Knife Found On O.J. Simpson Property Probably Not Linked To 1994 Murders
The knife found on O.J. Simpson’s former estate is probably not linked to the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, but it’ll take more time to be sure.
The five-inch folding knife is of a kind commonly used by gardeners and is too small to have caused the wounds that led to Nicole and Ron’s deaths, however investigators will need at least two more weeks to complete a full DNA examination.
The knife found on O.J.’s former property is currently undergoing DNA tests from the Los Angeles Police Department forensics team, LAPD Media Relations Officer Ricardo Hernandez told People.
“We can’t say for sure that it is or it isn’t (the murder weapon); it appears that it isn’t. More tests are going to have to be conducted before we can determine if that was the weapon used.”
O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of killing Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman in 1995 in a story being told by the TV miniseries The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Some people have questioned the timing of the knife’s discovery as a ratings ploy, law professor Laurie Levenson told CBS News.
“You have to question the timing. Right at the time of the miniseries on the O.J. case and all of the sudden they come up with this knife. It’s gonna raise some eyebrows.”
The TV miniseries has generated new interest in the decades-old drama involving the hugely popular American football player.
The five-inch folding knife found on O.J.’s former estate was turned over to the Los Angeles Police Department in January by a now-retired officer. It was given to him in 2001 by a construction worker who found it on Simpson’s former estate, which was torn down in 1998 by new owners. The former police officer kept the knife at his home in his toolbox for many years before turning it in on the advice of a friend.
Former LAPD Detective Tom Lange told CBS News O.J.’s property was thoroughly searched in 1995 and it’s unlikely the new knife is the actual murder weapon.
“It’s always a possibility that it was overlooked, but the time that we had and the time that Simpson had this knife, I would be very surprised if we would have missed something like this.”
Cop who kept knife found at O.J. Simpson estate identified as retired Officer George Maycott https://t.co/6F5pFyEYZG pic.twitter.com/uyPlwDAgAj
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 5, 2016
During Simpson’s 1995 trial, no murder weapon was ever found and that fact hurt the people’s case against O.J.
Former LAPD detective Mark Fuhram, who was involved in the 1995 case against Simpson, told Fox News it would be easy to determine if the knife matches the murder weapon.
“It can only be a certain width, length and thickness, or it simply isn’t the weapon. The autopsy results, especially on Ron Goldman, were very specific.”
Police test knife reportedly found on property once owned by O.J. Simpson https://t.co/fpcace09ZM pic.twitter.com/XMN2AkObk3
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 5, 2016
Even if the knife comes back with O.J.’s blood on it, there’s not much that law enforcement can do. Simpson was acquitted of the murders in 1995 and can’t be retried because of double jeopardy laws.
He was, however, found liable for the wrongful death of Ron and Nicole in a 1997 civil suit and ordered to pay $33.5 million in restitution to their families.
O.J. is currently in a Nevada jail for crimes unrelated to the 1995 murders. He was found guilty of robbery and kidnapping when he tried to steal back memorabilia from his sports career in 2007.
Do you think the timing of the knife’s discovery has anything to do with the television show?
[Image courtesy of Myung J. Chun/Daily News via AP, Pool]
