Background
Christopher Darden was born on April 7, 1956 in Martinez, California, USA as Christopher Allen Darden.
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Christopher Darden was born on April 7, 1956 in Martinez, California, USA as Christopher Allen Darden.
After graduating from John F. Kennedy High School in 1974, Darden enrolled at San Jose State University, where he participated in track and field and joined Alpha Phi Alpha, an African-American fraternity. He received his B.S. in criminal justice administration in 1977. Darden received his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings in 1980.
Darden graduated San Jose State in 1977 and immediately enrolled at the Hastings College of Law at the University of California, where he earned his law degree in 1980.
Over the next decade, the ambitious Darden, who'd become a father during his second year of law school, quickly rose the ladder in the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. By the time of the O.J. Simpson murder case in 1994, Darden had successfully prosecuted 19 homicides.
The Simpson case had begun in June 1994 with the murder of Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. O.J. Simpson was eventually targeted as a suspect and in a moment that captivated most of the American television viewing public, fled police in his white Bronco that was driven by his close friend, Al Cowlings.
Darden was tapped to investigate Cowlings but when prosecutor Bill Hodgman experienced a stress-induced collapsed, he was promoted to work with lead prosecutor, Marcia Clark.
It cast Darden in a difficult position. Some African-Americans, including Simpson's attorney, Johnnie Cochran, criticized Darden's place on the prosecuting team, even suggesting he'd been tapped solely because he was black.
The issue of race hovered over every facet of the Simpson trial. So did the failings of the prosecutors. For his part, Darden was haunted for years by his decision to have Simpson try on a pair of blood-soaked gloves. The defendant's hands seemingly appeared too big for the gloves prompting Cochran to utter one of the trial's more famous lines: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."
After deliberating for just four hours, the mostly black jury found Simpson not guilty on all counts on October 3, 1995.
As it did for Clark, Cochran, and many others associated with the Simpson case, the trial made Darden a recognizable face. For years his own celebrity hounded him. Darden, who had contemplated taking a break from his work before the trial, stepped away from being a prosecutor after the Simpson verdict and now works as a criminal defense attorney.
In the years since, he's written his autobiography, as well as several mystery novels, taught law, worked as a network news legal commentator and dabbled in acting. He also heads a successful criminal defense practice in the Los Angeles area.
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.
In 1996 he revealed he was a Republican and stated he would disclose his Party choice at the 1996 Republican National Convention.
Quotes from others about the person
Hochschild voiced some misgivings about celebrity books in general: “On the whole, Mr. Darden’s book is disappointing, because it, too, is touched by the disease of celebrity. . . . With books like this, you never really know whose voice you’re hearing.” In a review for Entertainment Weekly, Gene Lyons as¬sessed the work’s value: “The real importance of In Contempt lies not in the Simpson trial, but in its powerful self-portrait of a proud, complex individual confronting racial group-think and refusing to bow down. Chris Darden is indeed a genuine American hero.”
Darden married TV executive Marcia Carter on August 31, 1997. He has five children first son with his wife Marcia Carter, another son and three daughters from his other relationships.
Although rumors persisted of a sexual relationship between Marcia Clark and Darden, both have denied such a relationship existed. Both consider their relationship to be extremely close, a result of the intense pressures of the Simpson trial.
