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LAPD Testing Knife From OJ's House

The world will never move on from OJ Simpson. Here's the newest development with the testing of the knife a cop held onto reportedly found at OJ's Buckingham estate.

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    Not guilty (none / 0) (#1)
    by Peter G on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 02:25:44 PM EST
    is not guilty. Liable for wrongful death is liable for wrongful death. End of story. Statute of limitations for tampering with a crime scene (by the cop) has long run out.

    Just interesting to possbily have another (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 02:45:03 PM EST
    piece of the puzzle. I hope no one is suggesting the case can be re-tried.

    Parent
    Fascinating that it pops up (none / 0) (#12)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:16:38 PM EST
    Exactly in the middle of the series.   (I assume there is 10 episodes) I was watching #5 when I saw this in the interwebs.
    Popping up before the series would be too obvious.   After pointless.

    But seriously, anyone watching?  I am finding it sort of gripping.   Like I mentioned I knew almost nothing about the story but the broadest strokes.   It's unbelievable.  Literally.


    Parent

    Then-L.A. District Attorney Gil Garcetti ... (none / 0) (#24)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 04:58:35 PM EST
    ... is the father of the city's current mayor, Eric Garcetti. Amazingly, despite the effin fiasco that was the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, the guy was re-elected in 1996. And son Eric hasn't exactly been impressing L.A. residents all that much as their mayor, either.

    Parent
    I'm loving the show so far (none / 0) (#29)
    by McBain on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 07:30:59 PM EST
    It's great and terrible at the same time.  Most of the performances are solid.  I feel sorry for Chris Darden right now.

    Parent
    I'm watching ...of course, what don't I watch? (none / 0) (#33)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 09:11:43 PM EST
    It is very well done, almost eerie. The performances are great. I love Courtney B Vance as Cochran. And the guy that plays Darden is perfect. all perfectly cast, except Cuba Gooding Jr, IMO. He is just physically wrong. Good actor, but when he stands between Travolta and Scwimmer, it is just wrong that he is smaller than they are.

    Even though I thought I remembered it all pretty well, every now and then there is something thrown in that makes me go 'oh yeah, that happened'.- like the appearance of Dominick Dunne in the last episode. How could I have forgotten that?

    Parent

    I'm in agreement (none / 0) (#34)
    by NYShooter on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 11:50:11 PM EST
    regarding Gooding as Simpson. Gooding is a great, great actor, it's just that he's miscast here. Besides being quite a bit smaller than O.J. is, I feel that he's over playing the O.J. character. I don't recall Simpson being that wound up, that much out of control, and, just seemingly ready to, "lose it," at any moment.

    Anyway, kudos to John Travolta, and, his portrayal of Robert Shapiro. After seeing many of the roles Travolta has played, the way he portrays the pretentious, Jewish, Hollywood lawyer was simply magnificent, again, IMO.

    I don't know what to make of Sarah Paulson playing Marcia Clark. She's a very good actor, but, whether her rendition of Clark in the movie is authentic, I just don't know. When this thing was happening many years ago, I was like a lot of other people, meaning, I found a lot of flaws in her handling of the case. Of course, my being a layman, a rank amateur, doesn't mean my criticisms held any validity. I don't want to re-litigate the case here, so all I'll say is that Johnnie Cochran was a lot like Donald Trump is today. In other words, Johnnie "read" the audience (jury) much better than Clark did. And, as we've been witnessing, the showman, Donald Trump, knows exactly what kind of red meat his audience will absolutely "eat up."

    That's it for my critique.

    Parent

    Marcia Clark presented a Case. (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 07:37:19 AM EST
    Johnny Cochran presented a Cause.

    LA Cops, PD & Sheriffs, had been using blacks as their punching bag for decades.  This was showtime, and the people punched back.

    Parent

    If that is the case (none / 0) (#49)
    by nyjets on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 01:38:44 PM EST
    IF that actually happened, that the whole case was a travesty.
    The purpose of the criminal trial was to determine the guilt  of OJ, not a cause.

