Orenthal James Simpson Homicide Investigation

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Orenthal James Simpson Homicide Investigation Review The Investigative Process The murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman remain to be one of the most internationally renowned homicide investigations. Due to the fame of the alleged perpetrator O.J Simpson, the intrinsic errors that inhibited the course of the investigation and also, the case brought up the issue of race. In this essay, the procedures undertaken and intrinsic errors in the investigation that were brought up in court will be discussed and outlined briefly. Also, the preventative measures that have since been created will also be discussed. In the final section, the impact the media had on the case and on the public will be discussed. The overall review will show …show more content…

A very large proportion of America had tuned in to watch both the slow speed car chase that had occurred, and also Simpsons' verdict (Gabriel, 2000) It was in Simpsons' criminal trial in which cameras were physically allowed in the courtroom capturing every moment for the first time (Hunt, 1999). The media was able to cover this case quite extensively due to the fact that it was so appealing to the audience, in that it had all the elements of what could be called entertainment. Elements such as; wealth, celebrity, race, mystery, jealousy, betrayal, and corruption (Gabriel, 2000). It was also this over-saturation by the media that concerned Gabriel, due to the fact that jurors were inadvertently unable to remain unexposed to outside information regarding the case and potentially impacting their outlook of the …show more content…

Not only did certain intrinsic errors throughout the different phases of the investigation occur. Such as, the police officer handling a phone at the crime scene to request a supervisor which was the result of a lack of training at the academy; the racial predispositions that numerous detectives had may have caused intentional oversights this was mentioned numerous times by Simpsons’ defence team. Also, the criminalists caused a number of intrinsic errors, such as the lack of supervision of a trainee criminalist who in this case incorrectly sampled pieces of evidence. This has since been by remedied by a change in policy in that trainees are now only allowed to participate in crime scenes in an observatory capacity. Another element which contributed to the outcome of the case was the media. Since it was the first case in which cameras were allowed in a court room, capturing every moment. The media was able to capture the attention of the nation at the time. This over-saturation could have contributed to a jury who had their outlook of their case altered by elements outside the court. In terms of procedure since the case, police officers have learnt much about correct procedures. However, the media remains with the same fascination of events possessing similar elements to the O.J.

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