O.J. Simpson, the American football star and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend in a trial that mesmerised the American public but was later found liable in a separate civil case, has died aged 76.

Lawyer and commentator Charles Rosenberg tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that celebrities often enter criminal trials with an enhanced presumption of innocence. The controversial figure’s reputation never recovered and the question now is how he will be referred to in history – as a footballer or as a murderer.

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O.J. Simpson, the American football star and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend in a trial that mesmerised the American public but was later found liable in a separate civil case, has died aged 76. 
Lawyer and commentator Charles Rosenberg tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that celebrities often enter criminal trials with an enhanced presumption of innocence. The controversial figure’s reputation never recovered and the question now is how he will be referred to in history – as a footballer or as a murderer. 
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.