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A ugust 2, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
efore
O.J. Fame Beyond Anything He Ever Had
His football glory days were
behind him. his acting career going
nowhere and his once-lucrative prod
uct endorsements dwindling.
Then O.J Simpson led a licet of
• police cars down the freeway in a
bizarre low-speed chase while 93
million TV viewers looked on.
N ow , alm o st a y ear la te r,
Sim pson ranks as one o f the m ost
fam ous m urder d efen d an ts of all
tim e, the sta r in a c o u rtro o m
dram a that has rec e iv e d m ore
n e tw o rk n ew s c o v e r a g e th a n
B osnia, H aiti and the O k lah o m a
C ity bom bing com bined
"O.J. is now infamous beyond
any lame he ever had before,” said
author Dominick Dunne, who is writ
ing a book about the Simpson saga.
"And over time, it's clearly taken a
toll."
Indeed, a year behind bars has
turned the once-robust, smiling ath
lete into a gaunt, brooding figure.
The defendant who once de
clared himself "absolutely l(M) per
cent not guilty” slouches in his chair
at the defense table, filling yellow
legal pads with scribbled notes and
conversing with his lawyers in a
growled whisper.
At times Sim pson's presence is
almost forgotten amid the drone of
testimony.
But at other moments, such as
when gruesome autopsy photos are
shown, all eyes are upon him as he
grimaces, puffs out his cheeks and
gazes toward the ceiling.
During nearly five months of
testim o n y , the p ro secu tio n has
worked hard to wipe away the image
of an all-American nice guy who
worked his way up from a San Fran
cisco ghetto.
In its place, they have painted
the picture of a raging tyrant who
beat, stalked and threatened his ex-
wife Nicole Brown Simpson, finally
slashing her to death. Prosecutors
say her friend Ron Goldman was
killed because he "got in the way.”
Simpson remains con fined to the
"celebrity wing" of the M en’s Cen
tral Jail occupying a b-by-9-foot cell
— “smaller than the place he used to
keep his shoes," as defense attorney
Johnnie Cochran once put it.
Friends who defended him early
on have fallen silent. Girlfriend Paula
Barbieri, the supermodel who used
to visit him in jail dressed in leather
miniskirts, moved out of town re
cently, seeking to distance hersell
from the case.
On the first anniversary of the
June 12 murders, the victims' fami
lies lashed out at Simpson with in
creasing bitterness.
Ron G oldm an's sister Kim, a
mild-mannered regular in the court
room spectators’ gallery, spoke an
grily of Ins "arrogance," saying "he
thinks that he’ll win and he’ll walk.”
Nicole Brow n's sister Denise
told a TV interviewer the Simpsons'
9-year-old daughter Sidney
knows her father is on trial for mur
der and once asked her at bedtime,
“D on't they put people like that in the
electric chair?”
,
Once ranked among A merica's
best-loved sports heroes, Simpson
has become the butt of TV comedy
routines.
For its part, the defense has por
trayed Simpson as the victim of a
“rush to judgment," accusing police
of botching the murder investigation
and framing an innocent man.
And judging by comments from
jurors, recently dismissed from the
case, the defense team 's conspiracy
theories — regarded as far-fetched
by many trial watchers
have made
an impression on the people who will
decide Sim pson's fate.
But the American public — treat
ed to gavel-to-gavel coverage ol the
case — appears more convinced than
ever of his guilt. According to a USA
Today/CNN poll, 75 percent believe
the charges against him are at least
probably true.
Simpson has hired the best de
fense money can buy, but mounting
As the Simpson saga has devel
oped into a national obsession, the
B ronco chase has becom e a part
o f pop cu ltu re, a m edia spectacle
alm ost certain to endure as one
o f the d e c a d e ’s d efin in g tabloid
m om ents.
M illions sat glued to th eir
TV sets on June 17, 1994, as a
w hite Ford B ronco rolled dow n
the freew ay, Al C ow lings behind
the w heel and his celeb rity pal
riding in back w ith a gun pressed
to his head.
Simpson Defense Nears End
O.J. Sim pson's attorneys expect
to wrap up their case in about a week
and a half, according to court tran
scripts released Friday in the former
football star's double-murder trial.
On a day when court was out of
session, Simpson was also reported
to have been preparing in mock court
sessions in case his defense team
decides to put him on the witness
stand.
In an indication that the defense
Jury
Salaries
Foratrial that could take
as long as six months, you'll
probably be surprised to
know the O.J. Simpson trial
jury will get only $5 a day
for their work.
This salary is the lowest
in the nation. Here’saglance
at what states pay jurors
across the nation:
STATE
PAY
Alabama
Alaska
day
$10
$25, half
CRIME
STO P P E R S
team is plowing through its witness
list taster than expected, Simpson
lead attorney Johnnie Cochran told
the judge during a sidebar conversa
tion: "I’m telling you. I’m going to
finish in another week and a half.”
According to Los Angeles tele
vision station KCAL, Simpson’s law
yers have hired a woman defense
attorney to play the part of prosecu
tor Marcia Clark and put the defen
dant through a mock cross-examina-
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
DC.
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
ay
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
$12
$20
$5
$50
$50
$15
$30
$15
$35
$30
$10, half
$15
$50
$10
$10
$12.50
$12
$10
$15
tion.
The first practice session was
held earlier this month at the M en’s
Central Jail, KCAL cited de
fense sources as saying. More prac
tice se ssio n s are sch ed u led as
Cochran and other members of the
team get closer to deciding whether
Simpson will take the witness stand.
KCAL reported.
