A CNN reporter said Thursday that “many people” were “happy” with the 1995 acquittal of former NFL running back O.J. Simpson.
Simpson, who was found “not guilty” of the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1995 following a lengthy televised trial, reportedly died after a battle with cancer on Wednesday. CNN reporter Stephanie Elam made the claim while discussing the “impact” of the trial.
“It’s also just worth noting how much was impacted by this trial, Jake,” Elam said. “So many things happened. We saw policing changing here in the city, and it’s also worth noting because of that unrest, that racial unrest in the 90s, that is why so many people, who may not have been invested in O.J. Simpson, were just happy to see that someone who is rich and famous, and black, could get away with what other people did in the system, as well, too.”
Despite Simpson’s acquittal, he was found liable for the wrongful deaths of his ex-wife and Goldman in a 1997 civil trial. He later was convicted for his role in a Las Vegas robbery and served nine years before he was paroled in 2017.
Simpson reportedly announced his cancer diagnosis in February.
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