    Parent
    That is the case (none / 0) (#50)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 04:54:30 PM EST
    And it was a travesty

    Parent
    Well, that's it in a nutshell. (none / 0) (#51)
    by NYShooter on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 05:30:20 PM EST
    The prosecution wanted to prove who committed the murders.

    The defense wanted to prove the LAPD had treated the A.A. community badly, and this was an opportunity to get back at them.

    Marcia Clark proved her murder case.

    Unfortunately, Cochrane was able to blind the jury regarding murder, and made the case about it being just another instance of the LAPD acting badly towards a black icon.

    In the end it came down to Johnny knowing the jury better than Marcia.

    Parent

    The thing I'm finding most stunning (none / 0) (#52)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 05:33:02 PM EST
    About the series, assuming it's true, is how completely clueless Ckark and the rest were in the PR battle.

    Parent
    For example (none / 0) (#53)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 05:38:49 PM EST
    In the last episode the jury visited the houses.  They had completely emptied Nicole's house to the floors and walls and they completely redecorated OJs to make it look more like what the jury would want to see.

    They made it seem like this was all a surprise to Clark, how is that possible, and it seemed to go completely unchallenged.

    It just looks like they were in way over their heads.

    Parent

    From what I remember, Clark did object ... (none / 0) (#57)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Mar 09, 2016 at 03:42:22 AM EST
    ... strenuously to the significant changes the defense made to Rockingham's appearance, and she asked Judge Ito to bar the jury from visiting the site. Ito overruled her objection and the visit took place.

    Parent
    I'm Not Watching the Mini-Series (none / 0) (#54)
    by RickyJim on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 07:07:55 PM EST
    But I watched quite a bit of the original trial.  The jury decided that the defense were better lawyers and they were right.  The evidence was poorly presented and summarized by the prosecution.  From interviews with the jurors, I gather they thought that the prosecution didn't answer all the questions raised by the defense.  But the prosecution didn't assert that their job was to show that there was no reasonable OJ innocent explanation for the evidence and their failure to keep hammering that point home was fatal to their case.

    Parent
    Yep (none / 0) (#55)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 07:51:35 PM EST
    Better lawyers

    Parent
    I don't think it was quite that simple, NY (none / 0) (#56)
    by McBain on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 07:54:02 PM EST
    The prosecution had problems in addition to race relations.  DNA evidence was relatively new and they spent WAY too much time explaining it to the jury.  Then the defense was able to use the #1 DNA lawyer, Barry Scheck, to point out some problems with how the evidence was handled.  What should have been a strength, was turned into a weakness by better lawyers.

    There was the also the glove demo debacle.  

    Not everyone on the jury was black.  I think some just felt Clark and co. didn't prove their murder case.

    Parent

    I think (none / 0) (#35)
    by jbindc on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 06:28:52 AM EST
    Travolta is miscast as Bob Shapiro - he doesn't look anything like him (too bulky) and I feel like he is overacting in the role.

    I agree about Gooding and not being the right size, but he's doing a great job.

    I actually do like David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, but I just can't help but still see Ross Geller from "Friends".

    And Courtney B. Vance, as always, is excellent.  It's basically the same role he played as the ADA in "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," where he had the same intensity and slow, low, clipped talking.


    Parent

    Travolta is transfixing (none / 0) (#36)
    by ruffian on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 06:32:20 AM EST
    Thoroughly enjoyable portrayal of a character - I really have no strong memories about Shapiro from the time - by the time I got interested in the case he had been relegated to the background, so I don't have an opinion as to how well he (and the writers)  captured the man.

    I think Paulson is doing great, from what I remember of the energy of Marcia Clark, the speech patterns, etc. And obviously they got the look captured to perfection in her case.  It will be interesting to see the courtroom scenes.

    Parent

    To be more precise (none / 0) (#2)
    by nyjets on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 02:38:34 PM EST
    Not guilty means the prosecution failed to prove their case and they can not try OJ for the murders again.

