When Bob Shapiro met OJ Simpson

Dubbed the “trial of the century” by the press, the courtroom action was broadcast live on television, grabbing the attention of a global audience.  A New Jersey criminal defence lawyer known for his celebrity clients, Shapiro was hand-picked to represent Simpson when he was charged with two counts of first degree murder.

San Francisco-born Orenthal James Simpson played for 11 seasons in the NFL, mainly for the Buffalo Bills, and was hailed as one of the best running backs in history. He also had a respected acting career, starring in several films and TV shows including the ABC mini-series, Roots, as African warrior Kadi Touray.

When did Nicole Brown Simpson die?

Simpson had married Nicole Brown, his second wife, in 1985, after they met in 1977. He was 30 and she was an 18-year-old waitress. Married for seven years, they settled in Brentwood, California, and had two children.

However, allegations surfaced that Simpson was verbally and physically abusive towards his wife, who told friends and the police she feared he was going to “kill” her on a number of occasions. He was said to be excessively jealous if she spoke to another man and was accused of stalking her to check up on her.

Eventually, the couple divorced in 1992, but briefly reconciled afterwards, finally splitting up again in October 1993, when the relationship reportedly became hostile. Prosecutors at Simpson’s subsequent murder trial cited 62 incidents of abusive behaviour towards Brown.

On 13th June 1994, just after midnight, Brown and her friend Goldman, a restaurant waiter and aspiring actor, were found dead outside her home in Los Angeles’ Brentwood district. Police determined they had been fatally stabbed on the evening of 12th June.

Simpson immediately became a “person of interest” in the investigation, although he claimed he had been at home at the time of their death. No murder weapon was found, but a warrant was issued for his arrest.

When was the OJ Simpson trial?

Initially, after the warrant was issued, Simpson enlisted the professional services of his friend of 25 years, lawyer Robert Kardashian. Simpson agreed to turn himself in voluntarily at Parker Centre Police HQ on 17th June at 11am, but a media frenzy erupted when he failed to turn up.

The ensuing 90-minute police chase on the 405 Freeway as he apparently tried to escape was broadcast live by multiple news channels and was watched by an estimated 95 million viewers. His former teammate and friend, Al Cowlings, who was driving the Ford Bronco SUV, claimed Simpson was sitting in the back seat with a gun, threatening to kill himself. He had left an apparent suicide note, saying, “Please think of the real OJ and not this lost person.”

Officers from California Highway Patrol were advised to pursue him with “extreme caution” as a result. Thousands of people gathered on the Los Angeles streets in the hope of catching a glimpse of the spectacle. Simpson was finally arrested just before 9pm, but this was only the start of the media circus.

The OJ Simpson trial started on Tuesday 24th January 1995 at Los Angeles County Superior Court and was broadcast live. Following his arrest, he had assembled a team of top defence attorneys, dubbed the “Dream Team”, including Kardashian.

Bob Shapiro was hired as a result of his proven track record, having successfully represented celebrities in previous criminal trials, including porn star Linda Lovelace, who was charged with the possession of cocaine and amphetamines in 1974. Thanks to Shapiro’s watertight defence, the charges were dismissed. As a result, he gained a reputation for defending musicians, entertainers and other stars in a series of high-profile cases during the 1970s and ‘80s. His impeccable credentials led to Simpson approaching him to join his defence team.

Following Simpson’s arrest, on meeting his client, Shapiro noted he had started treatment for depression and was reportedly in a fragile state mentally. Psychiatrists supported the claim that Simpson had left a suicide note.

Was OJ Simpson found guilty?

Pleading not guilty to the two murders, he was held in custody without bail. Despite mounting evidence that appeared to put him in the frame, Simpson’s assertion of innocence never wavered. The trial became a landmark moment in reality TV and was described by producers at NBC as the “biggest story ever seen”.

The prosecution presented evidence of Simpson’s DNA being found in blood drops at the crime scene and near his parked car. In addition, DNA from Simpson, Goldman and Brown was identified on a bloodied glove found at his home.

Appointed to lead the defence team, Shapiro’s assertions gripped the nation. It was claimed the DNA evidence had been contaminated in the LAPD crime laboratory, or planted by police. The timeline of events was also questioned, with forensic pathologist Michael Baden suggesting the murders had occurred at around 11pm, when Simpson had an alibi.

Doubts persisted over the bloodstained gloves, the second of which had been found near Brown’s home, as Simpson was asked to put them on during the trial, but they were too small to fit over his hands. The prosecution argued they had shrunk since the murder due to being soaked in blood.

Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of Brown and Goldman on 3rd October 1995. In an interview in 2016, Shapiro told reporters that after the verdict was announced, Simpson turned to him and whispered, “You told me this would be the result from the beginning. You were right.”

Describing it as a “fair verdict”, Shapiro said, “I deal in legal justice, and that’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” claiming any “fair juror” would conclude there was enough reasonable doubt to find Simpson not guilty.

After the ex-footballer’s acquittal, the lawyer’s already sterling reputation was enhanced further. However, Simpson’s reputation was tarnished and he never fully recovered from the notoriety of the trial.

Did OJ Simpson meet the Menendez brothers?

While awaiting his murder trial, Simpson had been in custody in the same LA jail as the notorious Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, who were charged with the murder of their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.

The brothers had first met Simpson in the 1970s, when their father, José Menendez, a Hertz rental car executive, had helped set up an endorsement deal with the Buffalo Bills’ running back. Simpson and Erik were in adjacent cells at Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail. A media report in 2024 suggested Erik had offered Simpson guidance on how to deal with the media by looking to the future.

Later, however, Simpson went on to serve jail time for kidnapping and robbery following an incident in 2007, when he was found guilty of stealing sports memorabilia at gunpoint from a Las Vegas hotel room.

Serving nine years of his 33-year sentence, he was granted parole in 2017 and passed away, aged 76, in April 2024 from cancer. Shapiro, now 82, is still known as a celebrity lawyer. He has also launched his own companies, Shoedazzle and LegalZoom, and has become a best-selling author.