Opening trial statements began
in late January, and the defense start-
ed cal ling witnessesabout two weeks
ago, after the prosecution rested its
case.
Sim pson’s attorneys had origi
nally estimated that it would take
them four to six weeks to present
their witnesses.
Simpson has pleaded not guilty
to charges that he murdered his ex-
wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her
friend Ron Goldman the night of
June 12, 1994.
Massachusetts $15
Michigan
$15
Minnesota
$15
Mississippi
$15
Missouri
$6
Montana
$25
Nebraska
$20
New Mexico $4.25
our
Nevada
$30
New Hampshire
$30
New Jersey
$5
New York
$50
North Carolina $30
North Dakota $25
Oklahoma
$12.50
Ohio
$10
Oregon
$10
Pennsylvania $25
Rhode Island $15
DREAM S
F O R SA LE.
Reward Offered In
Curry Murder
Portland Police and Crime
S top p ers are ask in g for the
public’s help in solving a homi
cide.
On Monday, J une 26, at about
10:40 p in., Patrick Curry, a 16-
year-old black male, was riding a
car with four companions in the
area of Northeast 12th and Fail
ing Street when another vehicle
pulled along side.
Curry was struck when mul
tiple gunshots were fired from the
suspect vehicle.
He was taken to a local hos-
legal fees have effectively drained
his $10 million fortune So he has
been quick to cash in on his own
notoriety, signing football cards in
his cell, authorizing a limited-edition
statuette and writing a bestselling
book.
/ f y o u ’v e a lw a y s h a d t h e d r e a m
o f o w n in g y o u r o w n h o m e , y o u r
pital where he later died of his
injuries.
The suspect vehicle is de
scribed as being similar to a yel
low or light color Chevrolet Monte
Carlo with a sunroof.
Crime Stoppers is offering a
cash reward of up to $ I .(MX) for
information, reported to Crime
Stoppers, that leads to an arrest in
this case, or any unsolved felony
crime.
You need not give your
name. Call Crime Stoppers at
(503) 823-HELP.
d re a m
m a y h a v e ju s t c o m e t r u e .
F o r a s lit t le a s y o u ’r e p a y in g in
m o n t h ly r e n t a n d a m o d e s t d o w n
p a y m e n t , y o u c o u ld b u y a H U D H o m e . T h a t ’s r i g h t . T h e
U . S . D e p a r t m e n t o f H o u s in g a n d U r b a n D e v e l o p m e n t
T H E ITREAM O F O W N IN G Y O U R O W N H O M E C A N C O M E
T R U E FOR A B O U T W H A T Y O U ’RE PA Y IN G IN R EN T.
( H U D ) h a s p r o g r a m s t h a t m a k e o w n in g a h o m e e a s i e r
t h a n y o u t h in k . P r o g r a m s t h a t
Washington County
Engineering Project
Coordinator
(Capital Project Management)
$3347 - $4069 per month
Apply by August 11, 1995
Administrative Specialist II
(Bilingual - Spanish/English)
$1852 - $2251 per month
Apply by August 11,1995
Juvenile Counselor 2
$2888 - $3510 per month
Apply by August 11,1995
Program Coordinator
(Part Time)
(Children & Youth Services)
$18.39 - $22.34 per hour
Apply by August 11,1995
Call (503) 648-8606/TTY (503)
6 93 -4 8 98 fo r in form a tion .
County application and sup
plemental application forms
required. Apply to:
Washington County Human
Resources Division
155 N. First Avenue,
Suite 210
Hillsboro, Oregon 97124
Women, minorities, and people
with disabilities are encour
aged to apply.
I
Administrative
Aide III
City of Eugene
$1,887-$2,311/mo.
Responsible for clerical and re
ception duties including sys
tem information and financial
data. Requires minimum of
two years’ experience. Clos
ing Date: August 18, 1995.
Obtain application packet from
Human Resource and Risk
Services, 777 Pearl Street,
R oom 101, E u g e n e O R
9 7 4 0 1 . (5 0 3 ) 6 8 7 -5 0 6 1 .
AA/EOE
MANUFACTURING
w ill e v e n h e lp y o u c o v e r m o s t if
n o t a ll o f y o u r c lo s in g c o s t s
If y o u ’d lik e m o r e in f o r m a t io n
a b o u t t h e h o m e y o u 'v e a lw a y s
d r e a m e d o f, c o n t a c t y o u r r e a l
e s t a t e a g e n t. O r, fo r a fr e e
b ro c h u re o n h o w to buy a H U D
h o m e , c a ll 1 - B O O - 7 6 7 - 4 H U D .
Immediate Openings
Growing vitamin MFG Co. has
two positions avail, granula
tor M-Th 5:30 PM - 4:00 AM,
or Fri-Sun 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
MFG exp. and good Matii skills
preferred. S tarling $6.10 -
$6.40 hr. Pay increase and
benefits after 90 days. Please
apply between 1-5, M-F or
send resume to 3580 NE
B ro ad w a y, P o rtla n d , OR.
97232. We are an equal op
portunity employer.
T h e r e ’s n e v e r b e e n a b e t t e r
t i m e t o f o llo w y o u r d r e a m , b e c a u s e n o w y o u c a n a f f o r d it.
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
W E ’LL HELP YOU O W N A PIECE O F A M ER IC /
To q u a lifie d b u y e r s only on homes with FHA insured financing Closing costs and fees additional
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
$10
$40
$10
$30
$17
$30
$30
$25
$15
$16
$50
NOTES :
Salaries can vary by
county.
• All federal courts pay $40
a day.
SOURCE: National
Center fo r State Courts.