The Seedy Life of O.J. Simpson Post-Trial: A Timeline
Part one of O.J.: Made In America, one of the best sports documentaries in recent years, airs tonight on ESPN and runs for the next five nights. (The first episode ran on ABC on Saturday night, but is being shown again today as well.) Every riveting second, from O.J.'s tough childhood in San Francisco to the blow-by-blows of the epic and disheartening murder trial, is worth watching. So here has O.J. been since he was acquitted of charges related to the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman? Let's just say the man isn't exactly reformed.
October 3, 1995
150 million people watch on as O.J. Simpson is delivered a "not guilty" verdict.
October 5, 1995
It's reported that Simpson's associates are shopping around a pay-per-view event in which he'll talk about the murder trial. The day after the verdict, he told Larry King, ""Pretty soon I'll have enough to say to everybody and hopefully answer everyone's questions."
August 1996
The civil trial for the wrongful deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald L. Goldman begins. This time, no cameras are allowed in the courtroom.
December 20, 1996
Simpson is awarded custody of his two children, ages 11 and 8.
February 10, 1997
Simpson is ordered to pay $25 million in punitive damages to the families of Goldman and his ex-wife Nicole. So, though he was found not guilty in the criminal trial, he was deemed liable for the victims' wrongful deaths in the civil suit.
July 14, 1997
Simpson's Brentwood estate on Rockingham Ave. goes up for auction to a final offer of $2,639,259. This is the home where O.J. lived when the murders took place just two miles away and where the infamous Bronco chase ended. O.J. says he had to move because of the relentless attention. "The house is history,'' he says at the time. "I've accepted that I've already lost it. Part of me will miss it. But it's gone, and now I've got to find someplace else to have some great times, you know? You move on.''
Late 1990s
Simpson moves to a Miami suburb. He lives in a $575,000, 3-bedroom home with his daughter, Sydney, and son, Justin.
February 9, 2001
Simpson arrested for a road-rage incident in which he was accused of tearing the glasses off of another motorist. Facing sixteen years in prison, he was ultimately acquitted.
June 5, 2001
The FBI searches his Miami home in an investigation related to a suspected ecstasy ring. He's not arrested or charged.
2002
Simpson is issued a bench warrant relating to a boating incident: he was issued a ticket for speeding in a manatee zone and failed to show up for court. He is never arrested, instead paying the $65 fine for the original offense.
July 2005
A federal judge orders Simpson to pay $25,000 in damages for pirating satellite TV signals from DirecTV.
May 2006
Simpson stars in Juiced, a prank reality show a la Punk'd. In the show, he goes undercover and sells an unsuspecting customer a white Bronco with bullet holes in it.
October 2006
It's announced that ReganBooks will release a book titled If I Did It, which will detail an account of how Simpson would have killed Nicole and Goldman. Soon after the announcement, the company says it's scrapping the project. (Simpson's former manager later claims Simpson didn't actually write the book, but that it was actually composed by a ghost-writer and that Simpson was paid to play along.)
2007
The family of Ron Goldman acquires the rights to If I Did It, and publishes it.
September 16, 2007
Simpson is arrested on felony charges of armed robbery and counts of assault with a deadly weapon for breaking into Palace Station casino-hotel in Las Vegas to get back sports memorabilia he said was stolen from him. He's held without bail.
October 17, 2007
It's reported that Simpson owes the state of California $1.44 million in taxes.
October 3, 2008
Simpson is found guilty on charges 12 charges including armed robbery and kidnapping. Prosecutors say he led a group of armed men who threatened the memorabilia dealers. He's sentenced to 33 years in prison.
Today
Simpson is serving his thirty-three year sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center near Reno. He's first up for parole in 2017.
