01x07 - Conspiracy Theories - The People v. O.J. Simpson

Episode transcripts for the 2016 TV show "American Crime Story".*
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"American Crime Story"
  1. The People v. O.J. Simpson
  2. The Assassination of Gianni Versace
  3. Impeachment
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01x07 - Conspiracy Theories - The People v. O.J. Simpson

Post by bunniefuu »

Shapiro: Morning, Gil.

Gil?

We've barely recovered from the Rodney King riots of two years ago, and now you and Johnnie are standing in a g*dd*mn pool of gasoline playing with matches; it's all gonna happen again.

It's gonna be on you.

(chuckling): Gil, it's me, Bob.

You know who's pushing this; it's Johnnie.

Enjoy your legacy, Bob.

(reporters clamoring)

Bob! Excuse me!

Mr. Shapiro! Mr. Shapiro!

Questioning Mark Fuhrman about the use of the "N" word...

Is it based on something you know or just your views of the LAPD in general?

Look, I...

Let me just state this.

Uh, I think that the-the LAPD is a terrific organization.

I-I think that there's just a few bad apples.

Unbelievable.

Good morning.

Love the hair.

Please don't ever mention my hair again.

Got it.

Ever.

Johnnie: And within hours of the killings, you had my client in handcuffs!

So what I'm trying to get a sense of is this rush to judgment, and how in a few short hours, these detectives closed up shop on a complex investigation that could have gone any different direction.

And it might sound like Cochran is fishing, but he understands what we have to do: present alternative theories that do not include your client.

It's not enough to just plead your client's innocence.

You need to provide a narrative.

And not just in the courtroom, in the world.

Do you feel that you've turned over every possible rock in search for the real k*ller in this case before rushing... to charge my client?

I do.

Dershowitz: Look what the culture is becoming.

The media, people... They want narrative, too.

But they want it to be entertainment.

And what's out in the world osmoses back into that courtroom, sequester be damned.

If there's gonna be a media circus, you better well be the ringmaster.

(audio muted)

Yes.

Yes. This could work.

(fax machine keypad beeping)

(chuckles)

(fax machine whirring)

Then tell the court, please, why you refuse to investigate any other possible suspects?

Marcia: Objection.

Asked and answered.

Argumentative.

Ito: Sustained.

Mr. Cochran, please refrain from badgering the witness.

Johnnie: Yes, Your Honor.

♪ ♪

Detective Lange... is it possible that these murders could be drug-related?

Marcia: Objection.

Ito: Sustained.

You're being a little vague, counsel.

Detective, have you ever heard of a Colombian necktie?

A what?

No.

Johnnie: Really?

It's a well-known technique employed by drug gangs.

They slash a person's throat so viciously, they almost remove the victim's head.

(laughter) Oh, my God!

(laughs)

Sorry about the Colombian necktie thing.

I hadn't ever heard of it.

You're kidding me, Tom.

You didn't know that Mezzaluna was a cleverly-disguised front for the gatherings of cocaine kingpins?

That Faye Resnick owed them money on some deal she was mixed up in?

And these Scarfaces decided to scare her by k*lling Nicole?

How could you not know there's a major drug cartel being run out of a B-minus Brentwood eatery, right under your nose?

It's just desperate flailing.

I hope they keep that kind of unsubstantiated bullshit up.

I don't.

Look, it's all stupid, but it lands. I saw the jury.

There are theories everywhere, and everyone loves to hear them, talk about them.

So when the defense comes in with something exotic, it makes the jury sit up and listen, instead of playing tic-tac-toe with themselves.

Or flat-out fall asleep.

I mean, we have hard evidence, and they razzle-dazzle a bunch of conspiracy nonsense into big moments.

Now, we need to make our own big moments that land with the jury.

That is how we b*at the nonsense.

Now, can we focus on that?

Okay. Yeah.

Sure. We'll see what we can find.

Please. Thank you.

(clears throat)

I'm sorry.

Did I hijack the meeting?

No, no. That's okay.

I liked it.

Kardashian: Johnnie... why do you think there hasn't been a realistic theory about who did it?

Or any evidence?

I mean, I know... I know it's what we're saying, but I have trouble with the blood in the Bronco.

That Fuhrman, or anyone, planted all of it...

O.J.'s, Nicole's and Goldman's?

Bobby, we don't have the whole police force out there chasing leads.

W-We got to be patient.

The truth will find us.

It always does.

There's something on the TV.

I think you better see it.

Can't you record it?

Johnnie, Barbara is on A Current Affair.

With Patricia. Both of them. Oh.

