OJ Simpson a second look
...n pool in 1979. While still married to his first wife, Simpson met the seventeen year-old waitress, Nicole Brown. Simpson married Nicole Brown in 1985. Their first child was born 7 months later. Nicole Brown Simpson often complained to friends and family of beatings by Simpson, who did not approve of her flirtatious association with other men (Barlow, 1998). Simpson denied ever hitting Nicole Brown Simpson, and said that her injuries came as a result of friendly “wrassling”. After what was described as a “rocky marriage,” Nicole filed for divorce in 1992 (Resnick, 1994). Prior to the murders of Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, the relationship between the LAPD and Simpson was one of admiration for the celebrity. Simpson would often have officers to his Rockingham mansion and would attend some LAPD events. Even up until the time Simpson fled in his Bronco, the LAPD deferred to his celebrity status by allowing him to surrender voluntarily to save him the embarrassment of a public arrest. When Brown Simpson would call for police to assist her in a domestic violence abuse situation involving Simpson, the police, with only one exception, would refuse to charge Simpson with any crime. The one LAPD officer who was the exception was Mark Fuhrman, who both sides in the trial later vilified as a racist “bad cop.” After bolting in his Bronco, instead of surrendering, Simpson finally surrendered voluntarily at his Rockingham mansion. Later Simpson would plead “Absolutely, positively, 100% not guilty” to the murder charges of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. While the public had revered Simpson, the Prosecution sought to have some measure of control over him. Prosecutors took a special delight in calling him by his full name, instead of the abbreviation “O.J.” The prosecution sought to discredit Simpson’s alibi that he was in his back yard hitting golf balls at the time of the murder. Following his acquittal, Simpson’s friends, in large part, seemed to melt away, especially in upper class Los Angeles. Simpson still keeps in contact with some of the sheriff’s deputies who guarded him in jail. Simpson still plays golf occasionally, but never at his former home course, the Rivera Country Club. Members of that club informed his business manager, Skip Taft, that Simpson was no longer welcome there. According to Siegel (2003, p. 155), The behavior theory maintains that people’s actions are learned by physically seeing life experiences unfold. Then, they replicate what was previously learned. This can be from direct observation of others or even actions watched on T.V. Behavior theorists are concerned with the actual behaviors that people engage in during the course of their daily lives. The main theme is, people alter their behavior according to the reactions it receives from others. With respect to a criminal act, crime is viewed as learned responses to life situations that do not necessarily represent abnormal or morally immature responses (Siegel, 2003). Though O.J. was not convicted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, O.J. did have a record of violence. After the pieces of the puzzle are put together under the behavior theory view, it becomes apparent that the double murder was the final act of a very jealous and violent man. The authorities were dispatched to the Rockingham mansion a total of eight times during the Brown Simpson marriage. Of the eight, only on one 911 call, (the dialogue in the introduction) was an arrest made. This was only because a bruised and beaten Nicole Brown was begging for help in front of the home when police arrived (Elias and Schatzman, 1996). To further support this theory, Simpson was in the limelight once again in a Miami court in 2001. The charge, O.J. was involved in a physical altercation following a road-rage incident (Siegel, 2003). After retiring from a career of professional football, violence would almost seem to be a forte for O.J. Simpson. After all, John McKay did say O.J. was the best of the best in football. You don’t get that title from being meek and meager on the field. Why didn’t the jury see it in this perspective? Two words: Dream Team. According to (Siegel 2003, p. 270) the affluent can purchase a different brand of justice than the indigent. O.J.’s attorneys were the “best of the best” in the courtroom. Hanging on every little detail, which turned out to be an effective strategy, until eventually people just wanted the whole thing to end because they were completely off track (Elias & Schatzman, 1996...