A non-black Las Vegas jury of nine women and three men late Friday found former football great, movie star and supreme goofball O.J. Simpson guilty of 12 counts related to an armed robbery.
Jurors delivered the verdict exactly 13 years to the day when another jury acquitted Simpson of murdering his wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
The highly-publicized first trial, named by many as the “Trial of the Century,” cemented Simpson among the most reviled Americans ever while others saw him as victim of racism who triumphed.
As for me, I thought O.J. did it, meaning killed Nicole and Goldman. I think the police botched the investigation and should have hung former Det. Mark Fuhrman by the heels and left him in the desert for coyote chow. I think Simpson had one of the most talented legal defense teams in history. I think Judge Lance Ito should have been remanded to traffic court. And give me just a little more time and I will say what I really think about that particular travesty of justice.
Simpson, of course, lost a wrongful death suit and slowly saw some of his wealth disappear. But if this conviction subsequently stands up on any appeal one might make at least a tangential argument for karma. If not karma, then just the notion of “everything that cha do will come back to you,” like Wet Willie said. (Who?)
I am not sure if I believe in karma. I would like to believe, especially in the sense of reincarnation, because my sense of justice sometimes bends more toward the side of vindictiveness than simple just deserts on toast with a cup of (Oh my, I can’t believe I am about to write this) O.J.
But call this Simpson verdict what you want, provided he does the time. He wasn’t punished for the deaths that so many believed he caused. But perhaps, in a subconscious way, he was or will be. Either way, perhaps soap on a rope might be a good investment in O.J.’s future.