Woman: Patricia, you took Johnnie's name, even though he never married you.

Guys, guys, guys.

Well, it seemed unfair for our boy, Johnnie Jr., not to have his own father's name.

Woman: Barbara, were you aware of Johnnie's double life?

Maybe unconsciously.

I loved him too much to acknowledge it.

Woman: He must have been under a lot of pressure, running back and forth between two households.

Barbara: Oh, Johnnie makes it all look easy.

He's the smoothest man in L.A.

Woman: Maybe so, but, Barbara, court records tell us that Johnnie assaulted you on...

Who the hell's behind this?

It's the D.A.'s Office.

It's the...

It's Sh-Shapiro.

f*ck!

There.

That's what's left of Nicole.

Uh, thank you, Denise.

Are you helping my daddy find the man who hurt my mommy?

Uh...

Yeah. Yes, that's right.

Um... your daddy's busy working on other things today.

Come on. Let's let them get to work, okay?

(door closes)

Go on. Open it.

(chuckles)

"Visa card number two, 1989 to 1990."

Okay.

I give up.

Nicole bought the gloves.

Vannatter: Our gloves.

Aris Isotoner, model number 70263.

In the United States, the only place that sold them was Bloomingdale's in New York.

Of all the 70263's, only 300 pairs were extra large.

Bloomingdale's sold 200 of those.

On December 18, 1990, Nicole walked into that store and bought two pairs of our gloves!

Chris: What?!

Holy sh*t!

Right?!

There we go!

(laughs excitedly)

Marcia: This is it.

This is not a story.

This is cold, hard proof.

The gloves.

The gloves are our conviction.

What are you doing here?

Waiting for Johnnie.

I can't wait to see this.

(reporters clamoring) MAN: Johnnie!

Johnnie, talk to us about this double life of yours.

Did you b*at Barbara?

Do you b*at Dale, Johnnie?

I am not here to discuss old gossip.

What I care about is this trial, in which there are two dead people and an innocent man being framed.

You all should be ashamed of yourselves.

Excuse me. Thank you.

(Marcia sighs)

He's made of g*dd*mn Teflon.

I need a vacation.

Like, now.

What?

Uh, I'm driving up to Oakland this weekend.

Hmm.

My best friend... childhood friend, it's his birthday.

It's not a big thing, just getting together at a bar for some drinks, stay the night, but, uh... you want to, you know, come along?

The drive up...

It always unwinds me and, uh...

You know, or not.

You're probably busy.

Gordon has the kids this weekend.

You know what?

Hell, yes.

Yes. Count me in.

(chuckles) All right.

(sighs)

Hmm.

(mumbles)

(gallery murmuring)

(Johnnie speaking quietly)

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

What do you have on your lapel?

It is a police solidarity pin.

What the hell do you have that on for? Take that off.

I am trying to mitigate some of the damage that you're doing.

Bailey: "Damage?"

Damage to what?

Your cozy relationship with Garcetti and the LAPD?

What is happening?

Bob's lapel.

LAPD Solidarity Pin.

Johnnie: Well, I hope you got the brains to take it off in front of the cameras.

You are hardly in a position to tell me what's acceptable or not on television.

(Shapiro sighs)

(sighs)

It was Shapiro who planted the story.

I know it.

I'm gonna find out how he did it, and when I do...

(laughing): Oh.

There's gonna be hell to pay.

But it was him.

Hmm.

So, it was Bob Shapiro who made you live a double life while you were married with Barbara?

I shut the press right down today, baby.

You'll never hear another word about it.

I handled it.

Baby, you knew all that about me when we got married.

Yeah, I knew it, Johnnie, but my friends didn't.

Uh... My family didn't.

My pastor didn't, Johnnie.

Baby, I'll find out...

I'll find out what happened, I'll find out who did this...

Nobody did this!

There is no conspiracy, Johnnie.

You cannot fix it!

Unless you have a time machine I don't know anything about.

All your stuff with Barbara, all of it is in court records, Johnnie.

You made the world your stage.

You wanted the attention... now you got it.

Now you got it.

Good morning.

Shapiro: Bob.

Thanks for coming early.

Of course.

Close that door.

(sighs)

(door closes)

What's up?

This discovery from the DA about the glove.

They have receipts of Nicole purchasing them.

Did you read this?

Yeah.

Yeah, but they're not necessarily the gloves.

Bobby, please, you have to help me talk again, to everyone, about a plea.

If we go in there with this glove thing, they will absolutely k*ll us.

And once it's done, we'll have no chance to cut a deal.

