The Truth About the O. J. Simpson Trial: By the Architect of the Defense

Twenty-six years after O. J. Simpson was acquitted for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, it’s unlikely that any new addition to the literature will illuminate this controversial case. Nevertheless, Bailey (When the Husband Is the Suspect), a key lawyer on Simpson’s defense “Dream Team,” offers his insider view of the trial. Bailey crowns himself here as “Architect of the Defense” and diminishes the role of fellow defense attorney Robert Shapiro, who is repeatedly a target of Bailey’s scorn. Bailey’s winning strategy was to discredit detective Mark Fuhrman because of his previous racist remarks, thereby calling into question evidence with which he was connected. While Bailey’s showdown with Fuhrman is dramatic, equally gripping is the action outside the trial, as defense investigators tracked down witnesses and evidence. Recapping the trial, Bailey bolsters his recollection with excerpts from trial transcripts and other books written about the case—interestingly favoring Madam Foreman, written by three of the jurors.