O.J. Simpson’s sensational trial in 1995, following the murders of his ex-wife and her friends, focused on television screens across the United States, and indeed much of the Western world.

Simpson, who died of cancer at 76, was acquitted by a Los Angeles jury in what was dubbed the “trial of the century,” but continued controversy over the court case and separate crimes dogged him for much of the rest of his life.

Before the 1995 trial, Simpson, nicknamed “Juice,” was one of America’s most popular athletes in the late 1960s and early 1970s, playing running back for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.

After retiring, he enjoyed a second career as an actor and television personality, including in naked gun Movie series.

On the evening of June 12, 1994, his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were found dead outside Nicole’s Los Angeles home. Simpson is the prime murder suspect.

Despite being ordered to surrender to police, Simpson fled in his white Ford Mustang with his passport and disguise. The slow police pursuit in Los Angeles was broadcast live and watched by an estimated 95 million people. Simpson eventually turned himself in at his home and was charged with both murders.

During the trial, prosecutors argued Simpson killed his ex-wife in a jealous rage, while the defense suggested the former NFL star was framed by racist police.

A key turning point in the trial came in Simpson’s favor when prosecutors asked the defendant to try on a pair of blood-stained black gloves found at the murder scene. There was already added drama in the trial when Simpson was unable to put the glove on, showing the jury that it didn’t fit properly.

“If it doesn’t fit, you have to acquit,” Simpson’s defense attorney Johnny Cochran later said in closing arguments to the jury, which did not find him guilty.

Simpson waved to the mostly black jury of two men and 10 women and said “thank you.”

Brown previously filed for divorce from Simpson in 1992 after describing ongoing domestic abuse that included breaking her arm and 61 other incidents.

After the verdict, Simpson said: “I have made it my primary goal in life to hunt down the killers of Nicole and Mr. Goldman. They are out there somewhere. I will not, cannot, and have not killed anyone.”

In 1997, the families of Brown and Goldman filed another wrongful death civil lawsuit, and Simpson was found liable and ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.

More than a decade later, in 2008, Simpson was convicted by a Las Vegas jury on charges including kidnapping and armed robbery following the 2007 casino incident.

Simpson and five men armed with at least two guns stormed the premises and stole thousands of dollars worth of sports memorabilia.

Simpson defended himself, trying to claim he was recovering his property, but was sentenced to 33 years in prison.

He was paroled in 2017 and received early release in 2021 for good behavior.