Look, just talk to Johnnie, all right?

I think making a deal is crazy.

Bobby, there... (sighs)

The reason I'm talking to you is that you may have a personal stake in this.

Why?

Well, the bag.

What bag?

O.J.'s bag that you maybe disposed of with the m*rder w*apon.

That-that I what?!

There's-there's video.

There's video of you walking out of Rockingham with it.

Wait. Wait. Wait. That... that's O.J.'s garment bag that he gave to me to take to my house before he came to stay with me.

Oh. Wait, wait. For the sake of both of us, please don't continue to tell me any more.

No, wait a minute. No...

If you do have possession of the w*apon, and you decided to suddenly turn it in, I don't know.

I guess at most, it would be accessory after the fact.

You'd get five years, out in two.

Uh, but I don't know if we could convince them that you didn't know it was in the bag.

I-I think that... I don't know. Maybe.

But what the f... ? What are you doing?

Hup, hup.

Please, please, no more talking.

This-this is starting to be a conflict of interest.

Gentlemen...

We ready?

Um, something's...

Something's come up, and I've got to go.

I'll catch up with you later.

What's with him?

Possible developments.

Johnnie: Anything you care to share, Bob?

No.

No, not at this time.

Shall we?

(sighs)

So that's it, huh?

Nobody ever asked about it?

No, it's just sat here the whole time.

I didn't want to open it alone.

You're the... you're the only one who goes back all the way with us, so, I-I thought...

You did the right thing, Bobby.

You want me to open it?

♪ ♪

(laughing): Ooh, I knew it.

I knew it!

I knew there was nothing funky in that bag, Bobby.

He didn't do it!

You see that, right?

There's even more proof he didn't do it.

Who do you think did do it?

You know, my kids...

At school, the other kids... They-they tease Bobby, tell him his dad's...

Hey.

It's a tough time right now.

I... I know it's hard to be strong, but, Bobby, you got to stick in there.

No. You-you don't understand. I'm...

I'm really struggling.

I'm really struggling here, A.C.

Even when it seems everybody else has stopped working to figure out who did it, I...

I keep going over everything, again and again.

Everything I know about Nicole, everything I can learn about Ron Goldman.

I mean, there's never been more information, more-more media coverage, more detectives, more... even the kooks...

All about one thing, one crime, ever.

Ever!

And there's... just... nothing.

No other suspect?

No other answer?

There's nothing else.

Nothing else?

Nothing else but what?

I didn't mean it like that.

Good.
(door squeaks open)

O.J.

Everything all right?

(door closes)

So late.

Where is everyone?

Ah. I see.

Quality time then.

Where's your "I Love Cops" pin?

That was just a political positioning, if you will.

What are you up to, Bob?

Why you be half-stepping?

I don't know what that means.

Why you keep trying to undermine Johnnie?

Hmm?

Crossing the quarterback all the time now? I see it.

Everybody sees it.

It's palpable.

So I'll ask you again, Bob.

What the hell are you up to?

Okay, well, Johnnie and I have our differences, and we're clearing them up.

But I'm glad, I'm-I'm very glad that we're discussing this, because, O.J., I think that this whole wild LAPD conspiracy theory is going to backfire on us.

Bob! You were the one that came up with this idea.

No, no, no, I didn't.

I came up with a "bad apple" idea.

No.

But Johnnie, John...

No! No!

It was your play!

You were the first one to use the word "conspiracy."

You were the one that said no one but Johnnie could make this work.

You teed this whole damn thing up, man!

So I don't want to hear no bullshit in the third quarter!

You hear me?

Okay.

You can say what you want, you can yell all night, but everything I do out there is for your best interest.

It's what I do.

It's my agenda for you.

And if you recall correctly, it is why you came to me first!

Guard!

(lock buzzing)

You better think hard and fast about whether or not you want to be on this team, 'cause if you keep this bullshit up... there won't be no room here for you.

I know you heard that.

(door slams shut)

Man: Don't stop now, baby!

Let's twist some more!


(indistinct conversations)

(blues song plays loudly on jukebox, featuring brass)

Man: Yo, Chris!

We're over here!

What up, Byron?

Happy birthday!

You made it, boy. (laughing)

Good to see you.

Oh, guys, this is Marcia.

Marcia, this is "guys."

Byron, the birthday boy; Darrell...

Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.

Moses, Philly, Rick.

Oh. For you, man.

Oh, what's this? A little gift? Yup.

Oh!

No. No. (laughter)

I ain't never gonna wear this.

Look at this.

Marcia: Why not? It's 100% cotton, and it might help you out of a traffic ticket.

