Christopher Allen Darden (born April 7, 1956) is an American lawyer, author, lecturer, and judicial candidate. He worked for 15 years in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, where he gained national attention as a co-prosecutor in the O. J. Simpson murder case.
Darden took and passed the California Bar Exam in the summer of 1980. Four months afterward, he was hired at the National Labor Relations Board in Los Angeles. Looking for a career change, he applied for and was hired for a position with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Darden was initially assigned to the Huntington Park office before moving on to Beverly Hills, and finally moved to the Criminal Courts Building (CCB) in downtown Los Angeles in late 1983.[2]
During his tenure as a prosecutor at the CCB, Darden served in the central trials and hard-core gang units before transferring to the Special Investigation Division (SID), which investigates criminal activity by public and law enforcement officials, in February 1988. It was in this position that Darden first met Johnnie Cochran, who represented some victims of alleged police violence.[2] Darden and Cochran became close friends, with Darden seeing Cochran as a mentor figure.
Darden initially became involved in the O. J. Simpson murder case after being asked by Deputy District Attorneys Marcia Clark and William Hodgman to lead the prosecution of Al Cowlings, Simpson's friend and the driver of the white Ford Bronco during the infamous car chase. After Darden's work on the Cowlings case ended, Clark requested Darden join the Simpson team as case manager since she and Hodgman were bogged down by various motions and filings from the defense. Darden was also tasked by Clark to prepare the prosecution's witnesses for testimony, including preparing testimony for key witness Detective Mark Fuhrman. After Hodgman was incapacited by stress-related illness in the courtroom shortly before opening statements, Darden was named co-prosecutor.[2] Darden's friendship with Cochran, who was a prominent figure on Simpson's defense team, became heavily strained due to their clashing positions regarding the inclusion of racism in the case. Simpson was ultimately acquitted. Darden incidentally normalized the term N-word, a euphemistic alternative reference to the word "nigger", as the first public figure to use that term, while cross-examining Fuhrman.[4]
Darden left the District Attorney's office after the Simpson case[5][6] and joined the faculty of the Southwestern University School of Law. Darden taught and specialized in criminal procedure and trial advocacy.[2]
Darden is also a writer. In addition to In Contempt,[7] which chronicles his experiences with the Simpson trial, he co-authored (with Dick Lochte) a number of crime novels, including The Trials of Nikki Hill (1999), LA Justice (2000), and The Last Defense (2002).
He appeared on the cover of Newsweek in 1996 with an article "My Case Against O.J.", which addressed his involvement and prosecution of Simpson.[8]
In an interview by Oprah Winfrey that aired February 9, 2006, Darden stated that he still believed Simpson was guilty. He added that he was nearly as disgusted with the perjury of Mark Fuhrman as by the murders of Goldman and Simpson.[10]
On September 6, 2012, Darden accused deceased Simpson defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran of "'manipulating' one of the infamous gloves",[11] a claim Alan Dershowitz has called "a total fabrication", saying, "the defense doesn't get access to evidence except under controlled circumstances."[12]
Darden represented Eric Ronald Holder, Jr. in his arraignment on April 4, 2019. Darden entered a not guilty plea on behalf of Holder, who is accused of murdering Nipsey Hussle.[13][14][15] Darden dropped out of the case May 10, the same day as the court date. Darden received multiple death threats for representing Holder.[16]
Darden married TV executive Marcia Carter on August 31, 1997.[7] They have three children, with Darden having two children before their marriage.[22]
Honors and awards
In 1998, Darden received the Crystal Heart Award from Loved Ones of Homicide Victims, an organization devoted to aiding families that have suffered the loss of loved ones as a result of violence.
In 2000, he was recognized as "Humanitarian of the Year" by Eli Horne, a California shelter for abused children and women.
Darden and Marcia Clark were mentioned in the lyrics by T-Mo of the hip-hop group Goodie Mob in the song "Soul Food" with "Fuck Chris Darden, fuck Marcia Clark/Taking us when we're in the spotlight for a joke."
Darden was featured via archive footage in Ezra Edelman's 2016 documentary O.J.: Made in America, which focused on the life and murder trial of O.J. Simpson. Darden was contacted by Edelman to participate in the documentary, but Darden declined.
