Christopher Darden

At 68 years old, Christopher Darden has this physical status:

Career

Darden took and passed the California Bar Exam in 1980. He had been working at the National Labor Relations Board in Los Angeles four months afterward. He applied for and was hired for a position with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office as a result of a career change. Darden was first posted to the Huntington Park office before he migrated to Beverly Hills and later moved to the Criminal Courts Building (CCB) in downtown Los Angeles in late 1983.

Darden served in the central trials and hard-core gang units at the CCB before transferring to the Special Investigation Division (SID), which prosecutes criminal activity by public and law enforcement agencies, in February 1988. Darden met Johnnie Cochran, who represented several victims of suspected police brutality in this region. Darden and Cochran became close friends, with Darden seeing Cochran as a mentor figure.

Darden first became involved in the O. J. Simpson murder after being asked by Deputy District Attorneys Marcia Clark and William Hodgman to lead the trial of Al Cowlings, Simpson's companion and the driver of the white Ford Bronco during the notorious car chase. Clark suggested that Darden join the Simpson team as case manager after Darden's involvement on the Cowlings case came to an end. Darden was also asked by Clark to prepare the prosecution's witnesses for test, which included preparing testimony for principal witness Detective Mark Fuhrman. Darden was named co-prosecutor after Hodgman was incapacité by a stress-related disease in the courtroom just after opening remarks. Darden's relationship with Cochran, a key figure on Simpson's defense team, became tense due to their conflicting positions regarding the inclusion of racism in the lawsuit. Simpson was eventually dismissed.

Darden was fired after the Simpson trial and joined the faculty at California State University, Los Angeles, where he taught undergraduate criminal law. He was appointed Associate Professor of Law at Southwestern University School of Law in the same year. Darden trained and specialized in criminal investigation and trial advocacy.

Darden is a former legal analyst for CNBC, CNN, Court TV, and NBC, as well as a regular guest and commentator on CNN, Court TV, and Fox News Network. He has appeared on Touched by an Angel, Girlfriends, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Muppets Tonight, Roseanne, the film Liar Liar (uncredited), and One Hot Summer Night (in which he plays a disgruntled policeman). He is the former principal counsel on the syndicated law show Power of Attorney.

Darden is also a writer. He co-authored (with Dick Lochte) a number of crime novels, including The Trials of Nikki Hill (1999), Los Angeles Justice (2000), and The Last Defense (2002).

In 1996, he appeared on Newsweek's front page with the title "My Case Against O.J. "My Case Against O.J." "Int's book, which spoke about Simpson's involvement and indictment."

Darden left the law school in 1999 and founded Darden & Associates, Inc., which specializes in criminal defense and civil litigation. He was nominated for a judgeship by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in December 2007.

Darden said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired on February 9, 2006, that he still believes Simpson was guilty. He said he was almost as disgusted by Mark Fuhrman's perfumation as he was with the murders of Goldman and Simpson.

Darden accused deceased Simpson defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran of "manipulating" one of the infamous gloves on September 6, 2012, a charge Alan Dershowitz has described as "a complete fabrication" in which "the defense does not have access to evidence except under controlled circumstances."

In his arraignment on April 4, 2019, Darden represented Eric Ronald Holder, Jr. Darden has entered a not guilty plea on behalf of Holder, who is accused of murdering Nipsey Hussle. Darden was dismissed from the lawsuit on May 10, the same day as the court date. Darden's representation of Holder has received numerous murder charges.

Darden is the representative of a man accused of pulling a knife on a television crew at a COVID-19 anti-lockdown demonstration rally in Huntington Beach and requiring them to delete footage as of April 2020.

Darden will represent Corey Walker, the suspected murderer of rapper Pop Smoke, according to a report in August 2020.

Source

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.