Published: October 04, 2008 11:59 pm         

This time O.J. is guilty

O.J. Simpson and his friend Clarence Stewart are guilty of 12 felony charges that could put them in prison for life, so says a jury.

Because of Simpson’s acquittal for the 1995 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman, millions of people have strong opinions about Simpson’s guilt or innocence. Simpson’s friend Thomas Scotto called the conviction “a lynching from the first second to the end.” Goldman’s father has another feeling. “We’re absolutely thrilled to see the potential that he could serve the rest of his life in jail where the scumbag belongs.”

This time the jury had no doubt and quickly reached a verdict of guilty. But jury questionnaires have been released after the trial. Those questionnaires show many of the jurors did not like the idea Simpson was acquitted in 1995. But each juror told the court they could set aside those feelings in this case and judge the case on the evidence presented.

The same type of jury questioning occurs here in Elkhart County when there is a high-profile case that has gotten a lot of media attention. The judicial system recognizes that at times, it is impossible to seat a jury of people who have not heard or read about a case. This was the case with Simpson.

One has to wonder why O.J. Simpson simply didn’t call the police if he knew his property was being held in a hotel room. Taking the law into your own hands is never good and has often ended with the victim of a crime being tried for a criminal violation. It’s better to call the cops and let them sort it out.

The case of O.J. Simpson’s life is tragic. He was one of the most gifted running backs in college and professional football history. He had charm and good looks that won him rolls in movies. He was wealthy enough to live comfortably and travel widely. Yet, he has lost his sense of right and wrong and his common sense.

It now appears that his moral slippage has left him with a long time to contemplate what could have been, what should have been.