Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
The gloves that prosecutors alleged OJ Simpson used for his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman’s murders did not fit him during his trial. Simpson faced double murder charges after authorities found evidence, including the gloves, that linked him to the case. Brown Simpson and Goldman were found stabbed to death outside the former’s Brentwood, Los Angeles, home. The murders took place on the night of June 12, 1994.
Reportedly, detectives found key evidence, including blood and a single bloody glove, at the crime scene. They found a second glove matching the previous one at OJ Simpson’s estate. Additionally, authorities found hair and clothing fibers consistent with Simpson, Brown Simpson, and Goldman on the glove. The LAPD then arrested the former NFL star on June 17 after a slow-speed car chase.
OJ Simpson stood trial for the double murder charges the following year when he tried the gloves, but they didn’t fit. Simpson’s dream team defense for his “trial of the century” included Robert Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran, and a close friend, Robert Kardashian, who has since died. During the trial, the defense’s argument about the gloves that “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” became infamous following Simpson’s acquittal.
Why didn’t the gloves fit OJ Simpson during the murder trial?
OJ Simpson’s defense used the gloves, which the prosecution presented as key evidence in the trial, in his controversial acquittal. People Magazine stated that his lawyers argued that if the gloves didn’t fit, Simpson did not commit the murders. They also used racial tensions in the country to justify his innocence, reported The Sun. The defense presented evidence in court that revealed that detective Mark Fuhrman, who found the glove on Nicole Brown Simpson’s house, was a racist. Fuhrman reportedly said the “n-word” dozens of times.
Prosecutors alleged that the glove did not fit Simpson, who had arthritis and was on anti-inflammatory medications, was going without the meds. They believe it was his intentional attempt to make his hands swell up so the gloves wouldn’t fit. However, a County Jail doctor invalidated their allegation and confirmed that the defendant was regularly taking his medication.
Once the prosecutors’ claim was dismissed, Johnnie Cochran, who led OJ Simpson’s trial as part of the defense, made an infamous remark. Cochran stated, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” which later became a famous moment from the trial.
Prosecutors also theorized that the gloves were soaked in blood and had been freezing and thawing. They claimed that the gloves had shrunk in size, which is why it did not fit OJ Simpson’s hands. Glove expert Richard Rubin testified at Simpson’s trial, claiming, “If you drench the glove and let it dry naturally, you’ll lose 15% of the size.” However, Rubin maintained that he was unable to confirm what liquid caused the gloves to shrink.
Simpson’s attorney, Johnnie Cochran, argued the prosecution failed to prove that gloves fit the defendant’s hand under regular circumstances. Cochran claimed that this is why prosecutors were trying to allege that the gloves had shrunk because of the blood. The defense further argued that authorities had compromised the crime scene. They played an audio recording of racist officer Mark Fuhrman using the slur multiple times.
Per another People Magazine report, OJ Simpson’s trial lasted for 11 months, following which the jury acquitted him of murder. The trial ended on October 3, 1995, with a not guilty verdict on all charges. Later, in 1997, authorities convicted Simpson in a civil trial after the jury held him responsible for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
Simpson led a tumultuous life following his sensational acquittal and had several run-ins with the law. He died earlier this year on April 10 from cancer. The former NFL star was 76 at the time of his death.
Multiple documentaries chronicle the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman and OJ Simpson’s trial. Very recently, Lifetime dropped a documentary titled The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson. The four-part series primarily comprises interviews with Brown Simpson’s sisters, among others involved in the case.
