Transcripts For WAVY Dateline NBC 20160307

Blue the next day or two days later i was responsible for it. Reporter and now questions about a knife supposedly found at oj simpsons old house. Obviously there is a lot of attention to this. Reporter the oj simpson case, two decades later. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres josh mankiewicz. Reporter june 12, 1994, brentwood, california. Two horrific murders that came to be defined by just three o. J. , please surrender immediately. Orenthal james simpson. I have o. J. In the car. We do have sufficient 100 not guilty. How about that . If it doesnt fit you, you must acquit. Not guilty of the crime of murder. Reporter it was the story that wouldnt go away. If you lived here, and by here we mean the united states, you had an opinion. A nation made room in its collective consciousness for this collision of pop culture and legal drama. More than 20 years ago, it touched issues we still cant agree on today race, money, privilege, fame, interracial marriage, domestic violence. Get out of the way reporter this became televisions first reality show. The case consumed us, and then divided us. Even now, two decades later, we are still fascinated. What do you want me to do, o. J. . No. A new tenpart dramatic series airing on fx, the people vs o. J. Simpson is winning ratings and reviews. Because there are still questions about what really happened that night in brentwood. And why, despite a Staggering Amount of evidence, oj simpson was acquitted. O. J. , o. J. , o. J. reporter tonight well provide some answers with interviews done over the years, rare footage and haunting memories. Including a recent indepth and candid interview with prosecutor marcia clark who doesnt hold back when discussing her unique perspective on the case on everything from the infamous bronco chase im thinking he was like the biggest idiot ever. To the trial of the century. Every day, wed walk into court and Something Else was blowing up. Not guilty of the crime of murder. Reporter and of course the verdict. Reporter you blame yourself you know, i always do. I do. Reporter it was a cool, late spring evening in brentwood. Around midnight a couple was walking a dog down a quiet section of south bundy drive when something strange caught their attention. Then at the entrance to a condominium numbered 875, they saw it. A body in a river of blood. Police arrived and discovered a second victim. Investigators would soon follow, including veteran homicide detective tom lange. This isnt a robbery. This isnt for sex. This was a rage killing. Nicole was nearly decapitated. Reporter nicole was 35year old Nicole Brown Simpson, the exwife of oj simpson. Near the bodies was a bloody leather glove, an envelope with cops later idd the male victim as 25yearold ronald goldman. At this point they didnt know much about him. Theres numerous wounds on the neck. Goldman put up a fight. Reporter asleep inside the house were the simpsons two children, sydney and justin, who hadnt heard a thing. They were taken to a nearby police station. We need next of kin to take care of these kids. We need to find oj simpson. Reporter as dawn broke in brentwood, lange and three other detectives were sent to simpsons estate on nearby rockingham avenue. One of them was detective mark fuhrman. Arriving detectives feared the worst that simpson may have suffered the same fate as his exwife. Weve just left a bloody crime scene. Is simpson in there as one of the victims . Reporter so without a search warrant, detective fuhrman jumped the wall and let in the other cops. Detectives found simpsons 25yearold daughter arnelle. They learned that her father was out of town on a business trip in chicago. In the other bungalow detectives wokeup a shaggy haired young man named brian kato kaelin. Kaelin had been living at simpsons house for five months. He had come to la to be an actor, and now he was about to star in the role of his life, answering questions about where hed last seen simpson. I had seen him earlier in the day, and he was talkin about women problems. He needed someone to talk to, available. Normally the relationship you had with him . Absolutely not. Reporter later that evening, kaelin said, simpson came by his door to get change for a 100 bill and also mentioned getting something to eat. So just after 9 00 pm they hopped in simpsons bentley and went to mcdonalds. Did simpson ask kaelin to go with him to establish an alibi . And i thought, oh. I was starving. Reporter kaelin told detectives they got back around 9 40pm. He returned to his bungalow and didnt see simpson again for approximately an hour an a half. Then around 10 45 pm kaelin says he heard three strange sounds. It was a loud it was a banging noise. If someone bumped into a wall. Reporter kaelin came outside to check on the noise and saw limo driver allan park at the gate waiting to take simpson to the airport. A few minutes later, simpson came out of the house. His luggage was loaded and the limo sped off. Kaelins story seemed to add up, so now it was simpson the cops really wanted to talk to. He was at his hotel in chicago when detectives told him what happened in la. There were no details given except nicole was dead. He said, well, ill be on the reporter now came another phone call, the one tom lange dreaded, notifying nicoles family. I hear that phone ring and i hear a scream from my moms room. That i had never heard before. And it was just awful, awful, awful. Reporter denise brown, nicoles older sister, remembers rushing to her mothers room. She says, your sister is dead. And i said, oh my god, he did it. He killed her. Reporter he being oj simpson, denises former brotherinlaw. Detective lange was stunned at this sudden new lead. That was my first inkling that perhaps simpson was involved in this. Reporter nicoles family, devastated in an instant, continued the grim task, and called her best friend kris jenner. I was like what . I was like, it was devastating. I think i almost passed out. It was just the worst feeling you could possibly imagine. Reporter kris had known nicole since 1978. They met through her former husband Robert Kardashian, who was simpsons best friend and attorney. Kris adored simpson too, she said, like a big brother. He was very charming, a lotta fun to be around. You could tell he was the type of person who really enjoyed life. Reporter kris and nicole had become fast friends and the two couples were like family. Now, all of that was suddenly gone. Everyones life changed. Nicole died, and nothing would ever be the same. Reporter the world had changed forever for kris jenner, for the brown and goldman families, and for oj simpson who would soon be back home in la right to his front door. 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This is the part i really dont like right here. doorbell whats that . A package its a swiffer wetjet. It almost feels like its moving itself. This is kind of fun. That comes from my floor . Eww this is deep couch sitting. [jerry bell iii] deep couch sitting you like chaos. And in these times, we need that. We need you to rush in, when everyone else is running away. Introducing the jeep renegade, reporter in 1994, the city of angels was about to get an education. Back then most of us had never heard the name kardashian. Todays powerful bond between take it from oj simpson there is only one superstar in rent a car. Reporter someone the nation knew, trusted, and liked. Reporter from his naked gun movies. Right. Reporter to his nfl broadcasts. Reporter as his colleague bob costas remembers he was always the quintessential hail fellow well met. He was outwardly as likeable a person as you could ever want to encounter. Reporter but on day two of this story, much of that history was in the process of being rewritten. The brentwood crime scene was now crawling with cops looking for clues and collecting evidence. Blood was everywhere, and leading from it, a trail of bloody shoe prints. Near the bodies was a bloody lefthanded glove and a blue knit cap. And inside the walls of simpsons Rockingham Estate detective mark fuhrman was went behind kato kaelins bungalow and discovered a moist, bloody glove, similar to the one at the crime scene. So we look at the glove and it looks like the same type. Yeah. The same everything. Reporter detectives also found a trail of blood drops on simpsons driveway leading from the white ford bronco parked on the street. Lange braced himself for what was to come. This is very sensitive now. Its a celebrity case. At midnight last night, a passerby observed the body, a female white body and a male white body. Reporter by now the news media had the first sketchy reports. Deputy District Attorney marcia clark was with the special trials unit. She was consulted about getting a search warrant for rockingham by tom langes partner, detective Phil Vannatter who already considered simpson a suspect. He goes, you know who it is . O. J. Simpson. Whos that . Oh, wait. Oh yeah, naked gun. Hertz commercial, right . Reporter youre not a big football fan . No, wasnt a big football fan. Reporter some 13 hours after the murders, simpson returned to la from chicago, a journey that took him from household name to potential suspect. You never thought of him as a killer . No, no, no. To me, he was