Knife allegedly found on former OJ Simpson property

LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles police said they are testing a knife allegedly found at the former home of OJ Simpson, whose "Trial of the Century" transfixed Americans two decades ago.

The elite robbery-homicide division will determine whether the knife has any connection with the 1994 stabbing murders of the former football star's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, LAPD spokesman Andrew Neiman told a news conference on Friday.

The knife was turned over to an LA police officer several years ago by a construction worker at the Rockingham Avenue residence, he added.

"Within the last month, LAPD became aware of an item that was allegedly recovered by a citizen at the Rockingham property, possibly during the demolition of the site," Neiman said.

"We need to vet that. We still don't know if that's an accurate account of how this item came into our possession."



Neiman refused to comment on what kind of knife was found, saying that its description "could be germane to determining whether or not this actual piece of evidence is, in fact, evidence or it's just a facsimile or made-up story."

Fred and Kim Goldman, the father and sister of Ron Goldman, said in a joint statement that until the LAPD had completed its investigation, the knife's relevance remained "purely speculative."

"Being a victim/survivor is an ongoing process for all those impacted. We cannot validate every claim with a discussion, as it only creates more unnecessary hype and encourages the media circus," they added.

Trial of the Century

Simpson, 68, endured one of the highest-profile trials in US legal history for allegedly murdering Brown and her friend Goldman on June 13, 1994.

Detained four days later, after an infamous car chase that viewers across the country watched live on television, he was acquitted the following year in a trial that riveted millions of Americans.

A civil trial two years later found him responsible for the killings, ordering him to pay $33.5 million to the victims' families.

Simpson was jailed in 2007 for up to 33 years for an armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas, and remains behind bars.

Neiman confirmed that the double-murder is still an open case but added that under the "double-jeopardy" law, Simpson could not be tried again.

Investigators would test the knife for DNA, hair samples and bodily fluids, he said.

He told reporters that the officer, who has not been named and may face charges, was working on a movie set -- not uncommon among off-duty and retired LAPD officers -- when the knife came into his possession.

"I would think that an LAPD officer, if this story is accurate, as we are being told, would know that any time... you come into contact with evidence, that you should and shall submit that to investigators," Neiman told reporters.

But celebrity news website TMZ, citing "sources connected with the cop," later reported that the officer claims he called the LAPD as soon as he got the knife -- but that police took no action because of the double jeopardy issue.

"The cop says the supervisor showed no interest in the five-inch buck knife, so the cop put it in his bag, took it home and put it in his tool box, where it sat for almost 15 years," TMZ said.

Fame and glory

The discovery is the latest twist in a rags-to-riches story that saw Simpson rise from humble origins to become a household name before his transformation into one of the most notorious figures in American life.

Orenthal James Simpson was born on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco and grew up poor and suffering from rickets after his father left the family home.

He recovered from ill health to become a talented athlete whose speed over 100 yards propelled him to fame and glory on the football field as a running back for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.



A brief flirtation with sports commentary was largely a failure but Simpson parlayed his larger-than-life personality into lucrative advertising contracts and eventually a career in Hollywood.

He met Nicole Brown, then an 18-year-old waitress in a Rodeo Drive disco, at the height of his fame in 1977, eventually marrying her eight years later.

The relationship hit the rocks, however, and the couple divorced in 1992. On June 12, 1994, Brown and Goldman were found murdered outside her home.

Charged with double murder, Simpson's "dream-team" of lawyers persuaded the jury to acquit after a 10-month trial that split America along racial lines.

The case is currently subject of a hit television miniseries "The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story," which looks at the trial from the lawyers' point of view.