O. J. Simpson

American football player and actor (1947–2024)

Orenthal James "O. J." Simpson (July 9, 1947 – April 10, 2024), also known by his nickname, The Juice, was an American football player and movie actor. He originally became famous as a running back at the collegiate and professional levels, and was the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He later worked as an actor, spokesman, and broadcaster. O. J. Simpson is famous for being accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994.

O. J. Simpson
Picture of a black male smiling
Simpson in 1990
No. 32
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born:(1947-07-09)July 9, 1947
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died:April 10, 2024(2024-04-10) (aged 76)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Galileo
(San Francisco, California)
College:USC
NFL Draft:1969 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:11,236
Yards per carry:4.7
Rushing touchdowns:61
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Murder of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman

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O. J. Simpson was put on trial for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994. The court case took many months, and the newspapers and television news followed it closely. The criminal court in Los Angeles, California found that Simpson was not guilty of those murders in 1995. However, Goldman's family sued Simpson for wrongful death in civil court. In 1997, the civil court said Simpson was liable for their wrongful deaths, but to date he has paid little of the $33.5 million he was ordered to pay.[1] In late 2006, Simpson wrote a book titled If I Did It. The book is a first-person fictional story of the murder of Brown and Goldman if Simpson had done it. It was withdrawn by the publisher just before its release. The book was later released by the Goldman family and the title of the book was expanded to If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer (ISBN 978-0-8253-0588-7). As of March 2016, interest has grown in his murder case after a former police officer came forward with a knife that may have been used as the murder weapon.[2]

Conviction

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In September 2007, Simpson faced more lawsuits. He was arrested[3] and later charged with many felonies. They included but were not limited to robbery, burglary, assault, first-degree kidnapping with the use of a deadly weapon (which carries a possible life sentence), coercion with the use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit a crime.[4] Simpson was convicted on all counts.[5] He was imprisoned at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nevada.

Parole and release

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On July 20, 2017, Simpson was granted parole. He was released from prison on October 1, 2017.[6][7][8]

On April 10, 2024, Simpson died from prostate cancer in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 76.[9]

Career

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Simpson played T.D. Parker in the TV series 1st & Ten: The Championship from 1986 to 1991. In 1995 he won the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor.

References

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  1. "O.J. Simpson ordered to stop spending - CNN.com". CNN. 5 March 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-03-05.
  2. Karimi, Faith; Martinez, Michael; Glover, Scott (5 March 2016). "O.J. Simpson case: Questions, new twists after reports of knife discovery". CNN. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  3. "O.J. Simpson's Las Vegas Police Arrest Report" (HTML). FindLaw. 16 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
  4. http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/09/18/criminal.complaint.pdf
  5. "OJ Simpson given lengthy sentence". 6 December 2008 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  6. Shapiro, Emily (20 July 2017). "OJ Simpson granted parole for Las Vegas robbery". ABC News. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  7. Wills, Meg; Wagner, Amanda (20 July 2017). "O.J. Simpson goes free: Live updates". CNN. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
  8. "After nine years, O.J. Simpson is out of prison and on parole". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  9. "OJ Simpson, fallen football hero acquitted of murder in 'trial of the century,' dies at 76". AP News. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.