Skip to main content
Cloudy icon
52º

This is where some of the key figures of the O.J. trial are now, 26 years later

(from left) Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro and O.J. Simpson. Photo by Ted Soqui/Sygma (Getty Images)

Ever since O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman 26 years ago, it’s been well-documented what Simpson has been up to, most notably, serving almost nine years in a Nevada prison for his role in a 2007 sports memorabilia robbery.

He was released four years ago.

Recommended Videos



But what about the other key figures surrounding the trial?

Here is an update on where they are now.

Marcia Clark

Marcia Clark visits SiriusXM Studios on March 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman) (Getty Images)

The lead prosecutor in the case, Marcia Clark, resigned from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office after the trial ended.

Now 68, Clark has spent the years following the trial as an author, legal analyst and television producer.


Gil Garcetti

Gil Garcetti attends the premiere of ESPN Films' "O.J.: Made In America" at The Paley Center for Media on June 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic (Getty Images)

The Los Angeles County district attorney was in the midst his first of two terms during the O.J. trial. Despite the not-guilty verdict, Garcetti still went on to win a second term in 1996, but was defeated in the 2000 primary by Steve Cooley.

Now 80, Garcetti has spent the past 20 years as a philanthropist, a TV producer and photographer. His son Eric is currently the mayor of Los Angeles.


Christopher Darden

Eric Ronald Holder Jr., 29, who is accused of killing of rapper Nipsey Hussle, appears for arraignment with his Attorney Christopher Darden (L) on April 4, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Damian Dovarganes-Pool (Getty Images)

A member of the prosecution team, Darden still is best remembered for requesting that Simpson try on arguably the biggest piece of evidence -- the bloody gloves found at the scene -- in front of the jury. Simpson then famously demonstrated how the gloves didn’t fit. Whether it was posturing by Simpson or whether the gloves actually shrunk, it’s still a decision Darden is criticized for.

When the case ended, Darden became a college professor before starting his own law firm.

He is now 65 and still practicing law.


Lance Ito

Photo by Michael Schwartz/WireImage (Getty Images)

Ito, who received criticism for allowing such widespread coverage of the trial, was portrayed on “Saturday Night Live” multiple times and by “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” with a skit called “The Dancing Itos.”

He is now 71. He retired as a judge in 2015.


O.J.'s ‘Dream Team’

Defense attorney Carl Douglas (C) confers with defense team members Johnnie Cochran (L) and Robert Shapiro during testimony in the O.J. Simpson Criminal Trial June 1, 1995 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Lee Celano/WireImage) (Getty Images)

The incredibly expensive and much-hyped team of lawyers that defended Simpson included Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, Alan Dershowitz, Barry Scheck, Robert Kardashian, F. Lee Bailey and Carl Douglas.

Kardashian died of esophageal cancer in 2003, while Cochran died in 2005 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

The now-79-year-old Shapiro has continued to practice law and even wrote a children’s book; Bailey, 88, is a consultant in Maine; Dershowitz, 83, spent time as a professor at Harvard and represented President Donald Trump during his impeachment charges. The 72-year-old Sheck is a law professor in New York City, while the 66-year-old Douglas is practicing law in Beverly Hills, California.


Mark Fuhrman

A former detective of the Los Angeles Police Department who discovered a bloody glove at the scene, Fuhrman was one of the key witnesses in the trial -- and came under fire at one point for making derogatory comments toward Black people. Fuhrman, for the record, has denied being racist.

Since the trial, Fuhrman, 69, has written a series of crime books and worked as a talk-show host.


Fred Goldman

The father of Ron won a civil suit against Simpson in 1997, but has had trouble collecting the millions from Simpson that he was awarded.

Now 80, Goldman continues to be involved in legal battles with Simpson over money owed.