For most people, I assume they are quick to tune out when OJ Simpson’s name comes up. I, on the other hand, am not afraid to admit that the OJ Simpson trial was likely the point where I decided I wanted to become an attorney. Combining that trial with a natural thought process that everyone accused of a crime has a right to a fair trial is in large part why I am where I am today.
Saying that never really sounds comfortable. To most, OJ Simpson is just a murderer who got away with it. To me, as a criminal defense attorney, one of the things you learn is that one should not have that sort of amazing defense only when they are rich. Everyone should have someone in their corner willing to fight for them. So, for better or for worse, the OJ Simpson saga had a huge impact on my life.
To the news…A publication in the UK is reporting that OJ Simpson is going to confess to killing Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. And, he’s going to give that confession to…OPRAH.
Didn’t Oprah retire from her TV show? Is she going to bring the show back for one night only? Ok, maybe those aren’t the big questions regarding this news, but, part of me has to wonder whether OJ isn’t just messing with Oprah.
According to the article in the Daily Mail, Simpson claims that the killings were done in Self-Defense. Apparently, Oprah was working on the Juice for a year to get him to cold break down and make this revelation. With OJ saying the killings were done in self-defense, they probably won’t provide closure to the matter, either. But, as an attorney, what is interesting to note is that if you were to take the huge leap of faith and decide to believe Simpson, that he acted in self-defense, it illustrates a lot of the decision making that goes in to trial strategy. Off the top of my head, and trying to remember to when I was 14 years old, self-defense was not presented by the defense. Glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit, most certainly was, however.
We often hear of trials as a search for truth. That’s probably just someone saying something to make themselves try and sound good. The Simpson case, no matter where you fall on the matter, illustrates that trials are not a search for truth. They are a search for winning, because both sides need to fight for their side and believe in their side. The Simpson case can also show that guilty people go free (irregardless of your opinion on Juice), but, within that, you have to remember that the flip side of that coin is that the same can happen with innocent people being found guilty.
In the end, the Juice is likely starved for attention and there probably isn’t much to take away from this, but, it is undeniable that the Trial affected a lot of people. Even if just as spectators, and, an interview confession would be a huge spectacle as well.
Douglas Graham 