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O.J. Simpson Dies At 76 After Cancer Battle. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired April 11, 2024 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:30:00]

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Of course, it became the first and most famous of the mega TV murder trials and practically launched Court TV as an entity. But at all of those times, it was both at once a civics lesson. How does the criminal trial work? But also, a forensic lesson. What is the scientific evidence that's going to tie this defendant to the case?

But then, an equally important science lesson. You know, you had defense witnesses questioning, well, these people went through the scene first, and then everybody suited up in their -- you know protective gear so that they wouldn't contaminate the scene. But how many people had contaminated the scene? What about transfers of DNA by people who passed by, walked over, or may have touched sweat glands? I mean, it really delved into that.

That also peeled back as Joey Jackson pointed out, an interesting lair of the LAPD, a department I served in for a period of years afterwards, in which is the star witness for the LAPD was Detective Mark Fuhrman. He could have been the LAPD detective poster boy, Hollywood good looks, authoritative testimony, a good courtroom delivery, and the guy who you looked at and said, I believe this guy is telling the truth. Up until the moment when F. Lee Bailey asked him, have you ever used the N-word?

And he testified under oath that he hadn't. And when F. Lee Bailey played those tapes of him talking to a Hollywood writer, talking about how LAPD officers when he was on the street routinely treated people of color, his numerous use of the N-word on those tapes, suddenly, he wasn't revealed just as someone who was a racist, but someone who was a liar about that. But that moment cast all the rest of his testimony about the evidence, about O.J. Simpson, about what he saw and what he found into doubt.

These were the kinds of shocking moments that were revealed about the legal process, the Perry Mason moment of the gloves and the hat. If it don't fit, you must acquit to the underbelly of the LAPD that was exposed in this case to the questions about science. And what else did we learn? We learned, you know, in a place where there was doubt in the pos-Rodney King world about racism in the criminal justice system, about equity and disparity, could a black man accused of killing two white people in a vicious murder get a fair trial?

And as Joey and Laura pointed out, with an acquittal, the answer -- or the conclusion had to be yes. But there was a caveat to that. A lot of people said he wasn't the average defendant person of color in a case like that because he came not with just one high-priced lawyer, but a team of high-priced lawyers who were each an expert in their own field.

There, you'll see F. Lee Bailey. There you see Johnnie Cochran. And you know, in these other pictures, you see Peter Neufeld, a lawyer who was a specialist in DNA science and blood work. You'll see him right there in that picture.

So, was he the average defendant who could get a fair trial? No, he wasn't. But it certainly became a lesson for the world, these people, including Mark Fuhrman, F. Lee Bailey already was, Johnnie Cochran, and others became household names. A lawyer who was a friend of O.J. Simpson, who wasn't key to the defense, Rob Kardashian, became famous in the case. And then his children went on to becoming famous, just for being famous.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

MILLER: So, the legacy of this trial is something that stays with us still, in many ways, every minute of every day. I do know, in the NYPD, we watched it very closely and said, do our crime scene investigations measure up to this standard? Because this is going to be the new standard.

BLITZER: You know, it's so amazing because I don't know if you can think of another high-profile trial like the one we all watched with O.J. Simpson, were someone who had been the Heisman Trophy winner, the greatest college football player when he played at the University of Southern California, and then became an NFL all-star when he played for my Buffalo Bills, and one of the greatest halfbacks in the NFL. And then all of a sudden, he's accused of this double murder, and then we all watched it unfold on television. And so many of us, we couldn't believe what we were seeing at the time. But just reflect a little bit on how someone who was so high, all of a sudden, was thrown way down.

MILLER: I mean, the fall from grace, from his sports legacy to his transition into the Hertz commercials, the acting and the series of movies, his comedic ability. A lot of the things that made people love O.J. Simpson, you know, were certainly transformed in this very dark and macabre and brutal case.

