Local officials say the Midwest is in no danger of being invaded by O.J.-style justice.
Stein said the closest regional comparison to the Simpson case was the Drake Diner incident a few years ago. The difference being, Stein said, is that in the Drake Diner case, the defendants were not recognized worldwide. In 1992, the diner, near the Drake University campus in Des Moines, was the site of a multiple murder. There was less media hype surrounding the Smith case, and the trial only lasted a couple of weeks. It is an example of the best and worst that the judicial system has to offer.