    Parent
    Pardon... (none / 0) (#4)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 02:53:13 PM EST
    my silly overactive imagination...but say the crime lab finds traces of the victims DNA on the knife, and the cop's DNA, and they charge the cop with the murder.  Can The Juice get his money back?

    Parent
    No (none / 0) (#5)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 02:57:37 PM EST
    But if it shows that it was the murder weapon and they can somehow tie it to OJ, it would be nice to have answers.

    The Goldmans and Browns will never be able to completely move on.

    Parent

    What if they "tie it" (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Mr Natural on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:05:24 PM EST
    to a one-armed man?

    Parent
    My prediction: the cop took/stole it (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by Peter G on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:06:59 PM EST
    from the kitchen as a souvenir, and it turns out to have no connection with the murders at all.

    Parent
    Probaby something along those lines (none / 0) (#8)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:08:13 PM EST
    From media reports, ... (none / 0) (#28)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 05:41:51 PM EST
    ... and there have been an ad nauseum amount of them today concerning this development, the knife in question was first found in July 1998 by a demolition worker on the grounds of Simpson's former estate on Rockingham Ave. in Brentwood, which had just been sold per terms of the civil verdict won by the Goldman family. The wealthy new owners were probably less than enamored with their property's notoriety, and were tearing the structures down to build something more to their liking.

    Anyway, that worker went outside to the street, flagged down a policeman who was just down Rockingham Ave. directing traffic for a local movie shoot, and turned the knife over, explaining that he found it buried in the back of the property where he and other workers were prepping the guest cottage for demolition.

    It was this policeman, now retired, who then allegedly decided to keep it as a personal souvenir, rather than turn it over to investigators as I assume departmental protocols would have otherwise dictated.

    Again allegedly, this now-retired cop only turned the knife over just now to LAPD because amazingly, while watching the "People vs. O.J. Simpson" miniseries on FX network, he was inspired to see it officially tagged by LAPD as evidence of the long-since concluded criminal investigation, so he could then have it framed for display in his home.

    To find out how to make that happen, Mr. Retired Cop called a friend still on active duty at the department as a detective, who -- surprise! -- was appalled to learn this and told his superiors. Reportedly, per KTLA-TV, he did not give up the knife willingly.

    Personally, I believe that this recent disclosure doesn't necessarily mean that the knife is in fact the long-missing murder weapon. For starters, there is a clear and compelling reason to question and doubt its actual chain of custody, which of course compromises any attempts to come to such a conclusion. For all we know, that knife might even predate Simpson's ownership of the Rockingham property.

    But honestly, and speaking for myself only, I can't think of a no deserving person than O.J. Simpson, as a reason for people to jump to such conclusions.

    Only in L.A., Peter. Only in L.A. ;-D

    Parent

    UPDATE: The Associated Press .... (none / 0) (#32)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 08:51:11 PM EST
    ... is reporting that upon forensic examination, LAPD has determined the knife in question is "inconsistent" with the other evidence in the case. (Seriously, L.A. media, how could you be scooped by the AP on this story?)

    Further, the contractor whose company demolished Simpson's former estate on Rockingham Ave. dismissed news of the purported find as a "joke," saying that back in the '90s, everybody wanted their little piece of O.J. Simpson.

    So it looks like once again, everyone's time has been wasted, even if a good time was had by all.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Mr. Goldman starred down (none / 0) (#10)
    by MKS on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:12:57 PM EST
    Mr. Legal Zoom during the trial, dumping a heap of Jewish guilt on him, so he was understanding and apologized sort of--or so I dimly recall.

    Parent
    "stared" or is it "starred?' (none / 0) (#11)
    by MKS on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:13:58 PM EST
    as in, gave him the evil eye.

    Parent
    Nope (none / 0) (#9)
    by MKS on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:10:19 PM EST
    Silly you, none of those things matter.  This case will go on forever.

    And, this story even knocked Trump off the news.

    Parent

    Not for long... (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:17:28 PM EST
    Trump can't be havin' that...I expect an announcement that his running mate will be Mark Fuhrman any minute now.

