It was called the trial of the century and the first true reality show.
O.J. Simpson went on trial for the killings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman 20 years ago, in what would become a wall-to-wall televised proceeding.
The heavy coverage started even before the trial began. Simpson’s infamous slow-speed chase days after the slayings played out on TV screens across the country, and the original grand jury was dismissed due to excessive media coverage.
Here are six unforgettable moments that helped shape the trial.
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6. “Not guilty” Simpson is acquitted
Flanked by Cochran and longtime friend and attorney Robert Kardashian, Simpson stood and faced the jury as a court clerk read two “not guilty” verdicts on October 3, 1995.
Members of Simpson’s family cried tears of joy in the courtroom as the family of murder victim Ron Goldman wept just a few feet away. The moment was the third most “universally impactful” televised moment of the last 50 years — behind the September 11, 2001, attacks and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — according to a survey by Nielsen and Sony.
Testimony in the trial took about nine months, encompassing about 120 witnesses, 45,000 pages of evidence and 1,100 exhibits.
