Bailey was part of the “Dream Team” of lawyers that achieved an impossible verdict; his crucial role was to take away the credibility of the LAPD who had found evidence against Simpson
Photo: MYUNG J. CHUN / AFP / Getty Images
Saturday, September 21
F. Lee Bailey, one of the key attorneys who helped OJ Simpson avoid prison after the “trial of the century”, dies
F. Lee Bailey , who was one of the members of the so-called “Dream Team” of lawyers that they achieved that OJ Simpson was not found guilty of murder in the famous trial of 1995 in Los Angeles, died this Thursday at the age of 87 years in an Atlanta-area hospital.
News of his death, the cause of which has not been released, was first reported by The Associated Press and later confirmed to CNN by Jennifer Sisson, manager of the consulting firm of the prominent lawyer.
Bailey, born in Massachusetts, was already a renowned lawyer for his participation in several high-profile trials , including the successful def Captain Ernest Medina’s trial in a court martial for a massacre during the Vietnam War . But he is best remembered for his role as part of the expensive defending team of OJ Simpson , who was charged in 1200 for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman , a waiter who was a friend of hers.
“Today I lost a great friend … one of the best lawyers of our time,” Simpson said in a video via Twitter. “I will miss you”.
I lost a great one. F Lee Bailey you will be missed. pic.twitter.com/6s8JI3OQVB
– OJ Simpson (@TheRealOJ 32) June 3, 2021
The “Dream Team” of lawyers led by Robert Shapiro and Johnnie Cochran also included Barry Scheck, Carl Douglas, Alan Dershowitz and Robert Kardashian , a close friend of Simpson and father of the famous sister TV stars .
Bailey’s main role in the “Trial of the Century” was to discredit then-Police Officer Mark Fuhrman . He did this by proving that he had engaged in racist behavior against African-American suspects, which was key in the favorable verdict for the former NFL and movie star.