The new Netflix original documentary American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson details the infamous O.J. Simpson trial and mistakes in handling of the case by investigators.
On June 12, 1994, Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were murdered outside Nicole’s house.
From the get-go there were mistakes when handling this case that would later have a drastic outcome. For example, detectives and evidence collectors were lazy when it came to handling evidence and blood samples, not collecting evidence from certain areas and not wearing gloves when collecting physical evidence.
There was a substantial amount of evidence that would point to O.J. Simpson being the murderer, even a blood trail leading from Nicole’s house to his, and the fact that he had a 90-minute car chase with police when asked to turn himself in.
He was found not guilty, but how? This documentary covers the reasons that led up to the verdict.
This documentary gives a timeline from the night of the murders up to the present day, and it includes sources like O.J. and Nicole’s personal friends, the prosecutors, the detectives and even one of the jurors.
The writers do a good job at remaining unbiased throughout the documentary, interviewing O.J. apologists and people who consider him undoubtedly guilty – letting viewers come up with their own decision.
But on the downside, the documentary shows graphic, unblurred photos of the victims, which is dehumanizing and painful for the families of the victims. If they watch this documentary, they will see the crime scene photos they might have spent decades trying to avoid.
Overall, the documentary is pretty informative, interesting, and easy to follow along, but it could have shown more respect for the victims.
