No OJ Independence on ’95 Independence Day

Independence Day.

Court’s on a holiday.

Second 4th in jail.

7/5/95

So, Kim, if Simpson was in custody in the Los Angeles County Jail from the day he was arrested on June 17, 1994, until the jury acquitted him on Oct. 3, 1995, as you claimed in your recent Rolling Stone story, your memory of him meeting with your dad, Bob Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran and other members of the Simpson “Dream Team” at your house during the trial is a false memory.

Please Put Hang Fung to Rest

The jury is back.

Shapiro’s racial remark.

He shouldn’t hang Fung.

4/13/95

Robert Shapiro apologizes for joking about going to a Chinese restaurant called Hang Fung after defense attorney Barry Scheck’s cross examines prosecution witness Dennis Fung — which is a follow to “Scheck Pounds Fung” posted on April 5, 2015 .

Sideshows Spawned by Simpson “Media Circus”

This story, How the O.J. Simpson trial paved the way for all things Kardashian, published a few days ago, raises an interesting point:

Would any of the Kardashians have made it big, or even have made it small, were it not for their patriarch, Robert, who was a confidante of O.J. Simpson and a member of his defense team?

I remember Kris at the trial in one of the more bizarre events during court proceedings — and there were a lot! Here’s how I recounted it in “Anatomy of a Trial”:

“Another day of a strange star alignment occurred less than a week before the trial ended. On September 27, [Judge Lance] Ito had given the two courtroom seats he held in reserve for his use, generally for visiting judge, his parents, or other relatives, to songwriter David Foster, whom he knew, and Foster’s wife. The wife had previously been married to former Olympian [Bruce] Jenner. And there in court that same day was Jenner with his current wife [Kris], who was the ex-wife of Simpson attorney Robert Kardashian. The Jenners sat with former baseball star [Steve] Garvey and his wife, who, months earlier, had been a prosecution witness.”

While it’s unknown if the Simpson trial was the Kardashians’ soda fountain counter stool [a la Lana Turner], the Zap2it writer, Sarah Huggins, of the above referenced article did correctly label the spectacle attendant to the trial, although probably not as she intended. That label was “media circus.”  While there certainly was a media circus surrounding the the trial, hard as they tried to make viewers and readers believe the trial itself was a circus, all the circus antics were outside the courtroom — including the demeaning little joke defense attorney Robert Shapiro pulled on Deputy District Attorney Chris Darden, which occurred in the back hallway behind the courtroom.

As the two lawyers were coming out of Ito’s chambers, Shapiro pointed to Darden’s necktie and appeared to ask him something about it. When Darden looked down at his tie, Shapiro brought his finger up and chucked Darden sharply under his chin. Shapiro smirked and said something I didn’t hear, but Darden looked humiliated.

Halloween Masks–Which is Scariest of All?

Halloween is here.

Show of unity is masked.

Robert Shapiro.

10/31/94

On Halloween Day 1994, members of the media covering the O. J. Simpson criminal trial have a group shot taken outside the Criminal Courts Building, all wearing defense attorney Bob Shapiro masks.

Pistorius Needs Unanimity of One

Parallels between the Oscar Pistorius case of the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and that of O.J. Simpson who stood trial for the premeditated murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown blare from countless news stories and endless punditry.

The victims were gorgeous blondes. Claims of domestic violence abound. Agendas and/or competency of the lead police detectives are questioned.

But there are differences, as Simpson defense attorney Bob Shapiro points out in this article. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2013/02/21/oj-simpson-oscar-pistorius-robert-shapiro-us-legal-system-south-african-legal-system/1935873/

A huge difference in the trials themselves–a trial date might be set for Pistorius at his next court appearance on June 4–is that Oscar Pistorius will not be facing a jury. South Africa does not have a jury system. Cases there are determined by a single judge who presides over the proceedings.

That will decomplicate a lot. One is the time and expense of selecting twelve members of the public to comprise a jury, and from a few to several more to serve as alternates. Eight were chosen for the Simpson trial.

Another is the monumental decision about whether or not to sequester the 12 plus alternates. Monumental because of the huge risk of contamination if they are not sequestered which could result in a mistrial versus the exorbitant cost of housing, feeding and entertaining them, not to mention the terrible disruption in their lives, if they are sequestered. The Simpson jurors and alternates were sequestered–which was almost akin to being imprisoned–for more than nine months. Nine months of having to live apart from their families and being away from their jobs, with some employers refusing to pay them during that time.

Yet another complication can be a dysfunctional situation either with one or more jurors, individually, or in group interactions.

I devoted a chapter to the 1995 Simpson jury, juror problems and high drama in Anatomy of a Trial.

Another significant difference between the Pistorius and Simpson cases is that as of this morning, Pistorius is out on bail. Simpson spent the entire 14-plus months behind bars, from his June 17, 1994, arrest until his Oct. 3, 1995, acquittal.