[11:35:07]

As Joey Jackson pointed out a few minutes ago, you know, we cannot forget no matter what the criminal justice system did hear that there were real victims, real lives lost in the most terrible way and that he was the individual looked on, even after the trial by so many people as being responsible for that. But there were also these moments of stunning drama, not just in the courtroom, but the slow- motion chase where, you know, he is in the background talking about wanting to take his own life. You know that he was going to possibly shoot himself. And you know, the idea that the LAPD was able to navigate their way through this and not have it end in a violent way and to be able to take him into custody after that. You just never knew what O.J. Simpson was going to bring to a case like this.

And then, of course, you get to Nevada where he's arrested for allegedly, you know, assembling a squad of people to beat up people who are selling O.J. Simpson memorabilia that he thought was wrongly taken from him and that he should get back. And you wonder, how does someone who gets a second chance after being acquitted of a double homicide ended up in a penny-ante you know, scheme in a Las Vegas hotel room to get back, you know, old stuff? It was the case that just kept on giving. And not always in a good way.

BLITZER: And then convicted and winds up spending some time -- some significant time in jail as a result of that as well. A really amazing, amazing history unfolding. An amazing story, as I must say.

John, stay with us. Everyone, stay with us. We're going to squeeze in a very quick break. Our special breaking news coverage of O.J. Simpson's death at the age of 76 continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:41:38]

BLITZER: We're back with the breaking news. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. O.J. Simpson dead from prostate cancer at the age of 76. Our special coverage continues right now. I want to bring in CNN Sports Correspondent Carolyn Manno to join us here.

Carolyn, how is the NFL right now responding to the news? Because all of us of course, remember when OJ Simpson was a star halfback for my Buffalo Bills, he was an all-NFL, went down into the NFL Hall of Fame. When he was in college, he was the Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Southern California. How's the NFL today responding to the news that O.J. Simpson has died?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a statement just came through from the Pro Football Hall of Fame and also the Heisman Trophy trust offering their condolences and detailing some of what you mentioned. I mean, part of the reason why his acquittal captivated the country in the 90s is because he was a sports hero and an icon. This is from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. O.J. Simpson was the first player to reach a rushing mark many thought could not be attained in a 14-game season when he topped 2000 yards. And then the Heisman Trophy Trust issuing a statement on Twitter that said that they're mourning his passing as well that they extend their sympathy to his family.

But this is a man whose story, Wolf, could be viewed as an American tragedy because of his fall from grace that you've been outlining. I mean, this is a man whose father was a custodian and a cook. His mother was a nurse's aide. And he rose through the ranks in the sports landscape winning the Heisman Trophy.

He became a superstar. and you know, when he was drafted to the Bills, it took him a couple of seasons to get going but then he became a pro bowler. He became a Hall of Famer. He was able to successfully transition into a career after being such an incredible halfback, where he became a sports commentator, an actor, an icon, and a legend. And when you listen to people who really know him or covered the trial detail who he was, they described him as such an affable person, a likable person. And that's part of the reason why too a lot of people were so shocked to go through this trial and to hear the details of his ultimate acquittal and what happened afterwards because he was a larger-than-life figure.

BLITZER: He certainly was, especially for those of us who watched him in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills. For example, when he would get the ball, we would all just get so excited, just thinking about what he was about to do, and he almost always did exactly that. Take that ball and run for either a first down or in a touchdown. It was just an incredible experience we all had watching him play football for my Buffalo Bills. It was really an amazing moment.

What goes through your mind as you think about today, as opposed to all of us growing up watching the trial, watching the car chase, watching what happened to him after he was acquitted of this double murder charge, and then go on and eventually be convicted of trying to steal some paraphernalia -- some memorabilia from some folks in Las Vegas -- O.J. Simpson memorabilia?

MANNO: Well, I remember exactly where I was. Just like so many other people watching this trial unfold, just kind of in disbelief. But the word that keeps coming to my mind honestly, Wolf, today is a tragedy. And that has nuance and multiple layers. But I think about a man who, you know, desperately tried to climb his way back into public view after all of this and being disgraced by so many people because of what happened in 2019.