bigger than life, and had a great personality. He loved, you know, being o. J. Simpson. Bad enough that simpson might be involved in the murder of her best friend, but now kris was further conflicted because her former husband, Robert Kardashian, was simpsons longtime personal attorney. Kardashian was also at rockingham and was caught on camera carrying what appeared to be simpsons garment bag. Much has been speculated about what might have been in that bag. Could you conceive of him loving his friend so much that he would absolutely not. I guarantee you 150 that he had this character and integrity and christian values and believed in the truth. O. J. , what can you say about this . Back off, get out of the way. Dont know anything . Reporter detectives now wanted to bring in simpson for questioning. His attorney, howard weitzman, said his client would fully cooperate. Hes shocked, he had nothing to do with this tragedy. Reporter after arriving at Police Headquarters, simpsons lawyers met privately with him and then went to lunch. Leaving their client alone with two veteran homicide detectives Phil Vannatter and tom lange. I was flabbergasted. Unless he just thinks hes glib enough to do say anything he wants and hes gonna get around us. Reporter detectives and o. J. Simpson now settled into a small Interrogation Room for a critical interview that could make or break the case. Time simpson would tell his story to police. Coming up i know, im the number one target, and now you tell me ive got blood all over the place. Reporter oj simpson knows just how bad things look. And hes not the only one. When dateline continues. S to switch up to 650 per line. 650 . Really . Yup so switch today. Ive been on my feel all day. Im bushed yea me too. Excuse me. Coming through ride the gel wave of comfort with dr. Scholls massaging gel insoles. Which helps you feel more energized. All day long. I want what he has. Why am i a fan of applebees Fan Favorites quesadilla burger . Its a burger. Inside a quesadilla. Genius. Hot. Melty. Cheese. Fresh. Pico de gallo. Woah. Mind blown. Everyones a fan with applebees 2 for 20 Fan Favorites. [alarm bell ringing] oh no, the car told ya somebody shouldve waited in the car. It says theres a black car three minutes away im not taking one of those. That one they gave authorities the slip, in a prius. Now the four mostwanted men in the world are stealing our hearts. Is that us . I think thats us public support is at a fever pitch. What started as an amateur heist is now a global phenomenon. One does have to wonder, how long can this chase go on . Look, were trending let me see that. Were famous reporter parker center. In 1994, Police Headquarters in downtown l. A. It has seen scores of high profile murder investigations but on that june afternoon, very narcissistic, selfassured. Has to be in charge at all times. Reporter cops were drawn to a cut on simpsons left middle finger, and this is where simpsons answers started becoming more vague. How did you get the injury on your hand . I dont know. Not the first time, when i was in chicago and all, but at the house i was just running around. How did you do it in chicago . I broke a glass. One of you guys had just called me, and i was in the bathroom, and i just kind of went bonkers for a little bit. Is that how you cut it . Mmm, it was cut before, but i think i just opened it again, im not sure. Reporter police had found a blood trail from the bronco to his house. Now simpson offered a few new details to help explain it. So do you recall bleeding at all . Yeah, i mean, i knew i was bleeding, but it was no big deal. I bleed all the time. I play golf and stuff, so theres always something, nicks and stuff here a there. We dont know what direction this is gonna take us. But theres enough that, i want i want to document that finger. I want your fingerprints. Reporter by now, simpson appeared to be sensing trouble and attempted to straighten out his story. I know im the number one target, and now you tell me ive got blood all over the place. Is that your blood thats there . If its dripped, its what i dripped running around trying to leave. Reporter then after just 32 minutes, detectives wrapped up their interview and whisked simpson to a lab where he was printed, his finger photographed and most importantly, his blood drawn. If this guy is our suspect, his blood is gonna convict him. At the core of this case is blood, blood everywhere. And hes got the the evidence that we want in his body. Mr. Simpson are you a suspect . Reporter for now, simpson was allowed to leave. Anything you can tell us . Reporter that may have been a measure of his celebrity, or that police had suspicions they but back at simpsons estate more evidence was turning up, including a pair of bloody socks on his bedroom floor. And at the crime scene itself, more blood drops were swabbed from the walkway leading to the alley, suggesting the killer was bleeding as he fled. We have now videotape showing the bodies of simpsons exwife and an unidentified man as they were removed from a walkway in front of her west side condominium. Reporter monitoring all of this from her office at the criminal courts building was deputy d. A. Marcia clark, who had not yet been officially assigned the case. Did you campaign to be put on this case . At that time, it was just another big case. Thats what our unit did in special trials. We handled high profile murder cases. That was it. Its a good case, so of course, i wanted it. Did i want it for fame and fortune . Hell, no reporter all that day fred goldman had been following the news reports about those he had no idea how much or in how many ways his life was about to change. Because when fred got home, he and his wife received a phone call from the coroners office. And this individual said to me, did you hear on the news today that nicole brown was killed . Well, your your son was the other person. Thats how we found out. Over the phone. And the two of us stood there crying our eyes out. Reporter through his shock, fred knew he had to tell his daughter kim, who sensed something was wrong the minute she heard his voice on the phone. And he said, did you did you hear the news at all today . And i said, no, whats going on, dad . And then he just said that that that ron had died and that ron was killed. I dont really remember too much after that. I just remembered screaming and reporter ron goldman was just 25. Handsome, athletic, popular. I love you very much and ill see you soon. Bye. Reporter this rare footage was taken the year before his murder. Go ron, go ron, go ron reporter the goldmans didnt know it, but this would be their last big celebration as a family. In june of 1994, ron had been working at mezzaluna restaurant, where nicole and her family had dined the night of the murder. When nicoles mother left her eyeglasses there, it was ron who later brought them to nicoles condo. And the lives of two families were suddenly tied together forever in grief. I believe he walked into a crime in process. And he had a chance to walk away so he died trying to do the right thing, and thats painful. Reporter as night descended on brentwood, o. J. Simpson was back at his estate. Kato kaelin says simpson wanted to have a little chat to discuss the timing of their mcdonalds meal. It was a conversation, kaelin suggesting a coverup. Know where i was, kato. You know i was in the kitchen at this time. He was trying to convince me about what i believe now is an alibi for him. He was trying to get you to agree that you had spent more time with him that last evening than you actually had . Yeah, i think it was in the timeframe that he was with me. I said, no you werent. And then inside i started going, hes trying to make me Say Something thats not true. Reporter kato kaelin was seeing another side of o. J. Simpson, far different from the affable, glad handing so carefully cultivated and protected. But simpson also had a dark and violent side. One that had nicole fearing for her life just weeks before her murder. Coming up did Nicole Brown Simpson predict her future . She said, things are really bad between o. J. And i, and hes it. It. Even when youre taking an antidepressant, you may still be struggling with depression. You try to put on a brave face. But inside, the symptoms linger. May still experience unresolved symptoms. When added to your current antidepressant, Rexulti Brexpiprazole has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression. It may help you feel better without giving up the progress you may have made with your current antidepressant. Rexulti is not for everyone. Call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior, worsening depression, or thoughts of suicide. Antidepressants can increase these in those 24 and younger. Elderly dementia patients taking rexulti have an increased risk of death or stroke. 