(laughter) Oh! She got jokes, huh?

Huh?

So... is this an AA meeting, or is someone gonna buy me a drink?

Allow me. Allow me.

Handle that, boy.

(mellow R&B playing)

Get it. Get it.

Come on! Come on!

Everybody, to my main man Byron... happy birthday!

(cheering and whooping)

Happy birthday. Mm.

Mm. Ah.

(whoops)

Now, I'm not saying that he did it...

Darrell! Darrell, we had a rule!

First one who mentions that g*dd*mn case drinks.

Fine by me.

Mm!

I'm not saying that he did it.

The jury's still out.

Yeah, that is right.

But I heard he was making some TV show about Navy SEALS or some sh*t where he was trained to k*ll.

Yeah, yeah. Frogmen.

Yeah. That's it!

They showed him all these kinds of techniques, how to sneak around and k*ll people with knives.

Ex...

Oh.

Cut throats and slash their legs, all that.

Why aren't you talking about that in court?

Chris: Because the jury would be able to separate from TV and real life.

Look, we're strong enough without that kind of crap.

The cops framed his ass, anyway.

Mm.

Mm-hmm.

Is that right, Byron?

Oh, no. You're own your own now, brother.

Marcia: No, no, no.

No, no. Come on, come on, come on, come on!

What's your theory?

Well, I think that cr*cker cop planted that glove.

And they all did what they had to do to prove that O.J. did it.

That's what I think.

Hmm.

Okay.

Here's the crime scene, Bundy.

Here's O.J.'s house.

Okay. Furhman made up his mind at Bundy that Simpson did it.

Even though he had no idea if O.J. had an iron-clad alibi that would then ruin

Furhman's career and land him in jail.

Fuhrman takes the glove at Bundy, makes sure it has Goldman and Nicole's DNA on it, jumps in the car with the other detectives, heads to Rockingham with it, where he gets into the Bronco, somehow, getting all that evidence in it, including

Simpson's blood.

Right.

Even though the police didn't have Simpson's blood until the next day.

Darrell: Mm, mm, mm.

Marcia: Then he goes over the wall, plants the glove behind Kato's room.

Then,
with the help of the rest of his super-secret cabal of O.J.-hating r*cist cops, he starts getting everything just so, just where it needs to be...

Nicole and Ron and O.J.'s blood into O.J.'s bedroom.

O.J.'s blood back to Bundy.


Oh, and O.J.'s Bronco's fibers back to Bundy, too.

Oh, and they don't forget to get rid of the real k*ller's blood from the back gate... no, no, no...

And replace it with O.J.'s blood.

Then O.J.'s
sock... they get that back to Bundy to pick up all the blood, and then get that sucker right back to Rockingham, too.

These guys are a well-oiled conspiracy machine, after all.


All this, during a time when everyone involved is under the most relentless media scrutiny in American history.

(imitates expl*si*n)

And all this for an unknown k*ller.

Maybe.

No!

(laughter)

Marcia (laughing): No.

Man, you're good.

You're real good.

When this is all over, you should go to work for Johnnie.

Oh!

Both of you!

Yeah, yeah. Ha, ha. Very funny.

(imitates g*nsh*t)

This round is on me.

Yo.

Hmm.

She is a trip.

Chris: You got schooled, both of you.

Mm-hmm.

Tonight's the night, player.

Darrell: Out of town.

Her kids are at home.

Y'all been drinkin' a little bit.

She's my co-worker. That's all.

Mm-hmm. Look, you ever thought about making that happen, tonight's the night.

Yes, sir. (laughing)

Byron: I'm just saying.

♪ Pain in my heart ♪
♪ Stop this little pain in my heart ♪

(laughing)

♪ Stop this little pain in my heart... ♪

(laughter) Oh.

Oh, no.

Yeah.

Oh, my God.

(laughter)

(sighs)

Well, I am coming back here next weekend, with or without you.

Well, my friends might prefer it that way.

Mmhmm.

(quiet laughter)

(sighs)

This is me.

This... 311?

Yeah, 311.

Yeah.

(laughs)

Uh...

Well...

Good night.

(electronic lock clicks, blips)

Good night, Darden.

(quietly): Uh...

(sighs)

(imitates expl*si*n)

Hey, Big Time, got you a coffee.

Had one already.

Oh, no, just leave that open. Thanks.

Listen...

I've been thinking.

Mmhmm.

I think you and I should just go for it.

(laughs)

And what does that mean?

Let's make O.J. put on those gloves.

We need a big one.

(claps hands) Big moment, right?

