Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
In the mid-90s, Johnnie Cochran, a prominent Los Angeles area lawyer, led the defense team during former NFL star O.J. Simpson’s trial. Simpson was facing charges in the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, per The New York Times. The defendant’s “dream team” of defense lawyers included Cochran, Robert Kardashian, F. Lee Bailey, and Robert Shapiro.
USA Today reported that during O.J. Simpson’s trial, Johnnie Cochran’s remark, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” became one of the most famous moments. He made the comment after prosecutors requested Simpson to wear a pair of gloves officers found at the crime scene. As Variety reported, the gloves were soaked in blood and did not fit the accused during the dramatic display.
Johnnie Cochran and the defense also argued that the investigation compromised the crime scene. They presented an audio recording of a racist officer saying the slur several times. Simpson’s 11-month-long trial ended on October 3, 1995, when the jury acquitted him on all charges, per People Magazine.
Later, in 1997, a civil jury found Simpson responsible for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. The jury then ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the families of Brown Simpson and Goldman. However, he only paid the latter’s family $133,000 and owed them over $100 million at the time of his death. The former athlete died on April 10, 2024, at the age of 76 after battling cancer.
Several documentaries and series have previously covered O.J. Simpson’s sensational trial. Some popular works are The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and O.J.: Made in America, among others.
What Happened to Johnnie Cochran?
The New York Times stated that prominent lawyer Johnnie Cochran died at his Los Angeles home on March 29, 2005. Cochran’s cause of death was a brain tumor, and he was 67 at the time. Before his demise and after O.J. Simpson’s sensational trial, Cochran and a few others co-founded a law firm, Cochran, Cherry, Givens & Smith. They later renamed it The Cochran Firm, which has multiple officers across states, per USA Today. In the early stages of his legal career, Cochran had also served as a prosecutor in Los Angeles County.
Reportedly, Johnnie Cochran was a prominent lawyer before leading Simpson’s defense, boosting his popularity. The New York Times reported that the renowned lawyer mainly represented black clients in civil rights cases or those involving police brutality. USA Today further stated that his clients included popular celebrities, such as Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Jim Brown, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Todd Bridges, and others.
According to Variety, following O.J. Simpson’s trial, Cochran got his own TV show and made talk show appearances. The lawyer was also parodied on Seinfeld and South Park before he began playing roles in TV dramas such as JAG and The Hughleys. He played himself in these shows. Multiple TV shows and films also used Cochran references.
Johnnie Cochran, a Louisiana native, moved to Los Angeles in 1949. He completed his schooling at Los Angeles High School in the 50s and then graduated from UCLA. Following this, Cochran enrolled in LA’s Loyola Law School for a law degree and worked in the attorney’s office. The long-time prominent lawyer married twice and has three children.
