Bill Hodgman Is Still Active After The O.J. Trial

If there's one thing The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story has taught viewers, it's that no one involved in the O.J. Simpson case was the same after the trial. It was simply too big of a case and affected everyone involved, from the lawyers to the victims' families to even the people who watched it on TV. When it comes to the prosecution, most of the focus has been on head prosecutor Marcia Clark. But where is William Hodgman today, the deputy district attorney from the Simpson trial?

For starters, let's recap who Hodgman is. To put it simply, he's the third prosecutor from the trial... the one who is not Marcia Clark or Christopher Darden, who have been the main focus of American Crime Story so far. On the FX series, he's played by Christian Clemenson, who's most famous for being another TV lawyer, Jerry "Hands" Espenson from Boston Legal.

In real life, Hodgman is more of a footnote in the Simpson story. That's because — and this may be a spoiler for the show, if you don't remember it happening — in late January 1995, Hodgman pulled back on his duties for health reasons after experiencing a cardiac incident, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Since the trial, Hodgman has kept a low profile. He's still a lawyer, and he's still working within the Los Angeles legal system. He was appointed to a higher position in 2012, when Jackie Lacey was elected district attorney. "Lacey ... appointed Bill Hodgman, who led the O.J. Simpson prosecution team, as one of three assistant DAs," Southern California Public Radio reported. "He will oversee most prosecutions."

And it seems that Hodgman is still the A.D.A today. On Feb. 29, Pepperdine University wrote in its description of an event featuring Hodgman that he is, "the Line Operations Assistant District Attorney, tasked with overseeing the Central, Branch, and Area Operations in Los Angeles County, among other responsibilities." His name also came up in a May 2014 LA Times profile about Lacey looking for alternatives to incarceration. According to the article, "Lacey sent Assistant D.A. Bill Hodgman to Miami and San Antonio to study successful diversion programs, and she went to see another one for herself."

In 2005, he gave a long, thorough interview to PBS about all aspects of the prosection's case for the Simpson trial, which is still interesting, especially for anyone with renewed interest in the case thanks toAmerican Crime Story. "I've often likened the O.J. Simpson case to a perfect storm," he said, "a crashing together of these external dynamics of celebrity, of media, of race, of enormous financial resources, all thrown together and achieving this sort of alchemic reaction that was the O.J. Simpson experience."

Image: Ray Mickshaw/FX