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Police investigating knife found on OJ Simpson's former LA property | Police investigating knife found on OJ Simpson's former LA property |
(35 minutes later) | |
Los Angeles police are investigating and testing a knife that was found in a house that used to be owned by OJ Simpson, the former football player who was acquitted of the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, in 1995, according to the Los Angeles Times. | Los Angeles police are investigating and testing a knife that was found in a house that used to be owned by OJ Simpson, the former football player who was acquitted of the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, in 1995, according to the Los Angeles Times. |
Captain LAPD Andrew Neiman said that according to the person who handed it in, a retired LAPD officer, the knife was given to him while he was working a private security job across the road from Simpson’s former Rockingham property a number of years ago. It was handed to the officer by a construction worker , Neiman said, and kept it as a memento. | Captain LAPD Andrew Neiman said that according to the person who handed it in, a retired LAPD officer, the knife was given to him while he was working a private security job across the road from Simpson’s former Rockingham property a number of years ago. It was handed to the officer by a construction worker , Neiman said, and kept it as a memento. |
Neiman said he was “surprised” at the action of the retired police officer, who may have been handed the knife years ago and not handed it into his supervisors. | |
Police obsessed for years over finding the knife used to kill Simpson’s ex-wife and Ronald Goldman. Detectives are now investigating where the knife came from, Neiman said. The inquiry is still in its early stages. | |
He stressed investigators were still looking into the evidence and the “story” to determine whether it was accurate. | |
The existence of the knife, which is described as a “folding buck-knife”, was first reported by TMZ. | The existence of the knife, which is described as a “folding buck-knife”, was first reported by TMZ. |
The trial became a national sensation, and brought racial tensions bubbling to the surface, splitting public opinion almost directly along racial lines. | The trial became a national sensation, and brought racial tensions bubbling to the surface, splitting public opinion almost directly along racial lines. |
Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in a civil suit. | Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in a civil suit. |
Neiman, talking to reporters at a press conference, did not specify when the knife was found by the construction worker but said it occurred “back in the 90s”. | Neiman, talking to reporters at a press conference, did not specify when the knife was found by the construction worker but said it occurred “back in the 90s”. |
Neiman told reporters that the police officer who took possession of the knife was either retired at the time or retired soon thereafter. | |
“It was brought to our attention that this retired officer had an item,” Neiman said, that “was possibly recovered from or taken from the Rockingham estate in the ‘90s ... we discovered it and our investigators immediately followed up on it.” | |
Neiman said the officer who took possession of the knife “believed the case was closed ... [but] any case where we don’t have a conviction on all of the charges, or we are not able to prove to our satisfaction, remains an open case, and that’s the case here.” | |
The investigation into the death of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman remains “open”, Neiman said. | |
He did, however, say that even if the knife is proven to be the murder weapon and could link Simpson to the two killings, it is his understanding that “double jeopardy would be in place here. We could not charge Mr. Simpson.” | |
A member of Simpson’s legal team, attorney Carl Douglas, told the LA Times Friday that the alleged revelations about the knife are “ridiculous.” | |
“It’s amazing how the world cannot move on from this case,” Douglas told the Times. “And it, and the media, is apparently still fascinated by everything OJ Simpson.” |