Naman Shrestha
Netflix’s ‘American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson’ is a four-part true crime docuseries that revisits the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald “Ron” Goldman, for which O.J. Simpson was accused. With a heap of DNA evidence against him, the NFL star hired numerous defense attorneys to prove his innocence and prevent going to prison. One of the competent attorneys standing in his defense was Barry Scheck, who unexpectedly proved to be one of the most vital in the trial.
Barry Scheck Posed Tough Questions to the Prosecution’s Expert Witness During O.J. Simpson’s Trial
Born on September 19, 1949, into a Jewish family based in Queens, New York, Barry Charles Scheck was raised in Flower Hill by his parents. Working hard to move up in society, his father, George Scheck, managed to get himself out of poverty and served as a manager of musicians. When Barry was in elementary school, his family suffered a great tragedy as his sister passed away in a devastating fire that also destroyed their house. Dealing with the trauma, he managed to pull through and did well in high school, helping him pave a professional path that would lead to success in the future. Inspired by his parents’ involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, Barry started becoming involved in civil rights and antiwar movements as a teenager.
In 1995, Barry was a part of O.J. Simpson’s defense team after the NFL star was accused of killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald “Ron” Goldman. To begin with, he was only given a minor role to play in the team, but he ended up being one of the most influential defense attorneys of the trial as he aggressively cross-examined Dennis Fung, the LAPD criminalist at the time, and cornered him into admitting some grave errors the authorities made while handling the evidence from the crime scenes. He believed that O.J. Simpson was innocent of the murders and did everything in his power to prove it in court. Eventually, he received the credit for being a major factor in the former football player’s acquittal. However, at the civil trial, his allegations of the planting of blood evidence and contamination were proven wrong.
Barry Scheck Has Been Associated With Several Bar Associations Throughout His Career
The road to professional glory was not an easy one for Barry Scheck, as he had to go through several hurdles. After graduating from high school, he majored in Economics and American Studies from Yale University. He followed it up by earning a Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1974. Before returning to the Big Apple, he co-authored ‘Raising and Litigating Electronic Surveillance Claims in Criminal Cases’ for the National Lawyers Guild Electronic Surveillance Project. Employed as a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society in 1975, he crossed paths with Peter Neufeld, with whom he struck a close friendship.
After three years, Barry became one of the early practitioners of clinical education at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. There, he and Peter established the Innocence Project in 1992, with the aim of exonerating the wrongfully convicted through DNA testing and preventing future injustice. A couple of years later, he got the opportunity to become a commissioner on New York State’s Forensic Science Review Board. Besides O.J. Simpson, he has also represented other popular individuals over the course of his career, including Louise Woodward, Abner Louima, and Hedda Nussbaum.
For two years, from 1998 to 2000, he was a board member of the National Institute of Justice’s Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. He even collaborated with Jim Dwyer and published a book titled ‘Actual Innocence: Five Days to Execution and Other Dispatches from the Wrongly Convicted’ in 2000. Given his stature as an attorney, he held many prominent positions in different bar associations. For instance, he was the President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2004-2005) and the Commissioner of New York State’s Forensic Science Review Board (1994-2016). He was also a part of the American Judicature Society’s National Commission on Forensic Science and Public Policy.
New York Resident Barry Scheck Continues to Make an Impact Through the Innocence Project
Over the years, Barry Scheck has been awarded numerous accolades and recognition for his contributions, including the Robert C. Heeney Award in 1996. Moreover, he earned the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in 2008 while receiving the New York State Bar Association’s Gold Medal in 2013. During his stint on the Cardozo faculty, he held different responsibilities, serving as the Co-Director of the Trial Advocacy programs, the Director of Clinical Education, as well as a Professor of Law. Apart from being the co-director of The Innocence Project since 1992, Barry is also one of the partners in the law firm — Neufeld, Scheck & Brustin, LLP.
Previously known as Cochran Neufeld & Scheck, LLP, it specializes in constitutional litigation and civil rights. From what we can tell, he is still a member of the Legal Resource Committee of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC), which is operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Since its establishment, The Innocence Project has reportedly helped more than 200 innocent people get released from prison. Not only that, through the project, he and his partner Peter have managed to pass several reforms to prevent wrongful convictions in the future.
From what we can tell, Barry Scheck is married to his soulmate and long-term partner, Dorothy Ricks, who is reportedly a psychiatric social worker. Over the course of their togetherness, they have given birth to two children — Gabriel and Olivia Morgan Scheck. Residing in Brooklyn Heights, he appears to know how to keep his personal and professional life separate and well-balanced. Since not much is revealed about his familial life, it seems that he likes to keep the personal aspects of his life and family swept under the carpet.
Read More: Tom Lange: What Happened to the Lead Detective of the OJ Simpson Case?
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