[11:45:05]

He started another Twitter account. He tried to get into the sports fantasy sort of talk that way, even talked a little bit of politics, and then everything that he went through with issuing this book. I mean, there was a desperation in my point of view to try to get back to relevancy because of the pedestal that he had been put on for so many years as a sports superstar. And so, I think it's ultimately sadness for a lot of people who might be mourning his passing and really just an overarching sense of a tragedy when you look at the macro view of what his life ultimately turned out to be.

BLITZER: Yes. Carolyn, stay with us. I'm going to get back to you. I also want to bring back CNN Correspondent Stephanie Elam right now, and CNN Legal Analyst Joey Jackson.

Stephanie, let me start with you right now. Explain to us the temperature of Los Angeles when O.J. Simpson's case actually began. What was it like?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Wolf, you can't understate how -- already, there was a powder keg in Los Angeles at the time, if you want to go back to Rodney King, which I know we've discussed a bit here. But you have to take that camcorder video that was sent to a local station, KTLA, that blew up, and seeing this man being beat by those officers -- beaten by those officers was one part of it. Then came the acquittal of the officers. And all four of them were acquitted of assault. Three out of the four were acquitted of excessive force.

That led to the powder keg exploding and the LA riots. You saw people really upset. Feeling like they weren't being hurt. They weren't being felt.

Then you fast forward because that was '92, then you fast forward to 94 when these heinous murders happened. And O.J. Simpson who was seen as somebody who could transcend race. He was super famous and popular and well-liked. Immediately, the tones changed. And you can see that building up here in Los Angeles throughout the country as well.

I remember I was just a news assistant at the time of my first job out of college, and the reporter helped me on the phone to tell her what the verdict was going to be. This was before cell phones. And so, everyone was waiting to hear what was going to happen.

But that palpable energy and looking at how it divided people along race lines, and for once, here was a black man who was now seen as a black man again, and he was found not guilty. He was acquitted of these murders. There were a lot of people who saw that as justice, not necessarily for O.J. Simpson, but that the system actually worked for a black man for once.

And all of this coming from a very tension-filled decade of the 90s. And this coming at the end of it. You can't actually look at O.J.'s case without looking at Rodney King and without looking at the race riots that followed after it.

BLITZER: Yes, there was -- it was so, so powerful. And what a moment all of us who live through it will never forget it. And, Joey, what do you remember most from that moment?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN JACKSON: You know, it was -- it was a compelling moment, Wolf, because it really was a trial that was so -- everyone was so riveted to. And you know, Stephanie puts it in great context with respect to what was happening at the time. And to see how his dream team, that is O.J. Simpson, was able really to make this case so much greater than him but to make it about the LAPD the historic, really discrimination, which was alleged that the LAPD engaged then, the flawed investigation, so much that they made this case about.

Again, it goes back to the two victims that were here and the families that suffered and the tragedy that that represented to them. But with respect to the criminal justice system, you just remembered daily the coverage of every single bit of evidence and testimony. We learned about DNA. We learned about how, you know, lawyers really can take something which seemingly was so open and shut.

I think there was a feeling that OK, O.J. did it, domestic violence. They'll introduce these tapes about his relationship with Nicole Brown Simpson, etcetera. And then the dream team just turned it and flipped it.

So, yes, while there's recognition that there was two deaths, there's also a system of 12 jurors that had to hear it. And those jurors concluded after hearing all the evidence and information particularly how again, you know, Barry Scheck, DNA evidence. You have F. Lee Bailey. You have Alan Dershowitz.

Not everyone could afford obviously, to have the ability to do that. But just taken back to that moment when they are -- announced the verdict how it seemingly everyone in the country was really looking right at their TVs. And work just stopped for that moment to see what did the jury concluded. Now, obviously, people, Wolf, right, have strong opinions with respect to whether the jury got it right. That's our system of justice.

The jury acquitted. Right? And that's the verdict obviously, that there was a civil case thereafter, a different standard of proof, the different issues relating to monetary damages, but this jury after hearing for months, information as to whether or not O.J. was responsible for those deaths, concluded that he was not. And then that began the great debate as to whether or not it was appropriate, it was fair, was it unjust, and let's not forget, there are so many other things that came out of it, right?

