On the morning of June 13, 1994, Hall of Fame football player O.J. Simpson was in Chicago, having just arrived on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles.
He was there to appear at a golf tournament sponsored by Hertz Rent-a-Car, for which he was a spokesman. After just two hours at a Chicago hotel, Simpson was informed of the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman and asked to return to LA.
When he arrived at his Rockingham Drive estate, Simpson was greeted by dozens of LAPD officers and a large group of reporters, photographers and camera crews. He was handcuffed and questioned, but was not arrested.
Police searched the property, including using metal detectors to search the grounds. He was taken to the LAPD's Parker Center headquarters, but was released.
As detectives continued their investigation, Simpson's lawyers publicly defended their client to the media. Robert Shapiro, who was quickly hired after the murders, said Simpson had been at home at the time of the killings, waiting for his limo to LAX.
Simpson attended the funeral of his ex-wife Thursday, June 16, and was slated to turn himself in to police Friday, June 17. Instead, he slipped out of his attorney’s San Fernando Valley home with his childhood friend Al Cowlings and eventually led police on the now-infamous slow-speed white Ford Bronco chase.
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He was arrested later that night and charged with two counts of murder.
