Christopher Allen Darden (born April 7, 1956) is an American lawyer, author, and lecturer. 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 murder trial of O. J. Simpson.

Early life and education

Darden was born in Richmond, California, the fourth of eight siblings. 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.

Career

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.

Darden left the District Attorney's office after the Simpson case and joined the faculty of the Southwestern University School of Law. Darden taught and specialized in criminal procedure and trial advocacy. Girlfriends, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Howard Stern Show, Muppets Tonight, Roseanne, the movie Liar Liar (uncredited), and the TV movie One Hot Summer Night (in which he plays a disgruntled policeman).

Darden left the law school in 1999 and started his own firm, Darden & Associates, Inc., specializing in criminal defense and civil litigation. In December 2007, he was considered for a judgeship by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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.

On September 6, 2012, Darden accused deceased Simpson defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran of manipulating' one of the infamous gloves", a claim Alan Dershowitz has called "a total fabrication", saying, "the defense doesn't get access to evidence except under controlled circumstances."

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. Darden dropped out of the case May 10, the same day as the court date. Darden received multiple death threats for representing Holder.

, Darden is representing a man accused of pulling a knife on a television crew at a COVID-19 anti-lockdown protest rally in Huntington Beach and forcing them to delete footage.

It was reported in August 2020 that Darden would briefly represent Corey Walker for arraignment, the alleged killer of rapper Pop Smoke.

Darden ran for judge in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2024, but lost to Leslie Gutierrez.

Personal life

Darden married TV executive Marcia Carter on August 31, 1997.

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 parodied in the sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
  • In The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016), Darden was portrayed by Sterling K. Brown.
  • 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."
  • In 1997, Darden made an appearance on The Howard Stern Show by running the question board for Jeopardy. Also appearing were Geraldo Rivera and Richard Belzer.
  • 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.

References

  • Christopher Darden for Judge website
  • The Justice Firm