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This was a gathering of nicoles family and friends, including the man police already suspected of her murder, her exhusband. That was a really tough day. Reporter how did simpson react at the funeral . He was crying over the coffin, kissed the coffin. He said, im sorry, nic, im reporter close friend kris jenner remembers when nicole met simpson. She was just 18. He was 29. They were just really happy together. He didnt wanna live without her. Reporter she was every bit as crazy about him, and in 1985 they married, the same year simpson was inducted into the pro football hall of fame. He even mentioned his new bride during the speech. My wife nicole, who came into my life at what is probably the most difficult time for an athlete, at the end of my career. And she turned those years into some of the best years ive had in my life, babe. Reporter but there would be trouble. Some parts of a star athletes life remained a lure and simpson saw other women. The two quarrelled, and when that happened, it would sometimes turn violent. Nicole kept all of it a secret, writing about it in her diary. Were in those diaries . She had to go to the emergency room. She had been beaten so badly that she told the doctors that she fell off her bicycle. Reporter on new years day 1989 after an especially ugly incident, nicole stopped covering for her husband. She called both the police and her sister denise. She says, can you do me a favor and come over here and take pictures of me. And so i went over. Reporter howd she look . She had her face all scratched up. She had the black and blue all over her. She just said, he went crazy. Reporter they divorced in 1992, but soon after they tried getting back together. I felt like they really loved each other, but it was tough for them to be together. And she just always felt like he was cheating on her. Reporter why would she go back to him . She couldnt live with him, and she couldnt live without him. Reporter nicoles sister simpson stalked her. She says, hes always there. Hes always around. He wont leave me alone. 911 emergency. Yeah, can you send someone to my house . Reporter and just months before her murder, nicole was on the phone to 911, sounding at first more exasperated than frightened. Well my exhusband or my husband, just broke into my house and hes ranting and raving. Has he been drinking or anything . No, but hes crazy. Reporter nicole hung up, but called back 10 minutes later as things apparently escalated. 911 emergency . Could you get someone over here now . He is back, please . Dispatcher ok. What does he look like . Hes o. J. Simpson. I think you know his record. Could you just send somebody over here . Ok, what is he doing there . He just drove up again. Ok, just stay on the line. I dont want to stay on the line. Hes going to beat the [ bleep ] out of me. Wait a minute. Reporter no charges were filed against simpson. His allamerican public image remained intact. But privately, the last several simpson were a series of breakups and makeups, says kris jenner. In april 1994 came one last reconciliation. The two took a trip to mexico. But things didnt work out. Nicole returned home with her mind made up. She said she was done, and there was Something Different within nicole that time. Reporter but simpson apparently wasnt ready to let go. According to kris jenner, he was devastated at being dumped and retaliated by threatening nicole. Just weeks before her death, says kris, nicole revealed something shocking. Things are really bad between o. J. And i, and hes going to kill me and hes going to get away with it. And soon after, kris jenner was attending her best friends funeral. And as the funeral was winding lapd crime lab, where preliminary results comparing simpsons blood to the samples collected at the crime scene were now in. And they matched. The bloody trail at bundy, rockingham, and inside the bronco all came back to simpson. Which meant we wanted to go out and get him and bring him in and book him like we would anybody else. Reporter instead, a deal was struck with simpsons recently hired defense attorney Robert Shapiro to avoid all the media, simpson would discreetly turn himself in at the jail in back of parker center. The deadline was friday june 17, 1994, 11 00 a. M. Sharp. But o. J. Simpson never showed. As the nation was about to learn, he had simply disappeared. Coming up o. J. Simpson could run, but he couldnt hide. This is a. C. I have o. J. In the car. Gets a preview of things to come. He has murdered two innocent people, slaughtered them. And youre cheering his escape . When dateline continues. Nervous, honey . A little. Buena suerte, mi hija. Im gonna rock this thing vo now thats the good stuff. The sonoma collection. Only at kohls. Nexium 24hr is the new 1 selling frequent heartburn brand in america. I hope you like it spicy get complete protection with the purple pill. 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That morning, simpson was preparing to turn himself in at Police Headquarters. But then he just suddenly vanished. O. J. , wherever you are, for the sake of your family, for the sake of your children, please surrender immediately. Reporter simpson did leave behind what many felt was a suicide note. A note that his friend, Robert Kardashian, read on live tv. Everyone understand, i had nothing to do with nicoles murder. I loved her. Dont feel sorry for me. Reporter and no one seemed to know where simpson was. The Los Angeles Police department right now is actively searching for mr. Simpson. O. J. Simpson is not at this location. There is nothing is going on here. All units attention to a suspect wanted for a double 187 in west l. A. Division. Suspect named Orenthal James simpson. Reporter then around 6 30 p. M. , some seven hours after he was supposed to have turned himself in, a white ford bronco was spotted with simpson in the backseat and his close friend al cowlings at the wheel. Yeah, uhm i think i just saw o. J. Simpson on the, uh, the 5 freeway. And within a minute the Orange County sheriffs were on him. In the number one lane at 40 miles per hour. Reporter what followed was a surreal, low speed chase. Which, by the way, involved al cowlings bronco, not simpsons. This is a. C. I have o. J. In the car. Okay, where are you . 5 freeway. Okay. Right now were okay, but you gotta tell the police to just back off. Hes still alive, but hes got a gun to his head. Reporter 95 million americans now tuned in to watch what was suddenly the best show on tv. Here is tom brokaw. We are looking at live pictures of interstate 5 in los angeles. Reporter until that moment, many viewers had settled in to watch the nba finals between the knicks and the rockets. Now they would watch a split screen of the game and the chase. Bob costas was hosting the pregame and halftime shows for nbc. And then all of a sudden, this greek tragedy becomes part of the mix, and its going on concurrently. 104, in the number two lane. 25 miles per hour. This is a drama without a script. The suspect is possibly armed and use caution. It was loaded. He couldve used it. And you cant take a chance with someone, certainly, who had been accused of murder. There are pedestrians all over the roadway, 104. Reporter detective tom lange had simpsons cell phone number and amazingly was able to reach him. Dateline has obtained the actual recording of that conversation, which was not released at the time. You there . Just let me get to my house. Okay, were going to do that. I swear to you ill give you what ev ill give you me. Ill give you my whole body. Reporter lange used every bit of police and pop psychology he knew to keep simpsons hand on the phone and off the trigger. Please, you scared everybody, though. Youre scaring everybody. Ahhh. Just tell them im all sorry, you can tell them later on today and tomorrow that i was sorry and that i im sorry that i did this to the police department. Listen, i think you should tell them yourself. And i dont want to have to tell your kids that. Your kids need you. Ive already said goodbye to my kids. By now had been assigned to prosecute simpson for nicole and rons murders was watching all of this, furious that he was still free. We look like the biggest idiots ever. And then i thought this looks like flight to me. And that is consciousness of guilt in the law. Reporter kim goldman was watching too, and worrying simpson might not survive. And im thinking we need to bring him to the court. He needs to have his day at trial. If hes not guilty then what hes running for . All i did was love nicole. All i did was love her. I understand. I love everybody. I tried to show everybody my whole life that i love everybody. It was surreal. It was devastating. It was, you know, could this get any worse . 104 copy. Taking the sunset offramp from the northbound 405. Reporter well maybe not worse, but certainly more weird. With crowds cheering on simpson as if he was making a heismanlike dash for the end zone. Copy. There are pedestrians running in front of the suspects vehicle. O. J. reporter but marcia clark, who was glued to the screen, wasnt cheering. She says she was seething. I saw the people by the side of the road, cheering. And i thought, oh my god. This is not good. Thats a little sample of whats to come . Exactly. He has murdered two innocent people, slaughtered them. And youre cheering his escape . And it gave me a full on view of what we were up against. Reporter finally after nearly 90 riveting minutes possibly getting close to the house there. Reporter simpson and cowlings pulled into rockingham. Use your own discretion. You take him down if you have to. We dont know what the hell is going to happen. You dont know if hes going to get out of the car and have a shootout with the police. I couldnt have written off the possibility that he was going to reporter for nearly an hour simpson sat in the bronco as police tried to coax him out. Finally he emerged and collapsed into the arms of several waiting officers. It was finally over. Inside the bronco was a loaded. 