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LAPD investigating knife allegedly found on O.J. Simpson’s former property Police checking knife for possible connection to O.J. Simpson case
(about 5 hours later)
The Los Angeles Police Department on Friday confirmed the existence of a knife found years ago on the Brentwood property that once belonged to former NFL great O.J. Simpson, who in 1995 was acquitted in the stabbing death of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and friend Ron Goldman. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the existence of a knife found years ago on the Brentwood property that once belonged to former NFL star O.J. Simpson, who in 1995 was acquitted in the stabbing death of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. The announcement sparked a fresh wave of interest in the case, but the discovery likely will have little legal ramification.
#LAPD has recovered an item with possible evidentiary value related to the Brown/Goldman double homicide. The matter is under investigation — LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) March 4, 2016 Capt. Andrew Neiman, an LAPD media relations officer, said during a news conference that investigators became aware of the knife in February after a retired officer brought it to their attention. Neiman would not describe the knife or where it was found on the property, citing an investigation by the department’s open-case team.
#LAPD has recovered an item with possible evidentiary value related to the Brown/Goldman double homicide. The matter is under investigation “We need to determine if it’s evidence,” he said. “If it’s not, how do we prove one way or another that it’s not?”
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) March 4, 2016 TMZ, which first reported the knife’s existence Friday morning, said it was discovered by a construction worker at the former Simpson property at some point in the past, anywhere from several years ago to 1998, when the house was demolished by its next owner. The construction worker gave the knife to an off-duty LAPD officer who was working security in the vicinity of the house. The officer, whom Neiman said worked in the LAPD Traffic Division and retired in the late 1990s, kept it until last month, when he turned it over to LAPD investigators.
Capt. Andrew Neiman, an LAPD media relations officer, said during a news conference Friday that investigators became aware of the knife in February after a retired officer brought it to their attention. He would not describe the knife or where it was found on the property, citing an investigation by the department’s open-case team. Neiman confirmed that the department has begun testing the knife for hair, fingerprints, DNA and other biological evidence. Neiman said it’s possible for investigators to find DNA evidence years after a crime. “We’re hopeful,” he said.
“We need to determine if it’s evidence,” Neiman said. “If it’s not, how do we prove one way or another that it’s not.” Early on the morning of June 13, 1994, Nicole Simpson and Goldman were found dead from multiple stab wounds outside O.J. Simpson’s condo in Brentwood. Nicole Simpson was nearly decapitated and had defensive wounds on her hands. Quickly identified as a suspect, O.J. Simpson surrendered to police four days later at his Brentwood mansion after a slow-speed highway chase that was televised to millions on television.
TMZ, which first reported news of the knife’s existence early Friday morning, says the knife was discovered by a construction worker at the former Simpson property at some point in the past, anywhere from several years ago to 1998, when the house was demolished by its next owner. The construction worker gave the knife to an off-duty LAPD officer who was working security in the vicinity of the house. The officer — whom Neiman says worked in the LAPD Traffic Division and retired in the late 1990s — then kept possession of it until the last month, when he turned it over to LAPD investigators. A jury found Simpson not guilty in 1995 in what was dubbed the “Trial of the Century,” during which no weapon was introduced as evidence.
[The tricky legal questions about the knife purportedly found on O.J. Simpson’s ​former property] Even if the newly discovered knife ends up being relevant, legal experts said there are practically no criminal consequences for Simpson. The LAPD will investigate it, however, because it considers the Simpson-Goldman slayings an open case.
According to TMZ, the officer asked a fellow cop for the case number of the Simpson murder investigation so he could have it engraved on the knife. The other officer told his superiors, who demanded that the knife be turned over to them, according to TMZ. Neiman confirmed that the department has begun testing the knife for hair, fingerprints, DNA and other biological evidence. “Because of double jeopardy, even if O.J. Simpson and the victims’ DNA was found on this knife, he can’t be charged” in the murders, Peter Arenella, a UCLA law professor, said.
Neiman said it’s possible for investigators to find DNA evidence years after the fact. “We’re hopeful,” he said. After he was acquitted, Simpson was found liable for Goldman’s death in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay Goldman’s family $33.5 million in damages.
Neiman revealed few other details about the knife or the investigation during his news conference. He would not reveal the name of the former officer who turned over the knife, nor would he say whether that person would be facing charges for withholding evidence, though he did express surprise that a former LAPD officer would do such a thing. In 2008, Simpson was found guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery charges in Nevada in an incident involving sports memorabilia. He is serving a 33-year prison sentence and is eligible for parole next year.
“I would think that an LAPD officer would know that anytime we come in contact with evidence that we should submit that to investigators,” Neiman said, adding later that the officer told investigators that he thought the case was closed, a “misunderstanding” that led him to believe he could keep the knife. Simpson never testified during his murder trial, so a perjury charge wouldn’t be an option, nor does he face any tort liability, since a civil jury has already found him financially responsible, Arnella said.
Assuming prosecutors could prove that the knife was the murder weapon and then establish “a chain of custody” to trace the knife’s history from beginning to end, it couldn’t be used against Simpson in court, said Roger Cossack, professor at Pepperdine University School of Law.
“There will be no new prosecution for O.J.,” Cossack said. “Double jeopardy applies for the crime of murder and will always apply, even if they were able to determine the knife was the murder weapon.”
Frank Zimring, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said the only criminal option left for prosecutors would be federal charges, which can be brought against someone who was acquitted in a state trial. But legal experts struggled to identify what — if any — federal statutes could be applied to Simpson.
Arenella said, “This is really a matter of state law, not federal law.”
Neiman revealed few details about the knife or the investigation during his news conference. He would not reveal the name of the former officer who turned over the knife, nor would he say whether that person would face charges for withholding evidence, although he did express surprise that a former LAPD officer would do such a thing.
Neiman also asked the person who discovered the knife at the Brentwood property to come forward in order to aid the investigation.Neiman also asked the person who discovered the knife at the Brentwood property to come forward in order to aid the investigation.
Early on the morning of June 13, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found dead from multiple stab wounds outside Simpson’s condo in Brentwood. Simpson was nearly decapitated and had defensive wounds on her hands. Quickly identified as a suspect, O.J. Simpson surrendered to police four days later at his Brentwood mansion after a surreal slow-speed highway chase that was televised to millions on television. Lindsey Bever contributed to this report.
No weapon was introduced as evidence during Simpson’s murder trial in 1995 and a jury found him not guilty in what was dubbed the “Trial of the Century.” Because Simpson was found not guilty, he cannot be re-tried because of any new information that comes to light. The LAPD will investigate it, however, because it considers the Simpson/Goldman slayings an open case.
In 1997, Simpson was found liable for Goldman’s death in a civil suit and was ordered to pay his family $33.5 million in damages. In 2008, Simpson was found guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery charges in Nevada over an incident involving sports memorabilia. He’s currently serving a 33-year prison sentence and is eligible for parole next year.
The O.J. Simpson case has received renewed attention in recent months because of the FX series “The People vs. O.J. Simpson,” a dramatization of the events surrounding the Brown/Goldman slayings.