The so-called “trial of the century” began more than seven months after the arrest of Simpson, on charges of having murdered his wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. Held in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Simpson’s defence team included notables such as Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz and Robert Kardashian. In the media, they were called the ‘Dream Team’.
The media coverage of this trial was unprecedented in its day – partially because of Simpson’s celebrity, but mostly because Judge Lance Ito made the unusual (and controversial) decision to allow the trial to be broadcast live on television. Coverage of the trial pre-empted many regular broadcasts, and Americans across the nation were obsessed with it. The trial would come to an end later that year on October 3, and Simpson would be acquitted of all charges.
