O.J. and Oscar Trials - A Combination of Celebrity, Wealth and Murder [npr AUDIO]

The Slow Speed Bronco Chase - from StatementAnalysis.com

On June 17, 1994, five days after Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered, O.J. Simpson was to be arrested via voluntary surrender. Instead of surrendering, Simpson and his friend, Al Cowlings, got into Cowling's Ford Bronco and, according to Simpson, headed for the cemetery to visit Nicole's grave. Because of a police presence at the cemetery they were unable to visit her grave site. Simpson then claims Cowlings noticed that Simpson had a gun. Fearing Simpson might shoot himself Cowlings called the police on his cell phone and told them he had Simpson and he was taking him back to his house. What followed was the infamous slow speed Bronco chase which was televised to millions of viewers. During the chase detective Tom Lange spoke with Simpson on a cell phone. Simpson was huddled in the back seat of the Bronco with a gun in his hand. Lang spends the entire conversation trying to convince Simpson to throw away the gun. At this point in time, Simpson is suicidal. Here are some excerpts from this taped conversation.

Simpson: I just need to get to my house. I can't live with (unintelligible).

Lange: We're going to do that. Just throw the gun out the window.

Simpson: I can't do that.

Lange: We're not going to bother you. We're going to let you go up there. Just throw it out the window. Please. You're scaring everybody. O.J., you there?

Simpson: ---for me. This is not to keep you guys away from me. This is for me.

Lange: Okay. It's for you, I know that. But do it for.....

Simpson: This is for me, for me. That's all.

There is no doubt Simpson is contemplating suicide. He tells us the gun is not to keep the police away but it is for him. We see further evidence of his suicidal state when later in the conversation he makes the statements, "Ah, just tell them I'm sorry." "I've said goodbye to my kids." What follows is Simpson's confession that he murdered Nicole Brown Simpson.

Lange: Don't do this. They love you. Don't do it, O.J. It's going to work itself out. It's going to work. Its going to work. You're listening to me, I know you are, and you're thinking about your kids right now, aren't you? Aren't you?

Simpson: Ah --

Lange: They're thinking about you. They're thinking about you.

Simpson: Ah --

Lange: So is your mother. Your mother loves you. Everybody loves you. Don't do this.

Simpson: Ooh --

Lange: I know you're thinking.

Simpson: Oh --

Lange: Man, just throw it out the window.

Simpson: Ah --

Lange: And nobody's going to get hurt.

Simpson: I'm the only one that deserves it.

Lange: No, you don't deserve that.

Simpson: I'm going to get hurt.

Lange: You do not deserve to get hurt.

Simpson: Ah --

Lange: Don't do this.

Simpson: All I did was love Nicole. That's all I did was love her.

Lange: I understand.

Did you see the confession? It occurs right after Lang tells Simpson, "nobody's going to get hurt." Simpson responds by saying, "I'm the only one that deserves it." The murder of his ex-wife has placed Simpson in this suicidal situation. It is in this setting he tells us he is the only who deserves to die. If these murders were committed by someone else, wouldn't that person be worthy of death?