The Real OJ Simpson Legacy Is The Legal Litmus Test That Determines If Prosecutors Can Win Against Deep Pocked Defendants
As we all know OJ Simpson died last week. The real OJ Simpson legacy is not about Simpson’s alleged involvement in the deaths of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman. Yes, everyone has debated Simpsons’ not guilty verdict for nearly 30 years and assumes that will be his legacy.
However, the legacy of the “trial of the century” is not Simson’s guilt or innocence. It’s about money and how much it would cost prosecutors to win a conviction against a deep pocketed defendant.
After all, the Simpson trial showed us that justice in America is not free. Prosecutors have ask themselves if they want spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer dollars trying to convict deep pocketed defendants? Especially against deep pocketed defendants who can outspend government prosecutors by a 3:1 or a 5:1 margin. So, prosecutors are forced to weigh the financial odds of winning a conviction. The reality is now that Simpson started a trend. The wealthy in this country of spending whatever it cost to produce that reasonable doubt.
The OJ Simpson Litmus Test
During Simpson’s murder trial there was another trial going on in the courtroom down the hall. The LA District Attorney accused another black man of murdering two people. Like most black men in the US, this guy didn’t have a multi-million dollar legal dream team. No, he had a public defender for a lawyer.
As we all know, OJ Simpson was acquitted. He spent the next 13 years (until his 2008 conviction) drinking mojitos, playing golf and picking up bar whores in Florida.
But what happened to the guy in the courtroom down the hall? Well, he went to San Quentin. Now, everyday he clutches a bar of soap in the shower as if his life depends on it.
Money Gets You Access
The Simpson acquittal was an embarrassment for a lot of people. It almost cost former LA District Attorney, Gil Garcetti his re-election in 1996. Garcetti’s team lost was because they were outmaneuvered at every turn by Simpson’s elite million dollar dream team.
What most people don’t understand about the legal profession is that there are two types of attorneys that go to work at a prosecutor’s office after law school. The smart and ambitious ones go there to gain trial experience. These types of lawyer go on to become judges or become high priced criminal defense lawyers.
The other group go there because their performance in law school didn’t attract the attention of any high power law firms.
As a result, state or federal prosecutor offices aren’t staffed by the best and the brightest. Thus, they fear a criminal case against defendants with lots of money. Prosecutors fear they will be outmatched and outmaneuvered by attorneys who have access to top forensic technicians and experts. These experts have the ability to cast reasonable doubt. After all, a criminal case is not about guilt or innocence, it’s about proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
OJ Simpson started a trend. As a result, most deep pocketed white collar criminals run free.
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