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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The people at the center of the O.J. Simpson murder trial took sharply different paths after the 1995 verdict: some left courtroom work, some continued in law or media, and several have died. The crucial distinction is that a criminal jury found Simpson not guilty in 1995, while a separate civil jury found him liable in 1997 and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to the families, as the Associated Press reported in 2024. The status details below are dated to the reporting cited; they do not establish every living participant’s current work schedule.
What happened in the criminal and civil cases?
In 1995, a criminal jury found O. J. Simpson not guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. That acquittal was not the end of the legal proceedings: in a separate 1997 civil case, a jury found Simpson liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to the families, according to the Associated Press’s 2024 account. A criminal acquittal and civil liability are different legal outcomes, reached in separate cases; they should not be described as one verdict.
Simpson died at 76 in 2024, the Associated Press reported. AP’s report on his death and its 2024 roundup of trial participants provide the dated accounts used here.
Who were the prosecutors, and what happened to them?
Marcia Clark
Clark was the lead prosecutor. The Associated Press reported in 2024 that she left prosecution work after the trial, later appeared as a legal commentator on high-profile cases, and wrote crime novels. AP also reported that she received $4 million for her 2016 memoir, Without a Doubt. Those details describe the career as reported in 2024; they do not verify her present-day activities.
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Christopher Darden
Darden was a co-prosecutor. The AP’s 2024 profile described him as a defense attorney who had also taught law and appeared as a legal commentator. It noted that he was running for Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. That race is over: official 2024 county results show Leslie Gutierrez won Office No. 130 with 57.88% of the vote, compared with Darden’s 31.18%. The county’s election results establish the outcome, not Darden’s current employment.
What happened to Judge Lance Ito?
Judge Lance Ito presided over Simpson’s criminal trial. The Associated Press reported in 2024 that Ito retired in 2015 after presiding over approximately 500 trials. AP also said he had not discussed the Simpson case publicly, citing judicial ethics. That is the status described in the 2024 report; it does not establish any later public comments.
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Which members of the defense team have died?
Johnnie Cochran
Cochran was the lead defense attorney and died in 2005. AP recalled his best-known trial line: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
Robert Kardashian
Kardashian, Simpson’s longtime friend and a member of the defense team, died in 2003, according to AP.
F. Lee Bailey
Bailey, a defense attorney who challenged prosecution witness Mark Fuhrman, died in 2021, AP reported.
Mark Fuhrman
Fuhrman was an LAPD detective and a prosecution witness whose credibility was challenged after recordings surfaced. A Daily Beast report dated May 18, 2026, said Fuhrman died at 74 on May 12. The report attributed the information to TMZ and the Kootenai County Coroner’s Office, so that sourcing chain is important when stating his death. The Daily Beast report gives that account.
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Which defense figures were reported alive, and what were they doing?
Robert Shapiro
Shapiro was the first member of Simpson’s defense team. AP reported in 2024 that he continued to practice law at that time. The same report said he created a foundation in 2005 after his son died of an overdose. The practice detail is a 2024 status report, not confirmation of his work in 2026.
Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld
Defense attorneys Scheck and Neufeld were associated with the DNA evidence in the case. AP reported that they co-founded the Innocence Project in 1992.
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Alan Dershowitz
Dershowitz was part of the defense team and consulted on scientific aspects of the case, according to AP. The cited roundup does not establish his current role or schedule.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happened to witness Brian “Kato” Kaelin?
Kaelin was a houseguest on Simpson’s property and a trial witness. The Associated Press’s 2024 roundup said he later appeared on reality television and in small television and film roles, and launched a loungewear line. Those are reported career details, not confirmation of current projects or employment.
How current are these “where are they now” updates?
The available accounts have different dates and levels of specificity. AP’s participant roundup is from 2024; the official county results settle Darden’s 2024 election; and the Fuhrman death account is from a May 2026 report that describes its own sources. For several living participants, including Clark, Darden, Shapiro and Kaelin, the cited accounts do not establish their full present-day work schedules. Treat older career descriptions as dated snapshots rather than claims about what each person is doing now.
Further reading
Two books tied to the prosecutors’ accounts are Marcia Clark’s Without a Doubt and Christopher Darden’s In Contempt. Current editions and availability are not established here.
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