Alan Dershowitz – who went to bat for O.J. Simpson – and prosecutor Chris Darden traded barbs Thursday as part of an awkward attempt to deconstruct the trial of the century.
Eighteen years after Nicole Simpson's murder, Dershowitz said he couldn't imagine "anything stupider" than Darden's choice to have Simpson try on the notorious glove that had the victims' blood on it.
"He gave the case away," said Dershowitz, speaking at a packed auditorium at New York's Pace University, referring to the fact that the glove didn't fit.
Dershowitz, a celebrity lawyer and Harvard professor, also repeatedly implied he didn't think Simspon was really innocent. "I'm not asserting O.J. Simpson's innocence here. Be very clear about that," he said.
Despite a huge amount of evidence against him, the ex-football star was acquitted of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife and her friend, Ron Goldman, in a trial that gripped the nation because every second was aired on TV.
Faced with Dershowitz's repeated criticism over how he prosecuted the case, Darden said he believed Simpson's lawyers had "manipulated" the infamous glove so it wouldn't fit.
"I was not accustomed to dealing with lying, sneaky lawyers," Darden said.
Dershowitz faced animosity from others on the stage, including Ron Goldman's sister, Kim, and his father Fred, who also participated in the talk. Kim Goldman was visibly agitated whenever Dershowitz spoke, crossing her arms and even turning her back on him.
"This has been a horrible event," Dershowitz said, provoking one audience member to tell him to leave.
To be sure, O.J. didn't come off too well after the event, especially after horrifying outtakes from an exercise video were broadcast on a large screen. In the video, he's jabbing his arms like he's fighting.
"You got to get your space in if you're working out with the wife, if you know what I mean," he said. "You could always blame it on, uh, working out."
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