The All-Time Most Surprising Acquittals By Alby Thompson [44 more lists]
While few not guilty verdicts will be remembered more than the one issued in the OJ Simpson murder trial, the most surprising acquittals include celebrities, mothers, athletes, singers and disgruntled housewives who have escaped charges when nearly everyone thought they were dead guilty. From the child molestation charges against Michael Jackson to the child murder claims against Casey Anthony to the infamous case against penis-chopper Lorena Bobbitt, each of these cases provide plenty of shock and awe, not to mention media coverage, as they played out.
Though these famous people have escaped their charges, an equally notable number have been found guilty, such as the top 8 professional athletes convicted of murder and the many rappers who've spent time in prison for one reason or another.
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Accused of murdering his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, former National Football League player OJ Simpson was acquitted of murder in the "Trial of the Century" in 1995. Simpson was widely believed to be guilty, especially after leading police on a low-speed chase in his white Ford Bronco, but his dream team of attorneys including Robert Kardashian and Robert Shapiro convinced the jury that the evidence to convict the athlete and actor was insufficient. In 1997, Simpson was found financially liable for the deaths in a civil trial. 10 years later, Simpson released a controversial and allegedly hypothetical book titled "If I Did It." -
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Teaching men around the world not to anger women, disgruntled wife Lorena Bobbitt was charged with malicious wounding after chopping off the penis of her husband, John Wayne Bobbitt, and throwing it out of a car window on a Virginia highway. Lorena argued at her trial that John Wayne had emotionally, physically and sexually abused her during their marriage, including raping her on the night of the incident in 1993. Though she was later found guilty of a separate assault, Lorena was acquitted of the amputation by reason of insanity. As for John Wayne, his penis was later found and reattached, allowing him to star in adult films. - 3
Right at the height of his career in 2002, R&B singer R. Kelly was charged with having sex with a minor and producing child pornography after a video tape surfaced of the singer having sexual relations with an underage girl. Other media, including photos of the acts with the minor, were found at Kelly's home, however six years later when the case finally went to trial, the Grammy Award winner was found not guilty by a Chicago jury who cited a lack of evidence and the refusal of the alleged victim to testify as reasons for the acquittal. -
- 4 Nearly 10 years after settling a civil suit alleged the same crimes, in 2003, King of Pop Michael Jackson was arrested on claims of child molestation. A 13-year-old boy, Gavin Arvizo, claimed Jackson molested him, forced him to drink alcohol and held him captive at his Neverland Ranch however a jury found the singer not guilty of all charges. Following the acquittal, Jackson retreated to Saudi Arabia for several years after the criminal trial. He later returned to the public eye and planned a grand comeback tour however Jackson suddenly died in 2009 before the tour could begin.
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Los Angeles Police Department
Bringing the term "police brutality" into our vocabulary, four members of the Los Angeles Police Department were charged with using excessive force back in March 1991. Following a high-speed chase, Rodney King, the African-American driver, was beaten excessively by the Los Angeles officers all while a bystander videotaped the incident. Each of the officers were acquitted of charges in a 1992 trial, leading to rioting and looting in Los Angeles for over three days in disgust of the verdict.
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The All-Time Most Surprising Acquittals at 7/11/2011 8:17 PM
The All-Time Most Surprising Acquittals at 7/06/2011 2:37 PM