357 magnum and simpsons travel bag containing his passport, a fake goatee and mustache. Simpson was taken away, and would soon be charged with two counts of first degree murder. O. J. Simpson is in custody. He has been transported here to parker center. Reporter convicting him seemed almost certain, especially given all that blood evidence. But District Attorney gil garcetti would soon make a crucial decision that would alter the course of this case long before it ever went to trial. They were called the dream team. Were trod proceed to trial. But one of the team has another name for his fellow lawyers. I call them the nightmare team. When dateline continues. The new proshield from gillette. The best a man can get. What if one piece of kale could protect you from diabetes . What if one situp could prevent Heart Disease . One. Wishful thinking, right . But there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease. Pneumococcal pneumonia. If you are 50 or older, one dose of the prevnar 13 vaccine can help protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and may even put you in the hospital. Even if you have already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13 may help provide additional protection. Prevnar 13 is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. You should not receive prevnar 13 if you have had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. If you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. Common side effects were pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, less appetite, chills, or rash. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about prevnar 13 today. Whatcha gonna do when you get outta here . Im gonna have some fun what do you consider fun . Fun, natural fun ow im in heaven with my boyfriend, my laughing boyfriend. Steppin in a rhythm to a funky flow. Who needs to think when your feet just go . Whatcha gonna do when you get outta here . Im gonna have some fun fun, natural fun baby uh, hello geico . Yeah, i was just talking about your emergency Roadside Service and how its available 24 7 and then our car overheated. What are the chances . Can you send a tow truck please . Uh, the location . Youre not going to believe this but its um. Its in a tree. I wish i was joking, mate, but its literally stuck in a tree. car horn honking a chainsaw . Day or night, at the 45, he has the first down. Still on his feet. To the 45, 40, touchback, 35, 30, open field at the 25. Reporter he once wore number now o. J. Simpson had brandnew number. And for the next 15 months a new home too. A dingy cell at the la county jail where he was being held without bail. Simpson had visits from his family, friends and attorneys, and even his former colleague bob costas. I went to visit him. He tried to convince me several times of his innocence. Look, bob, you know me. Im a smart guy. Would i leave a glove behind . Would i do Something Like this . This doesnt make sense, that doesnt make sense. Reporter but simpson was facing a mountain of evidence. We work in the crime lab. Reporter as District Attorney gil garcetti confidently told nbc news back no case that i am aware of, in the history of this country, has had so much d. N. A. Evidence. But for the fact this were o. J. Simpson, this is what you could call in sports language a slamdunk winner. Reporter then d. A. Garcetti, made a critical decision. He decided to move the case here, to Downtown Los Angeles from santa monica. Downtown the jury pool would be mostly minority and thought to be more sympathetic to a black defendant. At the time garcetti claimed it was made for a number of reasons, including that the santa monica courthouse which recently had sustained earthquake damage, couldnt handle a long trial. Reporter can you tell us anything at all at this point . No, im sorry. Reporter but former detective tom lange believed that tradeoff may have also involved a different calculus. The hope that a conviction by a predominantly black jury would head off what happened here in reporter when rioting broke out, after a mostly white jury acquitted lapd officers in the beating of rodney king. Can we can we all can we all just get along . Reporter in hindsight that decision to move the trial downtown may have been the first of many that, taken together, would influence how the case and verdict played out. The thinking was that, if you have a minority jury convicting a minority defendant, everything is cool. Youre not gonna have any problems. Reporter but prosecutor marcia clark says there was no choice about where to try the case. It was always gonna be downtown. There was no discussion about it, you know. Reporter so people who say, oh, well, they gave up the mostly white jury pool of santa monica and and and ended up in a mostly minority jury pool downtown and it was all over at that point, those people dont know what theyre talkin about . Oh, they really dont. I mean, they might be right in terms of would we bet be better off with a white jury. Well, yes. I dont think theres any disputing that now, right . We try the case in front of the jury, you know, that we have. And and we do our very best to convince them. Reporter then another critical decision. This one made by judge lance ito who ruled the trial could be televised. Reporter do you have enough evidence to convict o. J. Simpson . Of course we do. Reporter publicly marcia clark seemed highly confident in her case back then. The fact that the case has been filed means that we do have sufficient evidence to convict him. Reporter but privately, as clark told us, she sensed trouble early on. Right off the bat, you got a big push back in the African American community. They dont like this case. They dont want to believe it. There was a sense of loyalty, of investment in protecting an African American icon who had made it. He was successful, he had made it. They did not wanna see him taken down. Reporter even though hed done virtually nothing for the community hed come from . It was surprising. Virtually nothing. This was not exactly your civil rights firebrand. Famously saying, im not black, im o. J. Reporter still clark says she was convinced a strong case could be built primarily on the blood and dna evidence. There was a trail of evidence, literally, from bundy that led all the way into his bedroom at rockingham. And that included the blood, the hairs, the fibers. It was a huge amount of evidence. The question was, would it be enough to overcome the incendiary issue of race . How do you plead to counts one and two . Absolutely 100 not guilty. Reporter race would soon become front and center in the case, thanks to a new attorney simpson added to his team just before he was arraigned. His name, johnnie l. Cochran jr. Were ready to proceed to trial. We want to see justice for o. J. Simpson. And we believe hell be acquitted. Reporter cochran had been a thorn in the lapds side for years, running a lucrative practice trying Police Misconduct cases. From the outset his strategy was simple. This was the kind of case their credibility. Reporter especially in 1995. At that time, the only way to describe the situation between the black community and lapd was a state of open warfare. Reporter connie rice is a civil rights attorney who lives in los angeles. The black community experienced lapd as a hostile occupation force that viewed the black community with racist contempt. Reporter so it was the perfect time for that defense to be read. It was the perfect time for that defense to be raised, that this is a black man being persecuted. And he ought to be let go. Reporter but o. J. Simpson . For years he had lived on las mostly white westside. He spent much of his time playing golf, dating white women, and seemed to have little to do with las black community. Reporter im not sure he knew how to get to south l. A. Thats right. He didnt have to identify with the black community. What the black community targeted. Youre back with us. Reporter cochran knew that. And helping him were several other legal superstars like f. Lee bailey, dna expert barry scheck, and harvard law professor alan dershowitz. They were known as the dream team, but dershowitz had his own name for them. I call em the nightmare team. It was a terrible, terrible group. We didnt get along. There was a tremendous amount of dissension behind the scenes. Reporter but somehow they managed to come together and pick a jury, as simpson attorney carl douglas revealed to dateline. We had done focus groups pretrial and it said clearly that africanamerican women would be our best jurors. They would know and understand how black men are treated by police. Reporter in the end the panel that was picked included we were so pleased because this was a jury that johnny could speak to and had spoken to for his entire career. Reporter perhaps the most thrilled of all was simpson himself. O. J. Looked back on that jury and said, gee whiz, guys, if this jury convicts me, maybe i did do