The OJ Case

I admit it: I was an OJ Simpson trial junkie. I watched the Bronco chase as it happened. I watched the afternoons of the trial after work (the 4 hour time difference to LA came in really handy.) I watched Marcia Clark explain she had child care issues when court was running late. I was mystified by Kato Kaelin (Still am). I thought of Kim Kardashian as Robert Kardashian’s daughter for years (Still do). I felt sympathy and horror for the families of the victims during the trial. I was shocked and horrified with the verdict.

I devoured books about the trial: “His Name is Ron”; “Without a Doubt”; and “In Contempt” still sit on my bookshelves. I at one point owned both of Faye Resnick’s books but gave them away. I bought Vanity Fair every month to read Dominick Dunne’s articles. I may have been was am a bit obsessed.

I’ve been watching the series “American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson” for the past month or so. (I changed my satellite package so I’d get the channel – obsessed!) What has struck me again watching it is is how far-fetched the events would have seemed in a fictional account but how dramatic and riveting they were at the time. Twenty-two years later, they still are.  And apparently are still ongoing.

My Facebook feed yesterday popped up stories about a knife being found on the Rockingham property during construction. It was given to a retired officer who held onto it for years and it only recently came to light.  It is apparently being tested for DNA residue. The timing to coincide with the mini-series airing is quite remarkable, but what really struck me was F. Lee Bailey saying it must have been planted.

Really?

• Twenty-two years.
• A civil trial conviction.
• Jail time for robbery and kidnapping.
• No other evidence or suspects. Ever.
• A “fictional” confession. (By the way, “If I Did It” is one of the few trial books I haven’t read)

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Possible should be mistaken for plausible.

In the meantime, I hear there’s a marathon of “American Crime Story” tonight to take advantage of the pubicity surrounding the finding of the knife. I’m making the popcorn. 😜🍿