The trial for the man who murdered his wife, Orel Johnsen, came to a decision that no punishment would be necessary for his case. Even with substantial evidence against O.J., the judge is giving him the benefit of the doubt. Claiming he doesn’t want O.J. to miss out on any more work, the judge declared in his closing statement: “A man needs to go to work and get paid”.
O.J. pleaded not guilty for all charges and denied any involvement with the killing of his wife. He told the court that even if he had done it “[he] didn’t know that [he] was doing anything illegal”. The evidence the prosecutors gave, was claimed to be “not sufficient enough” to incriminate Johnsen.
Some of this “insubstantial” evidence included:
- Blood smears (he was being blackmailed)
- Fingerprints and DNA samples (the cops are working against him- they’re corrupt)
- Gloves (they were slightly too tight)
- Time unaccounted for (he was probably just in the bathroom… for multiple hours)
- High speed chase (he was just a scared little man- fight or flight kicked in)
- Security camera footage (it’s too blurry to tell)
- Domestic abuse (she was just clumsy)
- Stalking (it’s not stalking if you’re married)
The judge and the defensive team found all of the evidence to be “silly” and “not relevant” to the case at hand. Those involved with the case gave interviewers some of their insight:
- O.J. (accused of killing wife)- “Sure I beat my wife… who doesn’t in this day and age? I mean really, they talk so much sometimes. They need a firm hand to shut them up. That doesn’t mean I killed her though. I loved her.”
- Johnny Coach (defense attorney)- “Honestly these prosecutors just sound sexist. It’s always the men who get caught with domestic violence. You know wives also abuse and kill their husbands.”
- Mark Wells (prosecutor)- “I gave them cold hard evidence. These people are really about to let a murderer walk free.”
- Gretchen Boise (juror)- “He’s just so charming and seems like such a sweet man. I could never declare him as guilty. He reminds me of my own grandson. He used to taxidermy roadkill… Boys will be boys, am I right?”
The defense team for O.J. is said to be the best in the country. They cost O.J. close to $1 billion just to take his case. Some also call them the “Nightmare Team” because prosecutors almost never win against them. No matter how much evidence or how incriminating the evidence the prosecuting team has against them, the defense team always finds a way to wiggle their way out of it.
At the trial, some of the prosecution witnesses pointed out the aggressive nature of O.J. towards his wife before the killing. However, the witnesses were believed to be “too biased” and “overly emotional” for their statements to hold in court.
The defense team objected everytime the witnesses tried to answer one of the questions. They claimed this was because “they have too many relations with the dead” and are, therefore, impractical.
The judge, siding with the defense, took the witnesses off the stands and disregarded all that was said before continuing on with the trial. The trial was said to have taken a week longer than it should have due to the constant interjections of the defensive team.
Once the trial finally did end, the jury was in complete agreement (12-0); all finding O.J. not guilty in the case of murdering his wife.
O.J. gave a lasting remark stating he is now looking for a “new wife, willing to actually listen without needing to be beat” or in other words a “traditional wife who cooks, cleans, and stays quiet”.
The full trial was broadcasted live after the increase in popularity and public interest regarding his case, making it easy for O.J. to connect with many single women. O.J. has received and is continuing to receive mass amounts of fan mail from people all over the world. He has even received marriage certificates from women (and some brave men) waiting in anticipation for him to sign his name.
The family of O.J.’s wife found all of this to be completely insensitive and to be yet another reason why he should have been given the death sentence. However, their pleas have been disregarded. Very few news sites have acknowledged the family, knowing that they would get more money and readers by writing on what’s popular rather than the full story.
