It didn’t fit, so they had to acquit

ON THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE O. J. SIMPSON VERDICT, THE SEARCH FOR THE REAL KILLERS CONTINUES

It has now officially turned into one of those, “ do you remember where you were when” questions. Do you remember where you were when the O. J. Simpson verdict was read exactly 10 years ago today? While not exactly the shot heard ’ round the world, it has been called the “verdict of the century.” The 1995 criminal trial of Orenthal James Simpson for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman has also been called a great trash novel come to life, and we clearly love our trash.

Take O. J.’ s fateful ride in the back of the 1993 white Ford Bronco on the day of his arrest. That certainly did the trick in ensuring our attention wouldn’t stray during the 133- day trial ( You may also recall that after O. J. was arrested, police found US$8,750, a false beard and mustache, a loaded gun and passport in the Bronco ).

Ninety- five million people tuned in to watch the police chase the Bronco in slow-motion down Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, and when Judge Lance Ito read the jury’s verdict, over 100 million viewers were glued to their sets.

U.S. President Bill Clinton watched the verdict in a room off the Oval Office. In Britain, news broadcasts were extended to allow for live coverage of the verdict, and it was the lead item in most news bulletins elsewhere around the world.

In the courtroom, Simpson sighed relief, the now-deceased Johnnie Cochran pumped his fist and slapped Simpson on the back and moans were heard from the audience. Outside the courtroom, Simpson supporters cheered and waved signs.

John Grisham couldn’t have come up with a better premise. The O. J. trial blended race, crime, celebrity and round-the-clock cable news coverage, and its cast of eccentrics created TV’s first reality stars.

Kato Kaelin, O. J.’ s flaky, bleachedblond houseguest, later had a short- lived career as a radio host and appeared on the cover of Playgirl. Others, such as Cochran and his legal Dream Team, prosecutor Marcia Clark and Simpson himself were ripe to be parodied on late night talk shows. For his part, Jay Leno showed his fondness for Ito by featuring a troupe of Asian men in black robes called the Dancing Itos.

After the verdict, Simpson announced he would devote the rest of his life to hunting down the real killers of his exwife.

To mark the 10th anniversary of his acquittal in her stabbing death, the former Heisman Trophy Winner spent the weekend signing autographs at NecroComicon, a horror comic convention in L. A. He charged $95 a pop.