Mark Fuhrman Has Kept Quiet About 'Crime Story'

Ever since Ryan Murphy's new series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story premiered on Feb. 2, it's brought renewed attention to the O.J. Simpson trial and its major players, from family members to detectives to attorneys. Although it was a complicated case, one of the prosecution's biggest hurdles was the fact that a key piece of evidence had been discovered by Mark Fuhrman, an LAPD detective who the defense discredited by playing tapes of him using the n-word and suggesting that he planted the evidence due to alleged racism. Considering the focus on these claims, you have to wonder what Mark Fuhrman thinks of American Crime Story.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Fuhrman invoked the fifth amendment when asked if he framed Simpson during the trial and denied that he is racist. In a 2014 interview with the NY Daily News he said the tapes were "taken out of context" and in his book A Crime in Brentwood, wrote, "I apologize for the pain I caused with my insensitive words. However, one thing I will not apologize for is my policework on the Simpson case. I did a good job; I did nothing wrong."

Fuhrman has not publicly commented on the series, nor has he indicated how he feels about his onscreen depiction. Bustle reached out to HarperCollins, Fuhrman's book publisher, in an attempt to obtain comment regarding the series and has not yet heard back. Ordinarily, it wouldn't be all that surprising that Fuhrman would choose to stay out of the spotlight when it comes to discussing the Simpson trial. However, that didn't stop Fuhrman from being extremely vocal in the past. He published Murder in Brentwood in 1997, which centered on the Simpson case and told his side of the story. Although he apologized for his use of racial slurs in the quote above, he also placed blame on the prosecution for "abandoning" him after the Fuhrman Tapes were made public.

After the publication of Murder in Brentwood, he went on to write a number of additional non-fiction books, including Murder in Greenwich: Who Killed Martha Moxley?, Silent Witness: The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo's Death, and Death and Justice. From 1999 through 2007 he hosted “The Mark Fuhrman Show," a radio talk show based out of Spokane, Washington. Fuhrman is currently employed by Fox News as "a forensic and crime scene expert," but he hasn't made an appearance on the network since American Crime Story debuted.

As reported by the Ventura County Star, lead investigator Tom Lange is watching American Crime Story every week and he objects to the overall depiction of his department. According to the article, he only watches the show in order to defend himself and his co-lead on the case, Phil Vannatter, though the newspaper reported that he did mention Fuhrman's portrayal.

Lange is bothered most by suggestions the investigation was shaded by racism at LAPD. He said Detective Mark Fuhrman, the target of allegations about using the n-word backed up by taped recordings, was a bit player in the investigation.

Since Fuhrman isn't one to shun the spotlight, we can probably expect to hear his thoughts at some point. Although Lange describes Fuhrman as "a bit player" in the case, that's not how the general public sees it — and it's safe to assume that his role on American Crime Story will continue to be an important one.