The O. J. Simpson Murder Trial (Part III)

                                    

                                          


                          
Prosecution case
                          
The two lead prosecutors were Deputy District Attorneys Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden. Clark was designated as the lead prosecutor and Darden became Clark's co-counsel. Prosecutors Hank Goldberg and William Hodgman, who have successfully prosecuted high-profile cases in the past, assisted Clark and Darden. Two prosecutors who were DNA experts, Rockne Harmon and George "Woody" Clarke, were brought in to present the DNA evidence in the case. Prosecutor Lisa Kahn, who was the DNA coordinator for the district attorney's office, assisted Clarke and Harmon.
                          
The prosecution decided not to seek the death penalty and instead sought a life sentence. The prosecution's case was built around circumstantial evidence to establish Simpson had motive and physical evidence to establish he had means and opportunity to commit the murders.  A total of 488 pieces of evidence was presented to the jury, though no witnesses to the murders and no murder weapon were found.  The physical evidence included classic forensic sciences - hair, fiber and shoe print analysis - as well as novel forensic sciences including DNA fingerprinting and serology.
                          
Theory
                          
The prosecution began presenting their case on January 24, 1995. Christopher Darden presented the circumstantial evidence of Simpson's history of domestic violence towards Nicole Brown as the motive for her murder.  Darden argued in opening statements that Simpson had a history of physically abusing Nicole and had pleaded guilty to one count of domestic violence for beating Nicole in 1989. Darden described Simpson's alleged financial, psychological and physical abuse of Brown.  It was alleged that, on the night of the murders, Simpson attended a dance recital for his daughter and was reportedly angry with Nicole because of a black dress that she wore. Simpson's girlfriend, Paula Barbieri, wanted to attend the recital with Simpson but he did not invite her. After the recital, Simpson returned home to a voicemail from Barbieri ending their relationship. Simpson then drove over to Nicole Brown's home to reconcile their relationship as a result and when Nicole refused, Simpson killed her in a "final act of control." Ron Goldman then came upon the scene and was murdered as well.
                          
Marcia Clark presented the physical evidence that Simpson had the means and opportunity to commit the murders and Eyewitness testimony to refute Simpson's claim that he was home that night. The gloves worn by the murderer were recovered: one found at the crime scene and the other at Simpson's home. Clark stated that there is a "trail of blood from the crime scene through Simpson's Ford Bronco and into his house in Rockingham." She stated "there is a 'Mountain of Evidence' pointing to Simpson's guilt" that is too high to climb.
                          
Domestic Violence
                          
The prosecution opened its case by calling LAPD 911 dispatcher Sharon Gilbert and playing a four-minute 9-1-1 call from Nicole Brown Simpson on January 1, 1989, in which she expressed fear that Simpson would physically harm her and Simpson himself is even heard in the background yelling at her and possible hitting her as well. The officer who responded to that call, Detective John Edwards, testified next that when he arrived, a severely beaten Nicole Brown Simpson ran from the bushes where she was hiding and to the detective screaming "He's going to kill me, he's going to kill me," referring to O.J. Simpson. Pictures of Nicole Browns face from that night were then shown to the jury to confirm his testimony. That incident lead to Simpson's arrest and eventually pleading no contest to one count of domestic violence for which he received probation.  LAPD officer and longtime friend of both Simpson and Brown, Ron Shipp, testified on February 1, 1995 that Simpson told him the day after the murders that he did not want to take a polygraph test offered to him by the police because "I've had a lot of dreams about killing her. I really don't know about taking that thing." The prosecution then called Denise Brown, Nicole Brown's sister, to the witness stand. She tearfully testified to many episodes of domestic violence in the 1980s; when she saw Simpson pick up his wife and hurl her against a wall, then physically throw her out of their house during an argument. She also testified that Simpson was agitated with Nicole the night of his daughter's dance recital as well, the same night Nicole was murdered.