it. Reporter coming up was o. J. Simpson getting rid of something at the airport the night of the murders . He was pulling things out and putting em in the trash can. Reporter and kato kaelin in the biggest role of his life. I dont think were going for the same parts. Reporter when dateline savin you five hundred im savin you five hundred we have autotune, right . Oh, yeah. Thats a hit all yeah these are my dogs dusty and cooper. Zi work for the dogs twentyfour seven. I am the butler. These dogs shed like crazy. Its like being inside of a snow globe. It takes an awful lot of time to keep the house clean. I dont know what to do. doorbell whats this . Swiffer sweeper and dusters. This is nice and easy boys. It really sticks to it. It fits in all the tight spaces. This is really great. Does that look familiar to you . Returning to our story, the o. J. Simpson trial was to be a circus in a courtroom watched by millions. Here again is josh mankiewicz. Reporter day 1 of what the was being called the trial of the century. Its no exaggeration to say it felt as if the whole world was watching. Were very ready. Weve been ready for a long time. Reporter it was just six months after the murders of nicole brown and ron goldman. O. J. Simpson was facing the possibility of life in prison if convicted. Now the two sides would finally square off. A team of tough but largely unknown la county prosecutors, armed with a seemingly airtight case rich in dna evidence. Famous defense lawyers in the land, whose plan was simple. Put the police and their investigation on trial. Presiding over all of this would be judge lance ito. A former prosecutor who had been on the bench for six years. This blood drop you see here marked as the item 112 matches the defendant. Reporter the heart of the prosecutions case was all that blood and dna evidence which pointed squarely at o. J. Simpson. But first, prosecutors detailed simpson and nicoles troubled, sometimes violent relationship, which they said culminated in her murder. And in that final and terrible act, ronald goldman, an innocent bystander, was viciously and senselessly murdered. Reporter later denise brown gave the jury a chilling account of how simpson brutalized her sister right in front of her. Picked her up, threw her against the wall. Picked her up and threw her out in there and recount what you had seen . Yeah, it was. I had just lost my sister. Yeah, everything was just right there. I mean, just so fresh. Reporter prosecutors also focused on the timeline of the murders to show that simpson was alone and unaccounted for at least an hour. Enough time to kill ron and nicole. People call mr. Kaelin. Reporter kato kaelin took the stand to testify about that night he was with simpson. But first came one of those kato moments. Did you think your friendship with him, your acquaintanceship, especially living on his property might send acting roles your way . I didnt think that. I dont think were going for the same parts. I was just being me. It wasnt about the spotlight. It was just me. How i am. Reporter whose side was kato kaelin on . Oh, thats a great question. He certainly wasnt on ours. He was on katos side, that from the very start, he was very clearly withholding information. Reporter and you didnt think he had anything to do with it . No. What he was doing was sticking his finger in the air, seeing which way the wind was blowing and saying, you know what . Simpsons not going to get convicted and im going to be the one who was standing by his side and hell take care of me. Reporter kaelin told us he cooperated fully, and answered everything clark asked. And at trial he did detail a critical sequence of events before and after the murders from the trip he and simpson took to mcdonalds. To those three strange sounds he heard at 10 45 pm. Sounds investigators believed simpson made when returning home after killing ron and nicole. Can you demonstrate for us how loud it was . Somewhat, yes. Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead. And where did that noise seem to be coming from . From the back of the wall. Reporter kato kaelin had fame. What he found was something more powerful, longerlasting and ultimately upsetting. It was probably the scariest moment in my entire life. And also everything that youve done in your life became out to the public. Reporter its not what you wanted, im sure. I would never think in a billion years that this was going to be my life. Reporter kato kaelin wasnt alone. Another persons life had collided with o. J. Simpson that night, but this man was eager to testify. Skip junis was at the l. A. Airport the night of the murders to pick up his wife who worked for american airlines. It was 11 30 pm, just an hour after ron and nicole had been killed. A limousine pulled up and o. J. Simpson got out of the limousine. Reporter junis says he had a clear view of simpson. But simpson, he says, never saw him. Cheap gym bag. He only zipped it a few inches. Just enough to get his hand in, and was pulling things out and dumping them in the trash can. Reporter back then junis didnt think too much of it, as he watched simpson empty that little black bag and then hustle inside. By the time police learned what hed seen, it was too late for them to go through the trash. But junis did draw a picture of the bag for detectives. You think he was disposing of the evidence then . Sure, of course i do. That witness has evidence. I have no reason to discount him or anything else, he has an entirely credible story. Reporter so credible that junis was subpoenaed to testify. But like a lot of the prosecutions case, things wouldnt go quite according to plan. And the defense was just getting started. Reporter coming up, if it it was a stunning time, one that will go down in annals of history i suggest. I did not want him to try on whose call was that . How do you become americas 1 . Start by taking care of families for 70 years. Earn the trust of 32 nfl teams. Be there for americas toughest and help, when help is needed americas 1 isnt a status thats earned overnight. Its earned in every wash, and reearned every day. Please welcome, ladies and gentlemen, the village itos. Reporter judge lance itos courtroom was now part of our pop culture. Products. Pundits. And a whole new class of tv shows that yammered about everything that happened that day in court. Hi, everyone, im geraldo rivera. O. J. Simpsons face is, quote, the face of a batterer, a wife beater, an abuser, a controller. The face of ron and nicoles murderer. Reporter but if the audience loved it, 12 jurors didnt see it, because they were sequestered, confined to this Highrise Hotel a few blocks from the courthouse. Lon cryer was one of the jurors who actually decided the case. For 265 days, more than eight to a court room and a hotel room. With no tv, no phone, no radios, no nothing. Reporter isolated. Bored. Often lonely. There was nothing glamorous about being a juror on the trial of the century. I think youll be very happy with the entertainment that well provide for you this weekend. Reporter there were occasional offday outings around town. And there was one business trip, when the jury was taken on a tour of the crime scene and simpsons Rockingham Estate. But what the jurors didnt know was that before that visit, defense attorney carl douglas had gone into simpsons house for a little redecorating. We wanted to make the rockingham location look lived in and stand with all of its regalness, so that the jurors not have risked all of this for this woman. Reporter photos of simpson with white women were swapped out for pictures of him with black people. A Norman Rockwell painting from Johnnie Cochrans office and a bedside photo of simpsons mother were placed in prominent view. This is not tampering with evidence . This is not tampering with evidence, no. This is simply making his house presentable. Like washing the floors. Like putting the bible out for everybody to see like putting flowers in to make the house more presentable. If there is no objection, so be it. You wanted to win. If its not called, im trying to get the optimum advantage to win. They play hardball in the big leagues. This was the big leagues. Reporter and there was a lot more hardball to be played, starting with that evidence cops had collected at the crime scene and at simpsons estate. Quickly it and cleverly, with just four little words. Garbage in, garbage out. Reporter garbage in, garbage out, became the strategy. If there was evidence that was contaminated, or corrupted, then the result and the conclusions could not be trusted. For example, a key blood sample that wasnt collected from the crime scene until three weeks after the murder. Then defense dna expert barry scheck pounced on the lapds dennis fung, accusing him and a colleague of mishandling evidence. There there how about that, mr. Fung . The defense came in and just whittled in piece by piece, little by little. Many people who watched the trial said that the jury was bored by the lengthy dna evidence. Put yourself there. And youre sitting there. Youre listening to this stuff im not gonna lie to you. It was somewhat boring. Reporter boring, and apparently not resonating with the jury, whose silent expressions sent a loud message to marcia clark. The trial was a nightmare for me every single