The People of The State of California VS Orenthal James Simpson-An Unsolved Murder

I'll never forget going down to the main floor waiting room at Cottage Hospital in Galesburg Illinois on a warm summer day in June of 1994. I was there to visit my great-grandmother and desperately needed a break from family squabbling. In the waiting area I, like those already there, was distracted by the ongoing car chase playing out nationally. Knowing that it was unusual for a car chase to be covered coast to coast I stopped and listened to the reporters, amazed by what I heard; the Los Angeles Police were chasing down O.J. Simpson as a suspect in his ex-wife's murder.

On the night of June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were stabbed to death outside of Brown's Brentwood home in California. Their murders and the high-profile arrest of the former NFL star and actor ignited events that had never been seen before in media or the American legal system. What we at home would see over the next 18 months is still a prime example of where the justice system is flawed.

At 12:10 in the morning on that day in California, it was Nicole Brown's dog that leads the neighbors to the dead bodies of Ronald Goldman and Brown as they lay ner the gated area in front of her home. Meanwhile, OJ Simpson, who had boarded a plane to Chicago and taken off at 11:45 pm, was in the air not to check into his hotel until 4:15 a.m. central time. At 4:30 a.m. police went to the Rockingham home of Simpson to inform him of the death of his former spouse, only to find his Bronco with blood stains and a "bloody" glove that matches one found near Goldmans' body.

To most people in the country, and admittedly, myself, this was enough reason to believe that O.J. had snapped and killed his ex-wife. Even at 22yrs old, I wouldn't have had a hard time believing such a thing, except for the days after O.J. becoming a suspect and the way things played out. By the time they arrested O.J., I personally felt that there was more to the story, and either O.J. was innocent or that someone else had conspired with him to commit the crime.

On June 14th, 1994 a search of O.J. Simpson's house is conducted prior to him arriving home after learning of Nicole Brown's death. At 12 p.m. he returns to his mansion where he is handcuffed and questioned for hours about the events. Simpson must have then known that he was their chief suspect, but he chose not to act like a suspect, for reasons of his innocence or pure arrogance. We may never know which one. Simpson and his two children attend Brown's funeral and it was not until June 17th, three days later, that the police attempt to officially arrest the former football hero for murder.

Simpson promised to surrender to authorities but flees and becomes a fugitive. Later he is spotted off the freeway as he drives his infamous white Bronco with his personal friend, Al Cowlings along for the ride. It was a scene befitting of a modern-day hero or infamously loved figure, as fans began to line the streets to cheer him on. His arrest all took place, famously interrupting the 1994 NBA finals after Simpson took the police on a relatively low-speed chase for over sixty minutes while an estimated 95 million viewers looked on. Ultimately, Simpson surrenders at his house a little before 9 P.M. and is arrested and thrown in jail without bail.

Questions begin to surface in the public, regarding the OJ Simpson case, particularly amongst football fans, conspiracy theorists, and anyone that has ever thought about the laws of this country. Simpson had been questioned for hours. He knew he was a suspect. So why, with all of his money, fame, connections, and power would Simpson simply stick around for himself to be arrested? The conviction would certainly have placed him in prison for the remainder of his life. This was and still is a particularly brutal murder. Questions about his car chase. How, if his Bronco had blood inside and out, did O.J. have possession of it so quickly? The Bronco would certainly have been considered a piece of evidence in an ongoing criminal murder investigation...would it not?

In the early part of October, 1995, Orenthal James Simpson is acquitted by a jury of his peers in the People of California vs Orenthal James Simpson. The Los Angeles Police Department is dealt a fatal loss or a fatal blow, as we later learn that Detective Mark Furman, one of the investigators in the case is heavily suspected of planting evidence. Tapes are played that indicate the LAPD Investigator is a racist as he's recorded using racial slurs. The slurs in question are ones he's already stated, on the record, he has never used. Furman is also disgraced as the tapes go on to show him bragging about his use of police brutality. Criminologist Dennis Fung had testified to wrongdoings at the crime scene. DNA evidence is so inconclusive that it indicates that 170 million people have the same characteristics that were found in the drop of blood at the crime scene. The gloves that were there, didn't fit O.J. Simpson's hands.

Is this a travesty of justice? Nobody at the time knew. Simpson would later go on to lose his fortune in a civil case, which for courtroom procedure is different than a criminal case. Civil cases are decided on a preponderance of the evidence, or in mathematical terms, 50.01 percent in favor of guilt is considered a guilty verdict, finding in favor of the plaintiff or suing party. In criminal cases, the jury must be beyond a reasonable doubt, or 99.99 percent certain of guilt to bring back a guilty verdict.

So, what happened that night to Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. It's very easy to go on believing that Simpson committed the heinous crimes and got lucky in the courtroom. He did, after all, have Johnny Cochrane, Robert Shapiro, and F Lee Bailey to defend him. All in all, Simpson was blessed to have the money for a criminal defense dream team. But, did he do it, or was he just lucky? To this day, I think he knew more than the investigators ever learned.

In enters Glen Rogers, the Cross Country Killer. On November 13th, 1995, Glenn Rogers was arrested in Waco, Kentucky after a 13 mile chase. Kentucky State Police noticed him driving a stolen carte, owned by one of his victims, Tina Marie Cribbs. Cribbs had been found dead just days before.

Since his arrest, Rogers has been someone of interest to those that still follow the case. Rogers's brother Clay has maintained that his brother, Glen Rogers, not O.J. Simpson, actually murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

I'm absolutely certain that my brother Glen killed Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman. I know my brother did it because I've seen proof that he was there.

Clay Rogers

According to criminal profiler, Anthony Meoli, after exchanging dozens of letters and visiting him on death row, Rogers claimed that O.J. Simpson hired him to break into his ex-wife's condo to steal diamond earrings. Rogers allegedly claimed that O.J.'s instructions included that "you may have to kill that bitch." According to Rogers's claims, Simpson told him about a spare key hidden outside the door to Nicole's condo, and Rogers's details of the attack were specifically outside on the steps when Goldman arrived unexpectedly. For many, this answered the question of why was it outside, as Simpson, while having a temper, was an intelligent man with access that would have allowed him to commit the crime in the residence.

While Rogers may be telling a tale with an ulterior motive, the fact remains, there were questions from the original days surrounding the murders of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman that were never answered. If we were to simply believe that while there was corruption in the case and O.J. had nothing to do with it, we would be turning a blind eye to the possibilities that he knew who killed them, and perhaps even helped plan or conspired to kill his ex-wife. There may be a lot to be said for Ronald Goldman having shown up unexpectedly. Rogers's story is almost too good to believe because if it is true, it would certainly put Simpson back under the microscope. However true the part of his story about him committing the murders is, where is the tie between O.J. and Glen Rogers. As for Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman, their killer is still officially unidentified.