How many people watched the O.J. Simpson trial verdict on 3 October 1995?

O.J. Simpson, who has died at the age of 76, is best known to the world for his acquittal in what has been dubbed the ‘trial of the century’.

Simpson tried for brutal murder of ex-wife and her friend

Charged with the 1994 murder of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, Simpson stood trial in a Los Angeles court case that divided the nation and lasted for nearly a year.

In a brutal killing on 12 June 1994, Brown Simpson and Goldman were stabbed to death outside her home in LA’s upmarket Brentwood district. Brown Simpson’s throat had been slit so deeply that she had nearly been decapitated.

Simpson, whose marriage to Brown Simpson had ended in 1992, was arrested and charged five days after the double murder - but not before a low-speed police chase that was televised by major networks, and drew a national viewing audience estimated at nearly 100 million.

Watch - O.J. Simpson police chase:

Nine-figure audience watches Simpson verdict

Simpson’s trial at Los Angeles County Superior Court, which was televised, lasted from November 1994 to October 1995.

The verdicts were delivered on 3 October 1995 - and were watched by a domestic TV audience that some estimations place at approximately 100 million, and others set as high as around 150 million. Simpson was found not guilty of both murders.

In a poll conducted by the Los Angeles Times in the immediate aftermath of the trial, the reaction to the jury’s decision to acquit Simpson, who was black, was largely split down racial lines.

According to the results of the Times’ survey, nearly half of all white respondents said they were “angry” at the verdicts, compared to only 4% of black people polled.

Watch - O.J. Simpson found not guilty of double murder:

Simpson deemed liable in civil trial

Although cleared in his criminal trial, Simpson was later found liable for Brown Simpson and Goldman’s deaths in a civil suit filed by the victim’s families. A jury unanimously found against Simpson in early 1997, awarding the Goldman family $8.5 million in compensatory damages.

O.J. Simpson death announced in X statement

In a post on Simpson’s profile on the social media platform X on Thursday, Simpson’s family confirmed his death from cancer earlier this week.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”