Key Players in O.J. Simpson’s Criminal Murder Trial and Acquittal: Where Are They Now?
NFL star O.J. Simpson was infamously acquitted of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman following a high-profile trial in the ‘90s.
The legal battle was one of the most notorious criminal trials in American history, and a defining moment of the 1990s.
Brown Simpson and Goldman were stabbed to death in June 1994 outside of her home in Los Angeles and law enforcement officials named Simpson their primary suspect one day later. After an infamous car chase in his white Ford Bronco that was broadcast on national TV, Simpson was ultimately arrested and taken into police custody outside his Brentwood, California, home.
Simpson was arraigned one month later, pleading not guilty to the charges. A trial officially began in January 1995, where Simpson notably hired a self-proclaimed “dream team” of defense attorneys, including Kris Jenner’s ex-husband Robert Kardashian Sr. (Jenner, meanwhile, was close friends with Brown Simpson and sat with her family in the courtroom throughout the proceedings.)
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Despite prosecutors Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden’s list of seemingly mounting evidence, a sequestered jury ultimately found Simpson not guilty of the two murders. Brown Simpson and Goldman’s families later sued Simpson for wrongful death in 1996, for which he was found liable. Simpson was ordered to pay the victims’ families $33 million in damages.
Simpson died 28 years later in April 2024 after a battle with cancer at the age of 76. He is survived by his five children and multiple grandchildren.
Keep reading for a breakdown of all the major players in Simpson’s criminal trial and where they are now:
Marcia Clark (Prosecutor)
Clark was the lead prosecutor in the criminal trial, working with Darden to build a case that Simpson had killed Brown Simpson and Goldman. Following the trial, she released a memoir about the case titled Without a Doubt. Clark has also written numerous crime fiction novels including a four-book Samantha Brinkman series and 2022’s The Fall Girl.
Christopher Darden (Prosecutor)
Darden worked with Clark for the prosecution, where he was a Deputy District Attorney. For nearly 27 years, Darden worked in private practice as a criminal defense lawyer after leaving the D.A.’s office. He also served as an adjunct law school professor at several California-based colleges. Darden additionally authored nonfiction and fiction books and has been a TV commentator. As of 2024, he is running to become a Los Angeles County judge.
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Robert Kardashian Sr. (Defense)
Robert shared four children with ex-wife Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian and Rob Kardashian, who have shared childhood memories of watching the Simpson trial in the courtroom. Robert, an entertainment attorney, died in September 2003 at the age of 59 following a short battle with esophageal cancer.
Robert Shapiro (Defense)
Shapiro is still a practicing litigator and a partner at Glaser, Weil, Fink, Howard, Avenchen & Shapiro in California, representing clients such as Rockstar Energy Drink, Wynn Resorts and Cadeau Express. He also cofounded legal organizations Legalzoom and RightCounsel.com. Shapiro has also written three books, including a children’s book about the negative effects of drug use.
Johnnie Cochran (Defense)
Cochran infamously said, “If the glove don't fit, you must acquit” in part of his defense after prosecutors claimed a glove found at the scene of the crime had Simpson’s DNA on it. Cochran went on to co-found a personal injury law firm after the trial. He died in 2005 at the age of 67.
F. Lee Bailey (Defense)
Bailey, who also represented heiress Patty Hearst, was disbarred in 2001 in the state of Florida after allegedly misappropriating client funds and making false testimony under oath. Bailey was disbarred on similar grounds in Massachusetts in 2003. He died in June 2021 at the age of 87.
Alan Dershowitz (Defense)
Dershowitz was a professor at Harvard University for 50 years, retiring in 2014.
Lance Ito (Judge)
Ito continued to work as a judge until he retired in 2015.
Mark Fuhrman (Witness)
The homicide detective had discovered a “bloody glove” at the scene of the murder, which prosecutors deduced belonged to Simpson. (A matching glove was seemingly found near Simpson’s car and he was asked to put it on during the trial.) Fuhrman was also the officer who took Simpson into custody, which was captured in footage commonly referred to as the Fuhrman Tapes. Since retiring from the LAPD, Fuhrman has become a contributor for Fox News, serving as a forensic and crime scene expert and he hosts an eponymous radio show in Spokane, Washington.
Brian ‘Kato’ Kaelin (Witness)
Kaelin was staying at Simpson’s house at the time of the crime and one of the prosecution’s star witnesses, claiming he couldn’t account for Simpson’s whereabouts during the time of the murder. The actor has since appeared on many reality TV shows including Celebrity Boot Camp, Celebrity Big Brother and The Weakest Link. Since 2011, he has hosted a Tailgating With Kato talk show.
Allan Park (Witness)
The limo driver had taken Simpson to the L.A. airport on the night of the murder, testifying in the trial that the athlete’s Bronco was parked outside his home. After a few appearances in celebrity golf tournaments, Park switched careers to work as a train conductor.
Faye Resnick (Witness)
Resnick was a friend of Brown Simpson and they allegedly spoke shortly before the latter’s death. Resnick penned Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted ahead of the trial, which sparked controversy amid jury selection. Resnick, who worked as an interior designer and posed for Playboy in 1997, has since made several appearances on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Gil Garcetti (District Attorney)
Garcetti was L.A.’s D.A. at the time of the trial but left office soon after. He has since become a photographer and published multiple books of photo essays.
