Blog Post 2- “The Man Who “Didn’t” Do It”

Nathan Scott

The Man who “didn’t” do it

Nearly twenty five years ago the OJ Simpson trial began and revolutionized the DNA testing system. Today DNA testing is widely used, the Simpson trial deserves credit for some of this according to an article titled: “How the OJ Simpson trial created 347 DNA labs and Public Love for Crime Tech”. Although DNA testing can be very useful in criminal trials it was the opposite in the Simpson trial. Police officers and investigators did not properly collect DNA which resulted in contamination and ultimately not enough evidence against Simpson to lock him up for what he had done. Simpson plead guilty to murder in the first degree of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. Although he was not convicted of this crime he was later sentenced to a ten year sentence for robbery, during this time he wrote his famous book “If I Did It”. However the other authors deny Simpson had much influence on how it was written. The Biology of this case caused a spark of interest by the American people as to how DNA testing is used and conducted. During the time of this case the use of DNA testing became widely known about.

The Case and Biology

The non-guilty verdict given to Simpson in the first trial became very controversial due to the way DNA was collected and tested from the crime scene.There were many mistakes made after this crime by the Los Angeles Police Department while collecting DNA; “They (LAPD) collected blood evidence weeks after the crimes had been committed, placed the blood samples in plastic instead of paper containers, took hours to deliver fresh blood samples to the laboratory, and even spilt Simpson’s blood in the lab where they later tested other samples” (Sloat). Due to the mistreatment of DNA testing the jury could not use this to put Simpson away. During this case in 1994 the technology in the DNA testing lab the LAPD used was in fact not very legitimate as other testing centers (Sloat). The combination of mishandeling DNA with a poor testing center made this evidence illegitimate in this trial. This was a large problem for those prosecuting Simpson however his defense lawyer at the time never refuted DNA evidence and supports using it to free wrongly convicted inmates (Sloat). The mistakes made in the Simpson trial led to an increase of DNA testing centers and the technology inside of them. This case is still important in how DNA testing is done today, although it may be much different from the 90’s researchers can look back on previous mistakes to improve their own studies.

Figure 1. O.J. Simpson advertisement. “1978 Dingo Boots OJ Simpson Advertising Playboy December 1978”. Nov. 3rd 2019.
https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/photos/2521553c-e569-44ac-8a6e-32aaed29a032

The information highlighted in the article is commonly known to be true about the case. The many mistakes the LAPD made created a demand for better more proficient testing centers. It is true that the jury was not able to see the DNA as a valid form of evidence however the crime seemed quite obvious. How could they not lock Simpson up? Well at the time the tensions o LA had been high after the brutal murder of Rodney King, some say giving this case to the defense was a way to get back at the LAPD (Forensics). This may not have been the only factor in keeping Simpson clean as he had been a star in the NFL and was well liked by the public. There are many questions this case led Americans and prosecutors to ask about DNA testing and the role it plays in court. It is important to note that DNA tests had been used in court cases for about ten years yet the public was not widely aware of this until Simpsons case (Sloat). This meant the DNA evidence was not only contaminated but also hard for the jury to understand. The facilities used for testing were not necessarily the crème of the crop at the time let alone LA’s. Due to the numerous factors in this case there was simply not enough to convict Simpson.

Biology In Class

For the majority of our class we have learned about DNA and the functions it serves to keep organisms living. But it is also important in determining the phenotypes and genotypes of organisms. The process of DNA testing takes what we have learned and uses it in criminal and civil investigation cases. Collecting DNA evidence from crime scenes nowadays can be crucial to determine a verdict in a court case. Today we use DNA for much more in order to find family history and to use paternity testing, which could potentially lead to more or less male investment in a child. Although we have not spoke about many criminal cases DNA is used in both the prosecution and defense. Allowing both sides access to the DNA results ensures they are not biased or tampered with, furthermore giving the jury credible information to work with. DNA is important in our everyday functions along with functions of the government and much more.

Although DNA testing is very useful it can still be controversial as we have talked about in class. If your are arrested you are subject to certain test such as fingerprinting and possibly blood samples depending on your state. Blood test are usually taken for people who are intoxicated and not necessarily used to examine your DNA. However there are crimes your DNA can be taken and put in the federal system for. Just as we said in class is this process ethical? DNA is very personal information that gives a distinct description of a person, would you want your DNA out there? The argument from many criminal investigators is those who choose to commit these crimes give up the right to withhold this information from the government. Twenty five years ago the problems associated with DNA testing were much more technological than the ethical controversy it has in our world today.

Works Cited

Sloat, Sarah. “How the O.J. Simpson Trial Created 347 DNA Labs and Public Love for Crime Tech”. Inverse. https://www.inverse.com/article/13129-how-the-o-j-simpson-trial-created-347-dna-labs-and-public-love-for-crime-tech. Nov. 2nd 2019.

“Forensics at the OJ Simpson Trial”. Crime Museum. https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/famous-murders/forensic-investigation-of-the-oj-simpson-trial/Nov. 2nd 2019.