O.J. Simpson’s crimes span three decades and three very different cases: a 1989 no-contest plea to spousal battery in California, a 1994 double-murder charge that ended in acquittal but produced a $33.5 million civil judgment against him in 1997, and a 2008 Las Vegas conviction on 12 felony counts, including armed robbery and kidnapping, that sent him to prison for nine years. He died in April 2024 with the civil judgment still largely unpaid.
1989 Spousal Battery Conviction
On New Year’s Day 1989, police responded to the Simpson home after Nicole Brown Simpson reported physical abuse. She later told authorities it was the ninth domestic violence call to the residence. Prosecutors charged Simpson under California Penal Code Section 273.5, which covers the willful infliction of bodily injury on a spouse or cohabitant and is a felony that can carry up to four years in state prison.1California Legislative Information. California Code, Penal Code 273.5 – Willful Infliction of Corporal Injury
Simpson pleaded no contest. A no-contest plea functions as a conviction for sentencing purposes without a formal admission of guilt. The court imposed a $700 fine, 120 hours of community service, two years of probation, and a counseling program for domestic offenders. For a felony charge that could have carried years in prison, it was a light outcome, and one that drew renewed attention five years later when he became the prime suspect in Nicole’s murder.
The 1994 Murders and Criminal Acquittal
Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside Nicole’s Brentwood condominium on June 12, 1994. Investigators focused on Simpson, and prosecutors charged him with two counts of first-degree murder. California defines murder as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought.2California Legislative Information. California Code, Penal Code 187 – Murder First-degree murder requires premeditation and carries 25 years to life; with special circumstances, the penalty can reach life without parole or death.
Simpson’s arrest followed a slow-speed pursuit along Interstate 405 on June 17, 1994, broadcast live on national television. He surrendered at his home that evening and was booked on both counts.
The trial ran from January through October 1995. Prosecutors relied on physical evidence: blood matching Simpson’s DNA at the crime scene, inside his Ford Bronco, and inside his home; a bloody leather glove behind his guest house that matched one found near the victims, of a brand and size Nicole had purchased for him in 1990; and blood matching Nicole’s type on socks in his bedroom. The defense attacked the collection and handling of that evidence, argued contamination by the Los Angeles Police Department, and suggested a detective had planted the glove. When Simpson tried on the gloves in court, they appeared too tight, prompting Johnnie Cochran’s closing line: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
The jury deliberated for under four hours and found Simpson not guilty on both counts. In a criminal case, the prosecution must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the highest standard in American law. The jury concluded the state had not cleared that bar.
1997 Civil Liability for the Same Deaths
The criminal acquittal did not bar a private lawsuit. Double jeopardy protects a defendant from being prosecuted twice by the government for the same crime, but it has no effect on civil claims brought by victims’ families, which run under different rules.
In 1997, the Brown and Goldman families sued Simpson for wrongful death and battery. A civil jury only needs to find it more likely than not that the defendant caused the harm, a standard called preponderance of the evidence. The civil jury found Simpson liable for both deaths and awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages to the Goldman family, plus $12.5 million in punitive damages to the Goldman estate and $12.5 million in punitive damages to the Brown estate — a total of $33.5 million.3Justia. Rufo v. Simpson
The two verdicts are not contradictory. The criminal jury said the prosecution had not eliminated reasonable doubt. The civil jury said the evidence tilted toward liability. Both can be legally correct because they answer different questions under different rules.
2008 Las Vegas Armed Robbery and Kidnapping
In September 2007, Simpson and several associates confronted two sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel room. Simpson said the items were his personal property that had been stolen. Audio recordings captured references to weapons and told the dealers they could not leave.
Nevada prosecutors filed 12 felony counts: armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to commit those offenses. Under Nevada law, robbery is the taking of personal property from another person by force, violence, or threat of injury; when a firearm is involved, it becomes a category B felony carrying two to 15 years in prison.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code NRS 200.380 – Definition; Penalty The kidnapping counts fell under Nevada’s statute on the forcible restraint or detention of a person, ranging from a category B felony to a category A felony depending on the circumstances.5Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code NRS 200.310 – Degrees Each conspiracy count carried one to six years.6Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code NRS 199.480 – Penalties
A jury convicted Simpson on all 12 counts in October 2008. On December 5, 2008, the judge sentenced him to 33 years in prison with parole eligibility after nine. Observers noted the sentence date fell 13 years to the day after the murder acquittal and that the prison term far exceeded what a first-time offender would typically receive for a memorabilia dispute. The judge denied any connection to the earlier case.
After Prison: Parole and the Unpaid Judgment
Simpson was granted parole in July 2017 and released from Lovelock Correctional Center on October 1, 2017, after serving nine years. The Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners granted him early discharge from parole in December 2021, roughly nine months ahead of schedule, citing good behavior.
The civil judgment shadowed him throughout. California civil judgments generally expire after 10 years unless renewed before the deadline.7California Courts. Renew a Civil Judgment The Goldman family renewed the judgment in 2006, 2015, and 2022, and interest kept accruing. By the time the judgment was domesticated in Nevada in 2021, the balance had grown to nearly $58 million. Simpson had moved to Florida for much of the intervening period, using the state’s homestead protection for his primary residence and his NFL pension, shielded under the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act, to keep most of his assets out of reach.
Simpson died at his Las Vegas home on April 10, 2024, at age 76 from cancer. The Goldman family filed a creditor claim against the estate seeking roughly $117 million after decades of interest. By November 2025, the estate had accepted a Goldman claim of approximately $58 million as valid, though accepting a claim confirms its legitimacy without paying it. The estate’s total assets were estimated between $500,000 and $1 million.