day. I had had so many days of going back up to my office and feeling like were toast. Its over. Theres no way. Because, remember, im watching the jury all day, every day. What was the bigger problem, the defense suggesting that, because of race, that the dna evidence had been tampered with, or was dna back then just too hard and too boring for the jury to understand . It was the former. It was definitely the race issue. So the dna was not the problem. The problem was the jury didnt wanna believe. And so at the end of the day, you cant make someone believe something they dont want to believe. Reporter but there was plenty of other evidence besides dna that the prosecution never showed the jury. Like the Police Interview with simpson. And the ensuing bronco chase. Those were critical lost opportunities, says detective tom lange. I had a problem from day one, because of evidence that they didnt wanna put on. And youd say to prosecutors, what are you doing . And they would say, dont worry, we have dna evidence. They didnt say that, they obviously implied that. We kept getting evidence, getting more and more evidence. And they werent having anything to do with it. Reporter but clark says she was concerned that the bronco chase, simpsons Police Interview and socalled sucide note might play sympathetically to the jury. I have to look for the most objective evidence i can. I cant go to them and say, this is what i think. Because any of these kind of dicey moves, and thats a dicey move, the statement he gave the cops, the quote unquote suicide note that he wrote. So i had enough solid evidence without taking risk with evidence like that. Reporter enough evidence that even eyewitness skip junis, simpson emptying his gym bag at the airport soon after the murders, was never called to testify. And neither was kris jenner, who wanted to tell the jury how nicole feared for her life. Her knowing that she was going to be murdered, do you believe that she knew . She knew. How do you know . She told me. What did she say to you . Hes gonna kill me and hes gonna get away with it. You couldnt put her on the stand because, what . Thats hearsay . Yeah, yeah. That would be hearsay. Under the circumstances that nicole was speaking to kris jenner, we couldnt get it in. I wouldve been happy to put her on the stand, believe me. I think she would have been a great witness. But reporter weve talked a lot about the evidence the prosecution could have brought into the case, but there was something they probably should have left out. It would prove to be especially devastating to the case, a selfinflicted wound from which recovered. The people would ask that mr. Simpson step forward and try on the glove recovered at bundy as well as the glove recovered at rockingham. Thats peoples 77. That was not my call. I did not want him to try on the evidence gloves. I never did. Whose call was that . That was chriss call. Reporter chris was coprosecutor christopher darden. I was miserable from the moment that chris said, no, im doing this. And i never expected anything good to come of it. The only thing i could assume at that time was, its not the right gloves. Because they didnt fit. It was a stunning time, one that will go down in the annals of history, i suggest. As one of the dumbest moves ever by any prosecutor. Ever. You never try a demonstration if youre not sure whats gonna happen. The gloves at rockingham and bundy dont fit do you understand that . Fit bye reporter and the prosecution knew it too, just a little too late, as chris darden told nbc news in 1996. They should have fit him. Our glove expert said they would fit him. They were his gloves. They had his blood on them. The victims blood on them. Its something that because it did not come off perfectly, oh, yeah, i wish i hadnt done. You say to darden that night, i told you so . No. Darden said to me, im sorry. And i said, its okay. If that lost the case for us, we were never gonna win anyway. Reporter coming up detective mark fuhrman is caught on tape, putting the prosecution on the defense. It was mind boggling what wed heard. Reporter and those dramatic closing arguments. If it doesnt fit, you must acquit. Continues. Th a 467 horse power v8 engine. Torque vectoring differential. And brembo brakes. 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Super fast 100 meg internet, plus tv phone for just 69. 99 a month online with no annualcontract. 100 meg speeds at a price this good . Fios can do that. Cable just cant. Reporter the 4th of july beginning in Johnny Cochrans office. Most were dead ends, but one caught the attention of defense investigator pat mckenna. Little did he realize then, but mckenna was about to become a key player in the most explosive and pivotal part of the case, all because of one cryptic phone message which read fuhrman tapes. Nword. Things like that. Reporter detective mark fuhrman, the handsome, confident cop who had discovered the bloody glove at rockingham. So mckenna followed up with the man who left the message about furhman, which led him to a woman named laura hart mckinney, a screenwriter who consulted with fuhrman on a script about police work. And their conversations were recorded. A few weeks later, the tapes johnnie was very careful about those tapes, locking em in his safe, where only he had the combination. Because it was just so explosive. Anything out of a [ bleep ] mouth for the first five or six sentences is a fucking lie. This is mark fuhrman on the tape. Ive heard it myself, it is his voice and it is chilling. It was mind boggling what wed heard. He used the nword so much that became insignificant. Are you guys, like, you know, hoisting champagne glasses when you listen to those tapes . It was manna from heaven. Reporter but for the prosecution, the fuhrman tapes were pure hell. It was horrifying, horrifying and listening to that tape, it was, like it was, like, having a sewerunload on your head. Reporter fuhrman insisted the conversations were no more than the basis for a movie. Reality of a democracy is . That we use a fictional screeenplay to prosecute one man for doing too good of a job on a murder case and acquitting another . I just think its absolutely absurd. Reporter absurd to detective fuhrman, but it was live ammunition for simpsons attorneys. The defense maintained that fuhrman was a racist cop, who in an effort to frame simpson, planted the bloody glove at his estate. Undermine fuhrman, went their thinking, and the entire lapd investigation would be in doubt. Now judge ito, made a controversial ruling that would greatly benefit simpsons defense. He allowed two excerpts from the fuhrman tapes to be presented before the jury. They dont do anything. They dont go out there and initiate a contact with some 65 [ bleep ] thats been in prison for 7 years pumping weights. Reporter fuhrman, who had testified previously and denied called back to court to answer for what he said on those tapes. All right, detective fuhrman would you resume the witness stand please. Reporter this time fuhrman, accompanied by his lawyer, didnt have much to say. Except i wish to assert my 5th amendment privilege. Reporter three times fuhrman invoked his constitutional right against selfincrimination as the defense grilled him saving their best question for last. Detective furhman did you plant or manufacture any evidence in this case . I assert my 5th amendment privilege. I it was terrible. It was terrible. The glove demonstration to me paled into insignificance after that. Its not good when youre handicapping a murder trial afterwards and youre comparing was which part of your case was the biggest disaster . Throughout the trial it felt and every day, wed walk into court and Something Else was blowing up. My clients already answered that. I was pissed. Pissed. When someone asks you that, under those circumstances, is, no. Hell, no. I do not plant evidence. Thats the response. When you plead the fifth, its all over, whether he did it or not. Did fuhrman sink the prosecution when he did that . He sunk the case. I assert my 5th amendment privilege. Reporter this part of fuhrmans testimony was heard outside the presence of the jury. All right, thank you, sir. Thank you, your honor. Reporter but juror lon cryer had already heard enough from detective fuhrman to form an opinion about him and his role in the investigation. In my mind i thought, well, he planted this, the gloves and the hat. He had plenty of opportunity to do it. And because this investigation wasnt 100 by the book, you think that means something that means i cant convict someone something nefarious went on . It means that i cant convict someone of murder. Reporter prosecutors had one last chance closing arguments. Reviewed that trail of evidence from bundy to rockingham. Clear proof, she said, that simpson killed nicole and ron. And you know he did it. Now, these murders did not occur in a vacuum, they occurred in the context of a stormy relationship, a relationship that was scarred by violence and abuse. It wasnt my best. It wasnt. I was tired. I was demoralized. By the time i got to actually talk to the jury, i thought, are you hearing anything . I dont know if youre hearing anything. I dont know. It just didnt feel like anybody cared. Stop this cover up reporter then it was Johnnie Cochrans turn. Stop this cover up. If you dont stop it then who . Reporter it was classic cochran as he delivered that iconic line which would forever define the trial. If it doesnt fit you must acquit. Reporter so with cochrans the exhausted jury would now decide the fate of Orenthal James simpson. But it turns out most of them had already made up their minds. Coming up an eightmonth trial decided in less than four hours, leaving millions to ask was justice done . It was physically painful. That was not justice. Reporter do you blame yourself for this . Im not peeking my flight. Im peeking my. Wait, i missed my flight. Owl photos. Desert photos. Photos of. Dolphins a highstepping man. Pizza gifs. Its all faster with 3d touch on iphone 6s. Imagination. 