OJ Simpson’s public life crossed decades and boundaries, leaving lasting echoes. Here are a few WPXI [Video]

O.J. Simpson is gone now. But his life and public journey across seven decades touched multiple areas of American life, from sports to the legal arena to culture. The murder case against him in 1994 — and his acquittal in 1995 — had deep implications for how people talk about race and domestic violence.

Here, Associated Press journalists with expertise in three areas — the law, sports and culture — weigh in on what will endure long after Simpson’s death fades from public discussion.

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THE LAW: DNA AND CELEBRITY TRIAL BY TELEVISION

Simpson’s trial was the first to bring broad public awareness to the burgeoning science of DNA evidence. While jurors in 1995 rejected the forensics when they acquitted him of killing ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman, juries thereafter would be forever familiar with the science.

The trial was the first in a series of cases and TV shows in which DNA …