Tina T-46'a ' The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 4, 1995 -7 Despte LtS ANGELES (AP) - Was O.J. Simpson wrongfully accused or did he get away with murder? In spite of a jury's acquittal yesterday, the question is likely to haunt him for the rest of his life; and he knows it. Some may hail him as a victim ofthe systm who overcame racism and po- lice conspiracies to achievejustice. But mnanyCwill see him as a rich man who bought his way out of a heinous crime. "Ican only hope that someday, despite every prejudicial thing that has been said about me publicly, both in and out ofthe courtroom, people will come to under- stand and believe that I would not, could not and did not kill anyone," Simpson said in a statement read by his son Jason. But the question will persist: If Simpson was.not the killer, who took a knife to the throats of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald l don' Goldman and for what reason? no =t-g i Simpson said he would dedicate his here say lietofindingthereal culprits. But the WaS not chances of success seem simrn. mn The M "T don't think a not-guilty verdict still not heresaysthat O.J. - L was not the Loyola Univ killer," said Loyola University acquittal, questions haunt Simpson News Analysis tions, jurors left open the crucial ques- tion of whether they used the verdicts to send a message. "I think they looked at the evidence and said, 'We don't trust the LAPD. That's the message,"' said defense at- torney Harland Braun, who was in the courthouse as an observer. Johnnie Cochran Jr., the lawyer who led Simpson's "dream team" of attor- neys to victory, credited the outcome to "hard work" by his battery of high- powered lawyers. But the prosecution also worked hard, mounting the most elaborate case ever staged by District Attorney Gil SIMPSON Continued from Page 1 champagne party on the lawn O Simpson's lush estate. 'Last June 13, '94, was the worst nightmare of my life. This is the sec- ond," Goldman's father, Fred, said at a prosecution news conference. "This prosecution team didn't lose today. I deeply believe this country lost today. Justice was not served." At a defense team news conference, Cochran insisted the issue ofrace, which he played heavily in the trial, did not overcome the facts. "This verdict speaks justice," Cochran said. "This was a case based upon the evidence." He denied playing "the race card," say- ing instead that credibility had won out. "Race plays a part in everything in. America," he said. "But this stuff about playing a race card is preposterous.' As the words setting Simpson free were spoken in court, his elderly mother, Eunice, seated in a wheelchair, wi-d her eyes, held up her hands prayerfully and murmured words of thanks. "I was always in prayer. I knew my son was innocent," she said at the de- fense meeting with reporters. Across the room, Goldman mouthed the word "murderer" as the verdict was announced. Kim Goldman, who spent most of a year in court honoring her dead brother's memory, doubled over and sobbed along with a younger brother . and sister. At the courthouse, Simpson's son Ja- son, read a statement from his father: "My first obligation is to my young children, who will be raised the way that Nicole and I had always planned... But when things have settled a bit, I will pursue as my primary goal in life the killer orkillers who slaughteredNicole and Mr. Goldman. They are out there somewhere. Whatever it takes to identify them 4nd bring them in, I will provide somehow." 't think a y verdict rs that Om1 the killer, ystery is solved" Laurie Levenson ersity Law Prof. Garcetti's office. They threw their hearts and souls into their task as evidenced by Deputy District Attorney Christo- pher Darden's breakdown as he tried to discuss the verdicts at a news conference. In performing an autopsy on the prosecution case, analysts may find that it was dead on Earnest Simmons says a prayer for Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman at Simpson's former condominum yesterday. Law-Professor Laurie Levenson. "It just says you did not prove it beyondareason- able doubt. The reasonable doubt stan- dard is the basis of our system, and it leaves a lot of gray area.... The mystery still is not solved." Police Chief Willie Williams said he had no plans to reopen the investigation. "Byrefusing to discuss their delibera- arrival at the courthouse for reasons that would not apply to any other mur- der prosecution. Among them: ® O.J. Simpson was a black super- star, a legendary athlete and the most famous American ever charged with murder. His arrest on charges of killing his ex-wife and her friend was unthink- able to many. The jury forewoman said she felt sick when she heard he was a suspect. Against such a man, the bur- den of proof was much greater. Simpson's dramatic ability to dominate the trial without ever testify- ing was underestimated. Darden's de- cision to have him try on the bloody murder gloves gave Simpson the chance to approach jurors, struggle with the gloves and demonstrate they were too small for his hands. M The prosecution tied itself to a precise time line designed to eliminate any possible alibi on Simpson's behalf. For Simpson, life's tral wllContinue LOS ANGELES (AP) - No longer charged with murder, no longer locked behind bars, O.J. Simpson now steps forward to reclaim his life, his children and his livelihood. None of it will be easy. His acquittal notwithstanding, Simpson's legal battles are far from over. He still faces three civil lawsuits, with no trial dates in sight, over the deaths of ex-wife Nicole Brown Sinpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Legal custody of his youngest children, Sydney; 9, and Justin, 7, rests with his former in-laws, Louis and Juditha Brown. And his career as Mr. Nice Guy, the smiling, effusive NBC sports commentator and the sprinting Hertz Corp. spokes- man, is gone, at least for now. "Hertz concluded its relationship with O.J. Simpson in 1994-and we do not foresee any change in that," company spokesman Joe Russo said yesterday. Simpson last worked for NBC in January 1994, and the netwprk would not comment on whetherhe ever would again or even disclose the status of his employment contract. "We don't feel it is appropriate to make any comment at this time," NBC spokesman Ed Markey said. Al Ries, a New York marketing consultant, put Simpson's advertising careermore bluntly: "Unlike baseball, where you have three strikes before you are out, on Madison Avenue you have one strike and you are out." On the avenue of free enterprise, Simpson is doing just fine. In the weeks before jurors reached their verdicts, Simpson reportedly began planning apay-per-view interview in which he would field questions from across the country. Such an appearance is estimated to generate millions. The Heisman Trophy winner and former professional football star already has written one book, "I Want To Tell You," and is said to be working on another. His first, for which he was given a $1 million advance by But jurors could have easily surmised that it was impossible for Simpson to drive to his ex-wife's home, kill two people, return, clean up and dispose of a weapon and bloody clothes in less than one hour. The re-reading of testimony by a lim- ousine driver showed they were con- cerned about the time element. N The decision to use Detective Mark Fuhrman as a key witness opened the door to disaster. The detective who claimed he found a bloody glove on Simpson's property was STUDENTS Continued from Page 1 half of the class showed up," said one political science teaching assistant. "I thought that enough would show up that we would be able to have a normal class." "My Comm. 103 lecture got out 15 minutes early so we could all go back and watch the verdict," said LSA sopho- more Amir Aslani. "It relates to mass media so that's why the prof let us go." Simpson is beginning to find his way into University studies as well: One section of English 125 has been as- signed essays based on the verdict. Some students shared strong senti- ments relating to the racial aspects of the trial. "Had it been Joe Montana, you wouldn't hear about it as much and it wouldn't be on TV," said Engineering junior Darius Hubbard. Students' focus yesterday was so overwhelmingly based on the details of the verdict that not one person inter- viewed mentioned the names of Nicole Brown Simpson or Ronald Goldman. The trial's cost, however, was the subject of much speculation. "It's not right that they only took four hours on a case that lasted a year and cost like $50 billion," said Engineering sopho- more Damon Walker. The case cost Los Angeles County an estimated $9 million. "For a not-guilty verdict, that was the biggest waste of money in the whole world," said LSA first-year student Sara Littauer. "I feel sorry for the L.A. school district for all the money it lost." Color Printing Color Printing Color Printing Color Printing Big savings on color printing for all clubs, businesses, and organizations. unmasked as an undisputed racist late in the case and was shown to have lied on the witness stand about his use of an epithet for blacks. He became the villain in a morality play directed by Cochran, who reduced the issues to good against evil. He called Fuhrman and another detec- tive, Philip Vannater, "the twin devils of deception." Of course, the ultimate answer to the question of why the prosecution failed would seem simple to the defense: O.J. didn't do it. He may spend the rest ofhis life trying to prove that. P v I Fred Goldman, father of victim Ronald Goldman, discusses the verdict at a news conference yesterday. publishers Little, Brown & Co., immediately topped The New York Times best-seller list and has earned him at least $3 million more. In an upcoming Money magazine article, Simpson's post- trial earning power is estimated at $10 million, including $2 million from a pay-per-view TV interview. Behind bars, Simpson also signed 2,500 trading cards, for which he was paid $200,000, and authorized the sale of 21- inch bronze statues in his likeness, for which he received $50,000 up front, according to Money. EXPERTS Continued from Page 1 more carefully, which would in turn force police to "weed out people like Fuhrman." "If you use people who are as vi- cious, untrustworthy and violent as that, then we don't use this as a basis for convicting someone," Gross said. Along with race, Law Prof. Jerold Israel noted the importance of forensic evidence in the trial and its effects on the legal system. The highly publicized DNA testing and blood samples - con- sidered strengths of the prosecution's case - were not enough for a guilty verdict, Israel said. "Does the acquittal represent the jury's rejection of forensic evidence? Perhaps the jury saw other kinds of evidence as more important than foren- sic evidence," Israel said. Israel stressed that there was a more basic lesson to be learned about crimi- nal trials. "I would like (students) to learn one thing: how complex this is - and you can't keep up with it unless you watch it every day," he said. "Even if you watch it every day, you don't see every- thing, because some things are off-limits to the cameras.'' U I ROOMMATE PROBLEMS? Overcrowded dorm room? 3 fern. soph. need 4th for great apt @ Church/Hill. $340/mo. 741-0758. TENANT NEEDS APT. mate for separate bdrms. High grade unit. Edge of campus. 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