O.J. Simpson faced two sets of criminal charges in his lifetime: two counts of first-degree murder in California for the 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, and a 12-count felony indictment in Nevada in 2007 for armed robbery, kidnapping, and related offenses. A Los Angeles jury acquitted him of the murders in October 1995. A Las Vegas jury convicted him on all 12 Nevada counts in October 2008, and he served nine years in prison before his parole in 2017. A civil jury found him liable for the two deaths in 1997 and awarded the victims’ families roughly $33.5 million, but that was a civil judgment, not a criminal conviction.
The 1994 California Murder Charges
Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her Brentwood home on June 12, 1994. Five days later, prosecutors charged Simpson with two counts of first-degree murder under California Penal Code Section 187(a), which defines murder as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought.1California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 187 – Homicide Each death was charged as a separate count.
First-degree murder in California requires premeditation and deliberation, meaning the prosecution had to show Simpson decided to kill before acting rather than reacting on impulse. Malice aforethought does not require a lengthy plan; forming the intent moments before the act is enough.
Because two people were killed in the same proceeding, the case qualified as a “special circumstances” prosecution under California Penal Code Section 190.2(a)(3), which applies when a defendant is convicted of more than one murder. Special circumstances raised the potential punishment to life without parole or the death penalty. In September 1994, prosecutors announced they would not seek death, capping the maximum sentence at life without parole.
The 1995 Acquittal and Double Jeopardy
Simpson’s criminal trial ran roughly nine months and drew what was then the largest television audience for an American legal proceeding. On October 3, 1995, the jury returned not-guilty verdicts on both counts after deliberating fewer than four hours. An estimated 150 million Americans watched the verdict live.
The acquittal triggered the Fifth Amendment’s double jeopardy protection, which bars trying a person twice for the same offense.2Legal Information Institute. Fifth Amendment – U.S. Constitution No prosecutor could ever recharge Simpson with either murder, no matter what evidence later surfaced. That protection is absolute once a jury returns not guilty. It did not, however, block a civil lawsuit, because a civil case is not a criminal prosecution and carries no risk of imprisonment.
The 1997 Civil Wrongful Death Judgment
In February 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica found Simpson liable for the wrongful deaths of both victims. The civil case operated on different rules. The burden of proof was preponderance of the evidence, meaning the plaintiffs only had to show it was more likely than not that Simpson caused the deaths. Simpson was also required to testify, unlike in the criminal trial, where he had a constitutional right to remain silent.
The jury awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages to Ronald Goldman’s parents, $12.5 million in punitive damages to Goldman’s estate, and $12.5 million in punitive damages to Nicole Brown Simpson’s estate.3Justia. Rufo v. Simpson (2001) The total came to roughly $33.5 million. The judgment was a civil finding of liability, not a criminal conviction, and it did not affect the double jeopardy bar on the murder charges.
The 2007 Nevada 12-Count Indictment
On September 13, 2007, Simpson and five associates entered a room at the Palace Station hotel-casino in Las Vegas to confront two sports memorabilia dealers Simpson claimed were holding items belonging to him. Some of the men were armed. The confrontation produced a 12-count felony indictment.
Kidnapping
Two counts of first-degree kidnapping were the most serious charges. Nevada’s first-degree kidnapping statute covers seizing or confining a person for the purpose of committing robbery, and it is a Category A felony carrying a potential life sentence with parole eligibility after five years where no substantial bodily harm occurs.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200 – Crimes Against the Person Two additional kidnapping counts (without weapon enhancements) were also included.
Robbery with a Deadly Weapon
Two counts of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon followed. Nevada defines robbery as the unlawful taking of personal property from another person through force or the threat of injury. Robbery alone is a Category B felony carrying two to 15 years.5Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code NRS 200.380 – Definition; Penalty The presence of firearms triggered the deadly weapon enhancement under NRS 193.165, which adds a consecutive term of one to 20 years on top of the underlying sentence.6Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 193 – Criminality Generally Consecutive means back-to-back rather than overlapping, which is how the total sentence climbed so high.
Assault, Coercion, Burglary, and Conspiracy
Two counts of assault with a deadly weapon under NRS 200.471 covered the use of weapons to place the victims in fear of immediate harm. Two counts of coercion with a deadly weapon under NRS 207.190 covered using force or threats to compel the victims to act against their will; with physical force involved, coercion is a Category B felony carrying one to six years per count.7Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 207 – Miscellaneous Crimes
One count of burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon was charged under NRS 205.060, which applies to entering a structure with intent to commit a felony or theft inside. With a firearm present, it is a Category B felony carrying two to 15 years.8Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 205.060 – Burglary: Definition; Penalties; Venue; Exception One count of conspiracy to commit a crime under NRS 199.480 closed out the 12 counts, targeting the agreement among Simpson and his associates to carry out the confrontation.9Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 199.480 – Penalties
Simpson’s defense was that he was recovering his own property and had committed no crime. The jury rejected it. Under Nevada law, the presence of firearms turned the confrontation into armed robbery and kidnapping regardless of who originally owned the memorabilia.
The Nevada Conviction, Sentence, and Release
On October 3, 2008, exactly 13 years after his murder acquittal, a Las Vegas jury found Simpson guilty on all 12 counts. In December 2008, the judge sentenced him to 33 years in prison with parole eligibility after nine years. The length came from stacking consecutive terms, particularly the deadly weapon enhancements, which Nevada law requires to run after the base sentence rather than alongside it.6Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 193 – Criminality Generally
Simpson served his minimum nine years at Lovelock Correctional Center in northern Nevada. The Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners granted him parole in July 2017, and he was released on October 1, 2017. The board discharged him from parole early in December 2021. He moved to Florida and lived there until his death from cancer on April 10, 2024, at age 76.