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And discovered the Sprint Network really is faster. Plus, its more reliable with better coverage than ever. To celebrate, were extending our offer so you can save 50 on most rates from verizon. No more overpaying . At t. Bye, bye big bills . Or tmobile im done with bill anxiety well even cover your costs to switch up to 650 per line. 650 . Really . Reporter the spectacle on National Television was over. Now the fate of o. J. Simpson would be settled behind closed but as deliberations began, lon cryer, aka juror number six, was antsy. You wanted out of there . All i could think of. In my mind i had formed an go not guilty. Im also worried that am i the only person who saw it that way. Reporter cryer and the 11 other jurors took their first straw vote. Oh wow, ten to two for acquittal. And i went in the restroom and i went i did one of, oh, yes, kinda things. And it wasnt because of the ten to two verdict, it was because im close to getting out of here. Reporter two votes now spelled the difference between both simpson and the jury finally going home. I was open to someone showing a differing view that maybe could have changed my view. The two jurors who voted for guilty, what, they didnt try to win anybody else over . Not at all. They didnt stick with it . Not at all. Reporter and that mountain of dna evidence was apparently not part of the deliberations. Nothing about the dna actually even came up in discussion. During jury deliberations, mentioned . As fast as this went, no. It never came up. Reporter and a short time later, a second vote. An eightmonth trial decided in less than four hours. You have reached a verdict in the case, is that correct madam foreman . Yes. Reporter it would be announced the next day. I was convinced, convinced that he was going to be found guilty. Alright, mrs. Robertson, would you you have the envelope with the sealed verdict. Yes, your honor. Reporter then the next day the jury, the families, detectives and attorneys arrived at judge itos courtroom for the very last time. I saw johnnie in the courtroom. And he looked pretty upset. And i said, what are you worried about . You won. And he said, well, he didnt think he had. The funny thing is, all the pundits, you know, that night before the verdict came in, were predicting a conviction. Everyone. But not you . Nope. Reporter as we gathered to watch, everything seemed to stop. An estimated 100 million of us tuned in, costing the economy nearly half a billion dollars in lost productivity. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange plummeted 41 . And president clinton was briefed on security measures in case a riot occurred not only in l. A. , but nationwide. Superior court of california reporter then finally, at 10 00 a. M. Pacific time, on october 3rd, 1995, eight months of trial came to this. We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant, Orenthal James simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder. When she read nicoles verdict first and they said, not guilty, i remember thinking, shh, shh, shh, they havent read rons yet, thinking for some crazy reason that my brothers verdict would be different. Not guilty of the crime of murder in violation of penal upon ronald lyle goldman, a human being. And then i lost it. I dont know why i thought it would be a different verdict. And i was pissed. And you just go, wow is this really our Justice System . It was unbelievable. It seemed really obvious to me that it was going to be guilty. Juror number 11. It felt horrible. It was physically painful. You know, that was not justice. And i thought of ron and nicole. And thought, this is wrong. Its so wrong. You blame yourself for this . You know, i always do. I do. I mean, i was the one trying the case. But at the end of the day, there was no way to reach that jury. There was no way to make them believe. There really wasnt. It wasnt so much that i thought he was just totally innocent, it was just that i dont feel that there was enough convict him. Reporter one verdict, two reactions, divided by color. Across the country. Thank you, jesus reporter for the first time in more than 15 month, o. J. Simpson was a free man. Fred goldman, as hed done so many times before, spoke for the families. Last june 13, 94, was the, um, Worst Nightmare of my life. This is the second. Honest to god, thats one of those moments of a little blur. Crying and shock and anger and and then we left. With nothing after nine months resolved, settled. Reporter americas newlyinsatiable appetite for trial Binge Watching had ended without simpson getting the just desserts many had hoped for. But this would not be the last wed see or hear of Orenthal James simpson. Because simpson would soon be back in court. And this time things would be quite different. Coming up o. J. Simpson on the spot and under oath in all caught on these dramatic tapes. If her face was black and blue the next day, or two days later, i was responsible for it. Reporter when dateline well, i know you asked me to call you the at t hostess with the mostest. Okay, shut her down. Turn it off. Right now, buy an iphone and get another one free when you add a second line. Im going to share a photo of my eggo waffle when it pops up. Thats so interesting honey because im going to share a photo of my eggo waffle when it pops up. Leggo my eggo leggo my eggo answering machine hey leave a message. Hi, i know youre there, cause i can see you. Im calling you to tell you to leggo my eggo anncr some things are too delicious to share. Golden crispy, warm and fluffy eggo waffles. Im lucky to get through a shift without a disaster. My bargain detergent, it couldnt keep up. So i switched to tide pods. Theyre super concentrated. So i get a better clean. Voted 2016 product of the year. If its got to be clean, its got to be tide. Before i had the shooting, burning, pinsandneedles of diabetic nerve pain, these feet served my country, carried the weight of a family, and walked a daughter down the aisle. But i couldnt bear my diabetic nerve pain any longer. So i talked to my doctor and he prescribed lyrica. Nerve damage from diabetes causes diabetic nerve pain. Lyrica is fda approved to treat this pain. From moderate to even severe diabetic nerve pain. Lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. Or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling or blurry vision. Common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. Dont drink alcohol while taking lyrica. Until you know how lyrica affects you. Those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. Now i have less diabetic nerve pain. And my biggest reason to walk calls me grandpa. Ask your doctor about lyrica. Reporter from the county jail to the country club. It didnt take oj simpson to get back into the swing of things. On the links and on camera clear his name, as he told b. E. T. In january of 1996. I loved nicole. I could not have killed anyone. Reporter watching and seething were the families of nicole and ron. You know, here was this arrogant murderer, you know, flaunting his celebrity. Reporter kept sayin he was looking for the real killers, on every fairway in america. Right. And every time he looked in the mirror at home, he had found him. Reporter but fred goldman still wanted justice, even if it meant simpson remained free. I wanted a court to say he was was guilty. Reporter no court could do that now, but a civil court could find him liable for killing ron and nicole. And that meant filing a wrongful death lawsuit. If simpson lost, he wouldnt go to prison but he might have to pay damages to the families. The goldmans hired a relatively unknown attorney named Dan Petrocelli to represent he had never handled a case that involved murder. Petrocelli would argue the case here in santa monica where a jury would be selected from a largely white population. And unlike in the criminal case, the burden of proof was lower. This jury wouldnt have to agree unanimously on a verdict. And as a matter of law, o. J. Simpson would have no choice but to testify in pretrial depositions and the trial itself. And that meant simpson would have to answer for all the dna evidence, his abuse of nicole, and something that surfaced in the national enquirer. On one of the lead pages, is a picture of simpson walking and one of his feet were elevated and they had circled the shoe he was wearin and said that was a bruno magli shoe. Reporter during the original investigation the bloody shoe prints at the crime scene were matched to this