We talked about this before.

And I decided that it's not a good idea, at all, and not the right time, if it were.

But today's the glove testimony.

It's the only time.

Come on, we got to get down there.

The idea of O.J. just standing there, in front of the cameras and the jury, wearing those gloves...

Chris, come on.

We're going downstairs to get our conviction today.

We have his gloves with all the DNA, everybody's blood, the fibers, all of it.

We have a receipt that proves he owned them.

We're done. We've been dealt a king and a ten. I don't know why you want to ask the dealer for another card.

Because I know it's an ace.

No, you don't!

You turn over control of a demonstration to the opponent, you don't know what's going to happen.

And certainly not to the defendant himself.

Okay?

Come on, let's go.

Chris: Do you think there's any way that these two gloves could not be a pair?

I'd have to say it would be virtually impossible.

Ito: All right, at this time, we will take a 15-minute recess.

(gavel taps)

(gallery murmuring)

(indistinct talking)

(sighs heavily)

Hello, Mike.

Bob.

♪ ♪

Hey.

(quietly): Are any of you interested in something other than a conspiracy theory?

Some real, demonstrable evidence?

A little bit of real lawyering?

Those gloves are too small.

Yes, Bob. I tried the glove on in there myself. It didn't fit. It will never fit him! I think we should have him try it on in court.

I think it's a terrible idea. What if it doesn't work?

You don't make a play in there if you don't know the outcome.

I know the outcome.

My hand is bigger than Bob's! Put me in, Coach.

So, saying we wanted to, how do we present it?

We don't.

We get them to present it.

Hmm.

(door creaks open)

(gallery murmuring)

(door closes)

(sighs quietly)

Marcia, they're glazing over, and we got to get up and take it back.

Chris... no way. Enough.

Okay?

I'm sorry.

Marcia, I... ?

Let me be clear.

This is my case.

You work for me here.

And when I say drop it, you drop it.

Are we clear?

Are you seriously saying that to me?

You're making me say it.

(grunts, sighs)

(quietly): I...

(door opens)

(sighs)

(gallery murmuring)

You, sir, have the balls of a stud field mouse.

What did you just say to me?

If you don't ask him to try on the gloves, I will.

Bailiff: All rise.

(door opens)

(clears throat)

All right, you may be seated.

Chris: And these gloves, the ones you've brought today, these would fit the wearer just as the ones here in evidence would, is that correct?

Your Honor... sidebar.

Counsel, approach the bench.

(clears throat)

Your Honor, I see where this is going, and I'm not having it.

And where is that, Counselor?

There'll be no demonstrations involving my client.

If Mr. Simpson chooses to testify, and we want to have him try on the actual gloves in evidence, that's one thing. Further, I submit the timing is inappropriate, Your Honor.

Is that right, Johnnie?

That's right.

For who?

Opposing counsel hasn't asked for anything of the kind, Mr. Cochran.

Your Honor, they just tried to bring these ringer gloves in here.

Chris: And they seem to be overly concerned about what I might or might not want to do before I've even done it.

He can ask for whatever he wants to ask for, Mr. Cochran. You can object if you want to object.

Now let's proceed.

Chris: Your Honor, at this time, the People would ask that Mr. Simpson step forward and try on the gloves recovered from Bundy and Rockingham.

(gallery murmuring)

We have no objection, Your Honor.

(gallery murmuring)

♪ ♪

(gallery murmuring)

Ito: Mr. Simpson, please approach the jury.

(O.J. sighs)

(O.J. grunting softly)

(sighs)

These gloves are too small.

(gallery murmuring)

Too tight. They won't fit.

Can Mr. Simpson please straighten his fingers?

Can we ask that he make a fist?

With his right hand.

Can we ask that he... grasp an object with his hand?

A... a marker, perhaps?

Johnnie: Objection, Your Honor.

Sustained.

Have we seen enough, Your Honor?

Mr. Darden?

Thank you.

No, your Honor. I have nothing.

I have nothing further.

Chris: He was... making them not fit.

I mean, you saw what he was doing.

And he had the gloves under the...

He kept his fingers stiff.

He was acting, he was just...

♪ ♪

(clock ticking)

(dial tone)

(phone line ringing)

Fred Goldman: Hello. You've reached the Goldman residence.

Please leave your message, and we will return your call.

(machine beeps)

Fred, uh, it's Chris Darden.

I'm... sorry about what happened today.

I am sorry.

But it's not over yet.

We'll come back from this.

We will.

Uh... okay.

You know, call me any time.

Bye.

(inhales, exhales)
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