[11:50:15]

The attorneys and how famous they became. The fact that the news coverage changed, as it related to these trials. were riveted. We're about to engage in another trial, as we know, on April 15, involving the former president of the United States.

We had other trials, Casey Anthony, concerning her baby and whether she killed her baby. We had Jodi Arias concerning her boyfriend. It just changed the dynamic. I think it was a historical moment.

Final point, Wolf. And that is let's not forget, although he was acquitted there, then comes 2007 in Nevada. And him of course, getting convicted in connection, as you mentioned, with the stealing of his own Heisman Trophy for armed robbery. He ends up doing nine years in jail in Nevada. Some people thinking that to be as a result of what happened here. Well, let that debate rage on and continue.

But what a historical moment -- historical significance of O.J. Simpson being tried by the jury and being acquitted for the deaths that, you know, many people have been abused as to whether he again is responsible, but the jury concluded he was not. And in our system of justice, we respect jury verdicts. And that's a jury verdict that obviously stood.

BLITZER: Yes, good point. Go ahead.

ELAM: I think you also point out the fact that the -- you got to point out too, that this also impacted the Los Angeles Police Department. And I've talked to police officers here over the years, who point to what happened in the 90s as a reason to the way they had to change how they were policing. Now, some may argue that they haven't changed enough, but you can definitely see that there was an inflection point.

And the way that things were done before had to change because of the upheaval, the unrest, the unhappiness, and also just moving a court trial to a place that is much more white over something like this. Things like this had to change. And that's not the police department, obviously. But still, you can't underestimate the ripple effect of this massive, massive cultural moment that was caused because of O.J. Simpson's trial.

BLITZER: Stephanie, I wonder if you could share with us -- and you're there in Southern California. How does Southern California indeed, Los Angeles, view O.J. now, decades later?

ELAM: I think it's still a very split view. I think at this point when you talk to people, I think more and more people believe that O.J. Simpson was guilty of killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. I think more and more people do believe that. I think there are still some people who question it based on the way it played out.

But what you also have is a whole new series of Angelenos who weren't alive when this happened. They don't remember it the way we do, how the whole world stopped for the, you know, slow-speed chase, how the whole world stopped to find out what the verdict was going to be. I mean, if you look at CNN Los Angeles, there's basically the entire office moved downtown, and just everyone reported to work downtown, I'm told during that time. It took over everything.

And so, when you go to Brentwood, the part of the neighborhood where he lived, it's not like you can go and visit these places anymore. Things have been erased from the collective memory as far as a place to go to. But when you talk to people here, it is one of those things where everyone remembers where they were, what they were doing when this happened because it did basically paralyzed the city.

BLITZER: Yes. I remember every time I go to Los Angeles even to these days and I drive around, I go by Brentwood, I immediately think about O.J. Simpson that just --

ELAM: Always.

BLITZER: Stays in my mind I'm sure like so many other folks indeed. Everyone, stay with us. We're going to take a very, very quick break. Our breaking news coverage of O.J. Simpson's death will continue right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:58:34]

BLITZER: I'm Wolf Blitzer in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're following the breaking news this hour. O.J. Simpson has died at the age of 76 after a battle with prostate cancer. His family announcing his death on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing "On April 10, our father, Orenthal James Simpson succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes and for privacy and grace."

CNN's Stephanie Elam has a closer look now at his life from a Heisman Trophy-winning football player to a notorious felon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (voiceover): O.J. Simpson's sort of fame is number 32 for the Buffalo Bills and plummeted to infamy as inmate number 1027820 in the Nevada Department of Corrections. In between, Simpson led a life filled with more surreal drama than all of his various film and TV projects combined.

Mass media experts say Simpson's sensational televised low-speed chase, arrest, and murder trial, stand as the first reality show. And perhaps the greatest three-ring television phenomenon ever. At one point, the world heard O.J. Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson say.

NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON, O.J. SIMPSON'S EX-WIFE: I don't want to stay on the line. He's going to beat the (BEEP) out of me.

ELAM (voiceover): Then later, Simpson was charged with the horrific murders by knife of Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman.