This is how O.J. Simpson escaped his prison sentence

True crime lovers pay attention: mark a big circle in your calendar for January 29. A new docuseries is coming out that we, as home detectives, cannot miss. ‘American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson’ dives into the bizarre trial of the former American football player and actor. From the chase on the highway to the rather unexpected acquittal. A case that is still thought to have gone very wrong to this day.

A new perspective on the case

It is 1994 when O.J. Simpson is arrested after a long chase. He is suspected of the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. After an eight-month investigation, with a lot of attention on the bloody gloves and the now-famous words “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” the jury determined in just one day that Simpson was acquitted. The trial may have concluded, but the attention for the case is far from over. After several films and documentaries, director Floyd Russ now decides to dive back into the case thirty years later. This time with new interviews from key figures. Russ spoke with witness Kato Kaelin, former LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman, defense and prosecution attorneys, and family members of the victims. According to the director, they can all provide a new perspective on the case. “Their emotions have evolved, and the way they can talk about it is different than ever before. That sense of reflection from those involved was clear from the start, which made us feel that this story needed to be told in a new and different way.” Why now? There may be two reasons. The FBI published 475 pages of research on the case last year. The other possible reason: the renewed attention for the case of the Menendez brothers.

A close bond

You might think that the case of O.J. Simpson is completely separate from that of the Menendez brothers, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is even said that Lyle and Erik are serving such a long sentence thanks to the acquittal of the football player. But their connection goes further back: they once had a close bond. In the 1970s, Simpson played for the Buffalo Bills and signed a sponsorship deal with the car rental company Hertz, where José Menendez was the manager. From that moment on, he often visited the family at home. When he was arrested in 1994, the Menendez brothers were already in custody. Simpson ended up in the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail, right in the cell next to Erik. He warned him about all the media attention and advised him to discuss his case with no one else in prison. It was also Erik who used his own connections to put Simpson in touch with attorney Johnnie Cochran, a man who would play a significant role in the eventual acquittal. Lyle also spoke a lot with the football player. The older Menendez brother believed he was indeed guilty but could not convince him to accept a plea deal.

The ‘OJ effect’

The two trials took place shortly after each other; just eight days after Simpson was acquitted, the brothers appeared in court. And that earlier acquittal meant bad news for them. In the documentary ‘The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All,’ Erik states that he believes the LA County District Attorney's office had to restore their reputation after failing to convict Simpson. “Because this verdict was so shocking, there was a feeling that an extreme injustice had occurred and that we had to rectify it with every suspect that comes up. We were the next suspects.” This ‘OJ effect’ made the trial for the brothers much more difficult and possibly gave them no fair chance.

Whether the two cases are really that connected remains the question. In any case, we can dive back into the details of the Simpson trial. The four-part series ‘American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson’ will be available on Netflix starting January 29.

Image: Netflix