This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

sharing is caring

The O.J. Simpson Trial – nicknamed “The Trial of the Century” – came to a shocking conclusion on October 3, 1995, when the jury handed down a verdict of “Not Guilty”.

oj simpson murder trial verdict

For the 25th anniversary of the verdict, let’s look at some of the trial’s key moments, and also, showcase a list of movies and t.v. shows and books that are worth watching this week.

Key Moments of the O.J. Simpson Trials

June 12, 1994 – The bodies of Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson were found at her home

June 17, 1994 – Ford‘s Bronco became a celebrity thanks to O.J. Simpson’s chase on the 405 freeway.

June 20, 1994 – O.J. Simpson is arraigned and pleads Not Guilty

July 20, 1994 – The Goldman family file a wrongful-death lawsuit

July 22, 1994 – At O.J. Simpson’s 2nd arraignment hearing he said he was “absolutely, one hundred percent, not guilty.”

November 3, 1994 – Twelve (12) jurors were seated for the O.J. Simpson trial in addition to Twelve (12) alternates

January 24, 1995 – The trial against O.J. Simpson begins

January 27, 1995 – I Want to Tell You: My Response to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions is released


February 3, 1995 – Nicole’s sister, Denise Brown, testifies to the abuse

February 12, 1995 – The jury visits Nicole Brown’s house and Simpson’s Rockingham house where the place was staged

March 13, 1995 – Mark Fuhrman denies being a racist

March 22, 1995 – Kato, O.J. Simpson’s houseguest, took the stand to say he had last seen O.J. at 9:36 p.m. the evening of the murders. [O.J. Simpson was not seen for over an hour until 10:54 p.m. when he talked to the limousine driver.]

March 28, 1995 – Allan Park, the limo driver from the night of the murder, testified

April 4, 1995 – Criminologist Dennis Fung confesses to a lack of proper protocol on the scene when collecting evidence

June 12, 1995 – Nicole Brown Simpson’s family files a wrongful-death lawsuit

June 15, 1995 – Christopher Darden made the biggest mistake of his career when he asked O.J. to put on the gloves found at the scene. The gloves could not have fit Simpson because they had been soaked in blood and also frozen and unfrozen several times.

June 19, 1995 – William J. Bodziak, FBI shoe print expert, testified that the bloody shoe print in Simpson’s Bronco and at the murder scene was made from a rare and expensive pair of Bruno Magli Italian shoes of which only 29 pairs in Simpson’s size were sold in the United States [one being sold at a store Simpson shopped at].

July 14, 1995 – Dr. Robert Huizenga testified that O.J. could not have committed the crimes due to his chronic arthritis and football injuries. AFTER THE TRIAL – Dr. Huizenga admitted that O.J. could have committed the crimes in “throes of an adrenaline rush”.

August 10, 1995 – Dr. Michael Baden testified for the defense that the murders happened closer to 11 p.m. when O.J. Simpson had an alibi. AFTER THE TRIAL – Dr. Baden admitted that he had lied and should never have testified on behalf of Simpson.

August 15, 1995 – Marcia Clark asks Judge Ito to recuse himself

September 6, 1995 – On the stand, Mark Fuhrman cites his fifth amendment privilege

October 2, 1995 – The jury reaches a verdict after FOUR hours of deliberation

September 18, 1996 – Jury selection begins for the lawsuits against O.J. Simpson accusing him of wrongful death and battery

November 22, 1996 – O.J. Simpson testifies before the jury

December 9, 1996 – Fred Goldman, father of the victim, testifies

January 13, 1997 – A letter from Nicole Brown Simpson is read to the jury wherein she claims “[O.J.] beat the holy hell out of me.”

February 4, 1997 – After 17 hours of deliberation, the jury reaches a verdict that Simpson is liable for the two deaths and awards plaintiffs $8.5 million in compensatory damages

July 31, 2007 – Federal Court Judge A. Jay Cristol awarded the Goldman family the rights to If I Did It and re-named If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer the book’s proceeds pays off Simpson’s civil claim


September 13, 2007 – Simpson entered room number 1203 at the Palace Station Hotel to retrieve sports memorabilia they claim were stolen

September 16, 2007 – Simpson is arrested and charged with six felony counts as well and is held in solitary confinement without bail

September 19, 2007 – Simpson is released on a $125,000 bail

September 15, 2008 – The Trial begins for the stolen sports memorabilia

October 3, 2008 – The jury unanimously finds Simpson guilty on all 12 counts against him, including robbery and kidnapping charges

December 5, 2008 – Simpson was sentenced to a minimum of 9 years in prison

July 20, 2017 – Simpson granted parole on the armed robbery convictions

October 1, 2017 – Simpson is released from prison

What to Watch and Read about the O.J. Trials

In addition to the 2 books written by O.J. Simpson, other books by key players-

Vincent Bugliosi (former District Attorney) – Outrage: The Five Reasons Why O. J. Simpson Got Away with Murder

Clark – Without a Doubt

Cochran – Journey to Justice

Darden – In Contempt

Fuhrman – Murder in Brentwood

Goldman Family – His Name is Ron: Our Search for Justice

Dr. Henry Lee (Defense forensic DNA expert) – Blood Evidence: How DNA Is Revolutionizing The Way We Solve Crimes

Faye Resnick – Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted

Shapiro – The Search for Justice

Jeffrey Toobin – The Run of His Life

[3 Ladies of the Jury] – Madam Foreman

Movies based on the cases against O.J. Simpson –

The O.J. Simpson Story (1995) – starring Bobby Hosea (Simpson)

American Tragedy (2000) – starring Ving Rhames (Simpson), Christopher Plummer (Bailey), and Ron Silver (Shapiro)

OJ: Trial of the Century (2014) – a documentary by ID

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016) – starring Cuba Gooding Jr. (Simpson), Sarah Paulson (Clark), John Travolta (Shapiro), David Schwimmer (Kardashian), Sterling K. Brown (Darden)

O.J. Simpson Trial: The Real Story (2016) – a documentary by ID

O.J.: Made in America (2016) – a documentary by ESPN

OJ25 (2020) – a documentary by Court TV

Where are the Key Players of the O.J. Trial in 2020?

O.J. Simpson – retired in Las Vegas, Nevada, where his social security earnings are not in danger of being taken by the Goldman and Brown families (@TheRealOJ32)

Kim Goldman – sister of the late Ron Goldman; Kim is the Executive Director of LA Based The Youth Project

Fred and Patti Goldman – parents of the late Ron Goldman; they are working as realtors in Arizona

Denise Brown – sister of the late Nicole Brown Simpson; victims’ right advocate and speaker

Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. – died of brain cancer in 2005

Robert Kardashian – died of esophageal cancer in 2003

Robert Shapiro – founder of LegalZoom and RightCounsel.com and the Brent Shapiro Foundation

Barry Scheck – co-founder of The Innocence Project

F. Lee Bailey – disbarred in Massachusetts and Florida in the early 2000s for misconduct in handling a client’s case

Marcia Clark – tv commentator and novelist

Chris Darden – defense attorney, legal commentator on television

Judge Ito – retired in 2005

Kato Kaelin – tried his hand at reality television and regularly appears at Wizard World Comic Con

More True Crime to Read

Sharing is Caring

O.J. Simpson Trial movies O.J. Simpson Trial Books to Read