Sarah Osorio Essays - Series, Criminal Law, American Football League

Sarah Osorio Manny Forensics Science 12-27-17 The Unknown Errors Of The O.J. Simpson Trial What many people may not know about the controversial O.J. Simpson trial is that a significant amount of mistakes were made in the entire investigation. Simpson was never given a fair shot to be proven innocent because from the beginning, it was assumed that he was the one and only murderer at the scene considering they never found another major suspect. Although extensive information was found showing that this was not the case. Crime scene investigators are trained to observe systematically. They never assume without evidence, always pay attention to the small details, and leave the final interpretation of the data until all evidence has been collected. One of the first mistakes made at the crime scene on Bundy drive was that there were seven detectives and not one CSI. This was an extreme disregard of basic police protocol. A CSI has specific training around collecting evidence that police don't receive. The white Bronco was even entered by policemen before there was any docu mentation of evidence, which therefore contaminated any proof that could've been used in court. If I had been involved in this investigation I would've taken notes, pictures, and sketches. Also made sure that all evidence wasn't touched without gloves or handled by someone that isn't certified. There was also undeniable proof that blood had been planted at the crime scene. After three weeks and a thorough wash of all blood on and surrounding the driveway, Simpsons blood was found on the gate. This was nearly impossible unless the blood arrived there after being washed, meaning the evidence was tampered with. EDTA is a chemical used in medical labs to stop blood from clotting and is usually used after blood is taken from a person. There were traces of this chemical found in the blood on the gate, which means the blood didn't come straight from a wound because EDTA isn't produced by the body. In the initial investigation of the Bronco, only Simpson's blood was found in the car. But three months later Simpson's, Nicole's, and Goldman's blood was found in the car. The biggest piece of evidence that shows things were planted is the bloody handprint that should've faced down because of the way Simpson was sitting, but was in fact facing upward. It was impossible for Simpson to move his hand in a 90 degree upward angle without breaking his wrist. The lead detective was known to have a vile of Simpson's blood and had asked for the victim's blood. When this person was asked if he committed these crimes, he plead the 5th Amendment. The lead detective eventually admitted that he had took the blood home with him instead of giving it to the lab. Obviously, the investigators involved in the case weren't trustworthy. Not only did they not follow procedure, but they tampered with and even planted evidence. Had I been apart of the investigation, anyone that seemed shady would've been taken off the case. The men were clearly biased and not worried about getting justice for Nicole and Goldman, which was the goal of this investigation. It was also clear that there were 2 sets of footprints found at the scene that weren't the victims, which means Simpson wasn't alone. It also happens that Simpson's son, Jason had an extremely violent past and struggled with rage issues. He attempted murder on multiple people and it even turned out that his alibi for his whereabouts the night of the murder was a lie. Yet he was never considered as a suspect. The police claimed that he had no motive, but it seemed like the investigators were more focused on getting Simpson arrested than solving the crime in a fair manner. CSI agents know well that our minds can easily be distracted and programmed to stick to our prejudices, which is unfortunately exactly what took place in most parts of the O.J Simpson investigation.