Juror in OJ Simpson's murder trial speaks out about his death: report

A woman who served as a juror in O.J. Simpson's double-murder trial spoke about the case a day after the former football star's death -- and nearly 30 years after the trial captivated the nation.

It's just overwhelming that there's still so much attention that's brought to that case and I was hoping that eventually it would die down a little bit, but it just doesn't seem to go away," Yolanda Crawford said Thursday during an interview with CNN.

Simpson died Wednesday after a battle with cancer, his family announced on social media. TMZ reported the former football star was diagnosed with prostate cancer and passed away in Las Vegas. He was 76 years old.

In 1994, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were found stabbed to death in Las Angeles. Simpson was accused and acquitted in their murders, but later found liable in a separate civil trial.

Crawford, along with 11 other jurors, announced the not guilty verdict on Oct. 3, 1995. She told CNN while she "can't say for certain" whether Simpson killed Brown and Goldman, she has never regretted the choice she and her peers made.

I've always been very comfortable with my decision and the decision of the 11 other jurors," she said during the interview. "The evidence that was shown that was given to us and we had to consider. And at that point, there was reasonable doubt and it was something that you cannot deny, and that's why the verdict came so quick."

Crawford added that the Rodney King case, which made headlines in 1991 after police in Los Angeles were recorded beating an unarmed Black man, had nothing to do with the verdict. But she years after the Simpson verdict, she heard rumors swirling that other jurors allowed the King case to influence the Simpson verdict.

Still, she said, the King case wasn't discussed in the jury room during deliberations.

Crawford also criticized the prosecution, Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden. She said Darden "probably wasn't the right guy for the team" because he often appeared nervous and unsure of himself.

When he asked O.J. to try on the glove, I looked at him like he was crazy. Like, why would you have them do that? But he did it anyway," she said told CNN.

The gloves were allegedly worn by the killer. At the trial, Simpson tried them on and struggled to get them on his hand.

The defense team said Simpson was innocent because the gloves were too small. Then, the infamous quote was born: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."

Following Simpson's death, the case is now back in the spotlight.

Live TV coverage of his arrest after a slow-speed chase in a white Ford Bronco began a stunning fall from grace for the sports hero. The public was then mesmerized by his “trial of the century” on live TV.

Brian "Kato" Kaelin and Judge Lance Ito became household names, along with Simpson’s defense attorneys. "The Dream Team" was comprised of Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., Robert Shapiro, Barry Scheck, F. Lee Bailey, Alan Dershowitz, as well as Robert Kardashian.

Ito retired in 2015 after presiding over approximately 500 trials. Simpson's trial made him such a household name that “The Tonight Show” briefly featured a comedy segment called “The Dancing Itos,” in which lookalikes performed in judicial robes. After the Simpson trial, he had to remove his name plate from his courtroom door because people kept stealing it. Ito has never discussed the trial publicly, citing judicial ethics.

Simpson rose to fame in the 1960s as an NFL star. He primarily played for the Buffalo Bills and was considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time.

He shared his final post on X, which is the social media post formerly known as Twitter, on Feb. 11. He spoke about the Super Bowl, as well as he health.

"My health is good," he said. "Obviously, I'm dealing with some issues, but hey, I think I'm just about over it and I'll be back on that golf course, hopefully, in a couple of weeks."

News of his death came two months later.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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