The FBI has released 475 pages of documents on controversial former NFL star-turned-actor OJ Simpson, two months after his death at the age of 76.
OJ Simpson died of prostate cancer on Apr. 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada, less than a year after revealing that he was undergoing chemotherapy. His death was met with mixed reactions from the public, with some focusing on his fame and accomplishments while others simply looked at his well-documented legal history.
Simpson was acquitted in the 1994 murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in what was dubbed “The Trial of the Century.” The acquittal was highly controversial since there was overwhelming DNA and circumstantial evidence against the former NFL running back.
Per Michael Rothstein of ESPN, the FBI has released 475 documents on OJ Simpson, which focus primarily on evidence that was compiled and tested for the double murder investigation:
“The documents largely focus on the murder investigation into the 1994 stabbing deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Simpson was a person of interest and ultimately charged, and his 1995 trial, often called one of the most famous trials of the past century, drew worldwide attention and spectacle.
The vast majority of files released by the FBI center on evidence collection and testing, including testing of fibers found at the crime scene and blood testing. The FBI also went to Italy to study Bruno Magli shoes, a rare shoe determined at the time to be worn by the murderer. The documents show the detail that went into tracking the sales and understanding the soles of two models of the shoes sold in the U.S. at the time.”
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Though OJ Simpson was acquitted in the murder trials, he was found liable for the deaths of Brown and Goldman in a civil case. Simpson was ordered to pay the victims’ families $33.5 million, but they only received a fraction of the sum.
Simpson played for the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977 and for the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to ’79. He worked as an NFL analyst, a commercial pitchman and actor following his playing career.
OJ Simpson’s Legal Troubles Continued After Acquittal
12 years after his acquittal, Simpson was arrested again in Las Vegas, Nevada for armed robbery. Simpson and a group of friends robbed a hotel to steal sports memorabilia which he claimed belong to him.
Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison in 2008, but he was paroled in the summer of 2017 for “good behavior.”
On top of that, Simpson had been arrested in 2001 for attacking a motorist in a traffic confrontation. He was also arrested in 2002 for water speeding, though both charges were ultimately dropped.
