I was sitting in the passenger seat of my dad’s SUV. He was driving. I don’t remember where we were going, what year it was, or any details really, but I do remember our conversation. The radio was quietly playing in background. Dad and I weren’t talking much so we heard when the radio D.J. exclaimed that O.J. Simpson had been arrested again. My dad reached over and cranked the volume to listen.
“Who’s O.J. Simpson?” I said.
“He used to be an NFL player. He murdered his wife and another boy about 10 or 15 years ago. There was a huge trial, everyone in the nation watched. He wasn’t found guilty, but he did it. You’d be stupid to think he didn’t,” my dad said.
My heart ached. I didn’t know all the details of this case, but I trust my dad. If my dad said he did it, then I believe him.
Fast forward a few years to my freshman year of college. I’m older and I know a bit more about O.J. Simpson and his famous trial, and my mind is still made up at the fact that he’s guilty. As I scroll through Netflix, pondering what I should watch next, my eyes scan over the title “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”.
I hate anything sad, especially having to do with injustice, however, I love a good murder mystery. So I decided to watch. It takes me less than a week to watch all 10 episodes.
Everyone knows the basics of the trial, the gloves, the gore, The Juice, however, the fine details of the case are what makes it so intriguing. The show not only gives almost every juicy detail of the trial, but it also gives you a glance into the lives of the prosecution, the defense, the jury, the judge, and many other minor characters involved in the story.
I knew what the outcome of the show would be when I began watching, however, that didn’t take away from the emotion of it all. At the end, my heart ached again. My heart ached for the prosecution, the defense (well only some of the defense), the jury, the judge, and even O.J.
My mind still hasn’t changed; I still believe O.J. did it. However, the show makes you evaluate every side of the story, just as the jury had to. And just like the jury, I finished the show with a shadow of a doubt.
After watching, I told my dad and we talked all about the events surrounding the trial.
“O.J. was an icon. I’ll never forget when I first heard about it on the news or watching the Bronco chase. I know he did it, and it’s still hard to think that someone you once looked up to could do such a horrific thing,” my dad said.