exact type of italian shoe. Now, thanks to the photo, petrocelli could put the shoes then we had it sent out to a lab for authentication, came back. This is a real picture. Reporter in january 1996, simpson arrived at petrocellis office for deposition that would be videotaped, putting the attorney facetoface with his boyhood idol. By that point i knew he was a stonecold killer. But he extended his hand out for me to shake it. And i just couldnt resist. I shook his hand. Ive always regretted that, that i literally shook the hand of that probably wielded the knife that killed my clients son and killed his exwife. Reporter but that was as friendly as it ever got, as we discovered in these rarely seen video depositions. For 13 days, petrocelli grilled crime, the cut on his finger and the shoes. You ever buy shoes that you knew were bruno magli shoes . No. How do you know that . cause i know, if bruno magli makes shoes that look like the shoes they had in court thats involved in this case, i would have never owned those uglyass shoes. The deposition turned out to be a gold mine for us, because he made so many inconsistent statements. Reporter then petrocelli challenged simpson about abusing nicole. I believe the bruises that were on her body, i was responsible for. If she got them from me being physical with her or she got them when she fell when she was outside, i was responsible for it. If she fell when she was outside, its because you made her fall, right . No. Because you were hitting her. Right . No. You were pounding her. No, thats incorrect. You made her face black and blue, didnt you . If her face was black and blue the next day or two days later, i was responsible for it. Reporter then in october 1996. O. J. Simpson would tell it underway. No tv cameras. No discussion of racist cops planting evidence. It was a different kind of trial, you know. It was a trial based on evidence. It was all about facts. Reporter and the primary witness in this case was o. J. Simpson himself who had no choice but to take the stand. He had no answers, no explanations why his dna and his hair and his fiber and his clothing were there at the crime scene. Why the victims blood was in his house. Why the victims blood was in his car. This is evidence that would put people away in three seconds in most cases. Reporter and near the end of trial another devastating wave of evidence. More photos of simpson wearing the same bruno magli shoes, 30 more pictures. It really puts the ultimate lie to simpson. Reporter and now a jury would decide. They had a verdict. It was unanimous. The jury has decided yes, o. J. Simpson did willfully and wrongfully cause the death of ron goldman. [ cheers and applause ] finally he had a court say he did it. It was only confirmation of what we knew. But he did it. Reporter the families were awarded 33. 5 Million Dollars in damages, of which theyve only received a fraction. But simpson lost what was left of his reputation. [ crowd jeers ] reporter that aside, he again walked out of court a free man. It turned out justice was coming for o. J. Simpson in ways he never imagined. Coming up, o. J. Simpson in criminal court again, but this time the verdict is different. Im gonna sentence you as reporter and more than two decades later, what else has changed . And the latest on the knife supposedly found at o. J. Simpsons old house. Introducing the jeep renegade, dawn of justice special edition. Jane likes to mix things up. Thats why she loves new light fit greek nonfat yogurt mousse. So fluffy and airy its her new 80 calorie obsession. Light fit feel free to enjoy. Aaaaaaaand were back at Cricket Wireless switch and get a brand new or take a spin with the Samsung Galaxy grand prime for 29. 99 Cricket Wireless. Something to smile about. Dare to rock nude. New the rock nudes palette from maybelline new york. Our 12shadow palette is edited for edge. From quietly quartz to heavy metal. Maybellines the rock nudes. Rock it like no other. Make it happen maybelline new york. My house. My house, too my bed, my squeaky toy. My goodness is that smokymeatytasty bacon . . You like bacon . I do backflips for bacon i make beelines for bacon im gonna beat you to bacon vo what makes dogs do the crazy things they do . Beggin because, bacon ah, lilly. She pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress. And shes not exactly tidy. Even if she gets a stain shell wear it for a week straight. So i use tide to get out those week old stains and downy to get it fresh and soft. And since im the one who has to do the laundry, i do what any expert dad would do. I let her play sheriff. You are free to go. Tide and downy. Great on their own even better together. Dont go too far, sweetheart. Reporter 2007. O. J. Simpson was still living the good life, having relocated that year he took a trip to las vegas, after which his life im gonna sentence you as follows. Reporter and exactly 13 years to the day that he was acquitted of the murders in brentwood, simpson was convicted, and later sentenced up to 33 years. Thank you. Reporter o. J. Simpson is eligible for parole in 2017. He will be 70 then. But that isnt the end of the simpson saga. Even now more than 20 years later, new stories continue to surface. Just two days ago, lapd detectives came into possession of a knife, a knife supposedly recovered years ago here at brentwood. The knife is now undergoing testing to see if it has any connection to the case. So it has been submitted to our lab. They are going to study it and examine it for all forensics, including serology and dna and hair samples. And that is ongoing as we speak. Reporter this is not the first knife to emerge. Over the years dozens of knives have also surfaced, but none have proven to be the murder weapon. Since neither simpson, nor anyone else was convicted of the murders, police say they will continue to explore any new leads. This is a double homicide that is still open and ongoing. Reporter but because of double jeopardy laws, simpson can never again be charged with the murders of his exwife and ron goldman. Quite a bit has changed in the two decades since that horrible night in brentwood. Acquit. Reporter the man who helped acquit simpson johnnie cochran, died in 2005. Simpsons friend and attorney Robert Kardashian also passed away, two years earlier. Lapd detective Phil Vanatter also died in 2012. We dont have any answers right now. Reporter his partner, tom lange, is now retired and still lives outside los angeles. It is in the memory of nicole that the foundation was formed. Reporter denise brown is very active educating others about domestic violence, and now runs a Speakers Bureau to get the word out. Kim goldman has written a new book about victims of high profile crimes and she has a young son, whose middle name is ronald. Ron was a good human being. Reporter her father, fred, was awarded the rights to simpsons book, if i did it confessions of a killer, which goldman says he considers a true account of how simpson killed simpson continues to deny. Kato kaelin is still in los angeles and among his many projects, has a clothing line. Kris jenner, well, you know. I wish to assert my 5th amendment privilege. Reporter as for mark evidence that he planted anything. However, he did plead no contest to one count of perjury for lying at trial in connection with those audio tapes and was sentenced to three years probation. Since then fuhrman has appeared as a commentator on the fox news channel. Neither marcia clark nor chris darden ever tried another case for the das office. Clark still practices law as an appellate attorney. Shes also an author and has a new novel coming out entitled blood defense, where the main character is a hardcharging, ambitious defense attorney. Own law firm specializing in criminal defense. Never answer a hypothetical question from a reporter. Reporter carl douglas is still practicing law and has a small shrine to his mentor, johnnie cochran, in his office. Judge lance ito retired in 2015 after serving more than 25 years on the bench. The once mostlywhite lapd is now much more racially representative of the city it polices, though far from perfect Race Relations have dramatically improved between the cops and the citys black community. And we hope that that injustice will be prevented in a civil trial. Reporter and Dan Petrocelli, he is still practicing law in los angeles and now lives in brentwood, not far from where o. J. Simpson once did. But simpsons Rockingham Estate was sold, and the new owner demolished the house in 1998 to build a new one. Still there with a remodeled exterior and a new address number, but gawking busloads of tourists have dwindled. And that mountain of evidence that was supposed to guarantee a slam dunk case . Most of its still around. Buried deep in the lapds archives. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. Were following several breaking news stories tonight at 11 that includes two shootings and an apartment fire. First, lets start off with the shootings. That includes a shooting near the intersection of pollard and barre street. That happened just before 8. Then within the last hour another person was shot on lead street. These two shootings are a part of at least 8 about the most recent shooting. An unsettling wake up call at the the virginia