Outrage: The Five Reasons Why O. J. Simpson Got Away With Murder

392 Pages·2008·1.85 MB·English

by  Vincent Bugliosi

Praise for Vincent Bugliosi’s
#1 New York Times Bestseller,
OUTRAGE

“Bugliosi puts the blame where it belongs…His well-informed analysis is in
welcome contrast to much of the insipid or pointless commentary about the
Simpson trial.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“The best book that there will ever be on the case of People vs. Orenthal James
Simpson. The best murder trial book I have ever read. A classic treatise on legal
incompetence.”
—Jim Agnew, Real Crime Book Digest

“Provocative and entertaining…A powerful, damning diatribe on Simpson’s
acquittal…The book’s high point is the rafter-rattling summation Bugliosi would
have delivered had he prosecuted the case himself.”
—People

“Persuasive and brilliant…An astonishingly bitter and sensational
book…Outrage should become an important textbook in every law school in
America.”
—Newsday (N.Y.)
“Bugliosi’s book is the most compelling of the dozen or so [Simpson books] I
have read.”
—Los Angeles Daily News

“When it comes to the Simpson murder trial, Bugliosi establishes himself as the
expert…. He throws back the shabby curtain of the “trial of the century.”…
Bugliosi offers us his own summation. This alone is worth the price of the
book…. No one who reads this book will ever again believe that the most
publicized acquittal in the history of the American jurisprudence was solely the
result of juror prejudice or the machinations of unscrupulous defense attorneys.
The D.A. and the prosecutors have been called before the bar of justice.”
—Los Angeles Times

“Blistering criticism…Bugliosi minces no words.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

“A mountain of books and articles has been written about the Simpson case.
Because of Bugliosi’s experience and the compelling issues he raises, Outrage
may well be the one to read…Both convincing and seething with anger.”
—The Kansas City Star

“No other criminal trial lawyer in the nation could provide such a compelling
account of the O. J. Simpson murder trial…. This is the definitive work on the
Simpson case.”
—Ed Nowicki, American Crime Line

“Seriously damning…the outspoken legal eagle pulls no punches.”
—New York Post

“A searing, exploding indictment of both the defense and the prosecution…the
most forceful and encompassing account yet.”
—The Neshoba Democrat (Philadelphia, Miss.)
“Clarity and powerful marshaling of argument vault [Outrage] to the top of the
Simpson stack [of books].”
—The Wall Street Journal

“Outrage is coolly and unflappably brilliant in its comprehensive sweep…. The
book is the best of its kind I’ve ever read.”
—The News-Commercial (Collins, Miss.)
“Compelling and interesting…. You’ll have trouble putting it down…. The
chapter on the final summation is worth the book’s price itself…. a page-
turner…thrilling…memorable.”
—The Calgary Sun

“Overwhelmingly convincing…one can be sure, this is the best book that will
ever be written on the O. J. Simpson murder trial.”
—American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Appellate Practice
Journal

“Bugliosi brilliantly makes a powerful case against O. J. Simpson.”
—Alan Dershowitz, debate with Bugliosi on Larry King Live
OTHER NONFICTION BOOKS BY VINCENT BUGLIOSI

Helter Skelter (with Curt Gentry)
Till Death Us Do Part (with Ken Hurwitz)
And the Sea Will Tell (with Bruce Henderson)
The Phoenix Solution: Getting Serious About Winning
America’s Drug War
Reclaiming History: The Assassination of
President John F. Kennedy
OUTRAGE

The Five Reasons Why O. J. Simpson Got Away with
Murder
VINCENT BUGLIOSI

W. W. Norton & Company

New York London
Copyright © 1996 by Vincent Bugliosi All rights reserved Excerpt from “Co-
Workers Paint Different Portrait of Mark Fuhrman” by Greg Krikorian from the
Los Angeles Times (November 8, 1995).
Copyright © 1995, Los Angeles Times. Reprinted by permission.
A portion of this book has previously appeared in Playboy magazine.
Production manager: Devon Zahn Library of Congress Cataloging-in-
Publication Data Bugliosi, Vincent.
Outrage: the five reasons why O. J. Simpson got away with murder
/ Vincent Bugliosi p. cm.
ISBN: 978-0-393-07570-0
1. Murder—California—Los Angeles—Case studies. 2. Simpson, O. J., 1947–—
Trials, litigation, etc. 3. Trials (Murder)—California—Los Angeles—Case
studies. 4. Criminal justice, Administration of—California—Los Angeles—Case
studies.
I. Title.
HV6534.L7B84 1996
364.1'532'0979494—dc 20 96–7936
CIP
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110
www.wwnorton.com
W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.
Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT
TO THE MEMORY OF

NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON AND RONALD GOLDMAN

AND THEIR SURVIVING LOVED ONES
CONTENTS

Editor’s Note
Introduction

I. IN THE AIR
WHAT THE JURORS PROBABLY KNEW

II. THE CHANGE OF VENUE
GARCETTI TRANSFERS THE CASE DOWNTOWN

III. A JUDICIAL ERROR
JUDGE ITO ALLOWS THE DEFENSE TO PLAY THE RACE CARD

IV. THE TRIAL
THE INCREDIBLE INCOMPETENCE OF THE PROSECUTION

V. FINAL SUMMATION
THE WEAK VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

EPILOGUE
BOOK ENDS

APPENDIX A
COMPLETE LAPD INTERROGATION OF O. J. SIMPSON