoming the lead prosecutor of the Simpson murder trial.

Who was the criminologist who testified at the murder scene?

As the prosecution's witness, Dennis Fung — the LAPD criminologist who collected evidence at the murder scene — ended up spending the longest time testifying on the stand. For nine days, Fung recalled how he collected samples of blood, albeit admittedly overlooking some important areas where blood drops were identified and not always using gloves.

Who was Christopher Darden?

Christopher Darden (Prosecution ) Despite being a co-prosecuting attorney with Clark, Darden had limited trial experience. Still, as a Black man amid a majority Black jury, his participation was important so as to dismiss the notion that the otherwise all-white people prosecution had racist motivations against Simpson.

Who is Robert Shapiro?

Robert Shapiro (Defense) A lover of the spotlight, lead defense counsel Sha piro knew how to make a deal without going to trial and was a master at manipulating the media in order to garner sympathy for his famous clients. In fact, he was praised as the "Defense Counsel of the Year" in 1994, which even Judge Ito applauded.

Who was the defense counsel of the year 1994?

A lover of the spotlight, lead defense counsel Shapiro knew how to make a deal without going to trial and was a master at manipulating the media in order to garner sympathy for his famous clients. In fact, he was praised as the "Defense Counsel of the Year" in 1994, which even Judge Ito applauded.

Who did Michael Jackson and James Brown represent?

Having moved up the legal ranks in L.A.'s criminal division, Cochran went on to represent some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Michael Jackson and James Brown. In 1994, he was considered one of the best trial lawyers in the nation, and it was Simpson himself who asked Shapiro to bring Cochran onto the team.

Who said if it doesn't fit you must acquit?

After prosecutor Darden made the mistake of demanding Simpson try on the ill-fitted bloody gloves, Cochran uttered the famous phrase: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.". That moment became a turning point of the trial, giving Simpson's defense a huge advantage.

Who was the doctor who killed his wife?

He was successful in overturning the conviction of Sam Sheppard, a Cleveland doctor accused of murdering his wife. The case became a landmark on the issue of pretrial publicity. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the Boston University School of Law.

Who is Marcia Clark?

THE PROSECUTION TEAM (in alphabetical order) Marcia Clark, born 8-31-53, is the lead attorney in the case. She is assigned to the Special Trials Division. She joined the District Attorney's Office in 1981 and has prosecuted about 60 jury trials, including 20 murder cases.

Who is Christopher Darden?

Christopher Darden, born 4-7-56, is co-counsel. He has taken more than 19 homicide cases to jury since becoming a Los Angeles County prosecutor in 1980. Darden became a deputy district attorney in 1981 and completed a six-and-a-half year assignment with the Special Investigations Division before joining the prosecution team. He is a graduate of San Jose State University and Hastings College of the Law.

Who is Gil Garcetti?

He is a graduate of San Jose State University and Hastings College of the Law. Gil Garcetti, born 8-5-41, is the Los Angeles District Attorney, elected in 1992. He joined the District Attorney's Office in 1968 and served as chief deputy from 1984-1988.

Who is William Hodgman?

William Hodgman, born 12-14-52, is director of the Bureau of Central Operations, which includes the Special Trials Division. He joined the District Attorney's Office in 1978 and has prosecuted about 130 trials, including 40 murder cases. He helped win the 1992 conviction of Charles Keating for securities fraud.

Who is Lisa Kahn?

Lisa Kahn, born 12-28-57, is the DNA coordinator for the district attorney's office. She joined the District Attorney's Office 10 years ago and is a member of the Organized Crime Division. She successfully prosecuted the first DNA evidentiary jury trial in California.

Who is Cheri Lewis?

Cheri Lewis, born 8-8-52, is assisting in the research and preparation of prosecution motions and pleadings. She has successfully tried eight murder cases during her five years with the District Attorney's Office. She previously worked in the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

Who was the LAPD criminalist who testified in the 1995 trial?

LAPD criminalist and hair fiber expert Susan Brockbank testified on June 27, 1995, and FBI Special Agent and fiber expert Doug Deedrick testified on June 29, 1995, to the following findings:

Who was the author of the book Journey to Justice?

In 1996, Cochran wrote and published a book about the trial. It was titled Journey to Justice, and described his involvement in the case. That same year, Shapiro also published a book about the trial called The Search for Justice. He criticized Bailey as a "loose cannon" and Cochran for bringing race into the trial. In contrast to Cochran 's book, Shapiro said that he does not believe that Simpson was framed by the LAPD, but considered the verdict correct due to reasonable doubt. In a subsequent interview with Barbara Walters, Shapiro, who is Jewish, claimed that he was particularly offended by Cochran for comparing Fuhrman's words to the Holocaust, and vowed that he would never again work with Bailey or Cochran, but would still maintain a working relationship with Scheck.

How many women were on the jury in the trial of the murder of the slain man?

From an original jury pool of 40 percent white, 28 percent black, 17 percent Hispanic, and 15 percent Asian, the final jury for the trial had ten women and two men, of whom nine were black, two white and one Hispanic. The jury was sequestered for 265 days, the most in American history.

Who was the Dream Team?

The pursuit and Simpson' s subsequent arrest were among the most widely publicized events in American history. Simpson was represented by a high-profile defense team, referred to as the " Dream Team ", which was initially led by Robert Shapiro and subsequently directed by Johnnie Cochran.

What was the defense team's reasonable doubt theory?

The defense team's reasonable doubt theory was summarized as "compromised, contaminated, corrupted" in opening statements. They argued that the DNA evidence against Simpson was "compromised" by the mishandling of criminalists Dennis Fung and Andrea Mazzola during the collection phase of evidence gathering, and that 100% of the "real killer (s)" DNA had vanished from the evidence samples. The evidence was then "contaminated" in the LAPD crime lab by criminalist Collin Yamauchi, and Simpson's DNA from his reference vial was transferred to all but three exhibits. The remaining three exhibits were planted by the police and thus "corrupted" by police fraud. The defense also questioned the timeline, claiming the murders happened around 11:00pm that night.

When was the blood on the back gate of the Bundy crime scene?

The defense alleged that Simpson's blood on the back gate at the Bundy crime scene was planted by the police. The blood on the back gate was collected on July 3, 1995, rather than June 13, the day after the murders. The volume of DNA on that blood was significantly higher than the other blood evidence collected on June 13. The volume of DNA was so high that the defense conceded that it could not be explained by contamination in the lab, yet noted that it was unusual for that blood to have more DNA on it than the other samples collected at the crime scene, especially since it had been left exposed to the elements for several weeks and after the crime scene had supposedly been washed over. On March 20, 1995, Vannatter testified that he instructed Fung to collect the blood on the gate on June 13 and Fung admitted he had not done so. The defense suggested the reason why Fung did not collect the blood is because it was not there that day; Scheck showed a blown-up photograph taken of the back gate on June 13 and he admitted he could not see it in the photograph.

Did the police plant blood on the socks?

The defense alleged that the police had planted Brown's blood on the socks found in Simpson's bedroom. The socks were collected on June 13 and had blood from both Simpson and Brown, but her blood on the socks was not identified until August 4. The socks were found by Fuhrman, but the defense suggested Vannatter planted the blood. He had received both blood reference vials from the victims earlier that day from the coroner and booked them immediately into evidence. Vannatter then drove back to Rockingham later that evening to hand deliver the reference vial for Simpson to Fung, which the defense alleged gave him opportunity to plant the blood. Fung testified he could not see blood on the socks he collected from Simpson's bedroom but the prosecution later demonstrated that those blood stains are only visible underneath a microscope.