    Parent
    The lawyer from the Goldman civil case (none / 0) (#15)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:19:13 PM EST
    Is already defending him in Trump Universtiy.   So some one on MSNBC said.

    Parent
    Why Not Orenthal... (none / 0) (#19)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:39:47 PM EST
    ... if you gonna go crazy, go full on.

    Parent
    As a long-term guest ... (none / 0) (#22)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 04:44:14 PM EST
    ... of the State of Nevada, I believe that Mr. Simpson is presently unavailable, and is likely to remain so for the duration of the campaign. But he might be more than happy to offer Donald Trump his endorsement -- provided, of course, that the candidate first drops to his knees.

    Ooh, I can't believe I just went there. I'm so bad. Then again, Trump teed me up, and you just handed me a 2-iron, so I think I'll have to man up and say that it's all your guys' fault.

    ;-D

    Parent

    I Was Thinking Orenthal... (none / 0) (#26)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 04:59:46 PM EST
    ... could pull an El Chapo.

    Honestly, when you think about what's happened so far, stabbings, guns, penis envy, booger eating hammers and moms, reality TV stars, fast food hold-ups, is an escaped famous felon as VP really that far out.  

    Seems to me it's the fuel that is keeping the Crazy Train from going off the rails.

    Parent

    So a construction worker found this knife...... (none / 0) (#14)
    by McBain on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:18:57 PM EST
    and gave it to a cop but the cop held on to if for years instead of turning it in?  Doesn't sound right.

    Why (none / 0) (#16)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:21:59 PM EST
    Souvenir.   Whats difficult about that.

    He contacted another cop to get the case number because he wanted to have it engraved on the knife.   And got busted.   He did not give it up willingly.

    Who knows if it's real.   But nothing difficult about the motivations.

    Parent

    He wanted a souvenir that might have been (none / 0) (#17)
    by McBain on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:32:01 PM EST
    important evidence  and thought he could mention that to another cop?  Possible?.... sure.  Just seems unlikely.  

    Parent
    According to NBC... (none / 0) (#20)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:41:53 PM EST
    Investigators also trying to confirm the ex-cop's story to determine who'd handled the knife before he obtained it.

    The retired officer told investigators that he went to police at the time and was told it was worthless, and could keep it, the officials said. But when he mentioned it to an LAPD detective recently, the detective told him to turn it over.


    LINK

    Parent
    Ya, I agree. (none / 0) (#18)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:33:07 PM EST
    My son's boy scout troop was fixing up a neglected courtyard at a local HS a year or two ago, and when they were digging to plant some trees they found a bone. A femur bone. A human femur bone, as far as I could tell. Seemed to match up pretty well with my own thigh.

    I suggested they call the popo. The dad in charge of the scout project said "Maybe later. We are under a time limit and I don't want anything to interfere."

    He ended up taking the bone home as a souvenir. Some months later he got bored of it sitting in his garage and threw it out.

    Parent

    That is Fricken Nutz... (none / 0) (#21)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 03:45:07 PM EST
    ... but way too believable.

    Parent
    (Sigh!) Only in L.A. ... (none / 0) (#23)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 04:47:12 PM EST
    ;-D

    Parent
    Ridiculous Story (none / 0) (#27)
    by RickyJim on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 05:02:17 PM EST
    The knife was found after the OJ house was demolished? What the heck could a knife found on a site where there has been construction have, years after a crime committed at another place?

    The favorite tabloid theory about what OJ did with the murder weapon (having some testimony to back it up) is that he dumped the bag with the knife and Bruno Magli shoes in a garbage container at the airport on his way to Chicago.  The garbage dump used by airport sanitation was never searched, for some strange reason, even though the cops had a witness telling them that they had seen him put something into a garbage can there.

    "Sources" say this knife not consistent (none / 0) (#30)
    by McBain on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 08:00:41 PM EST
    with murder weapon...

    The sources would not elaborate on specifics, but they said that the characteristics and condition of the knife were not consistent with the weapon used in the Brown and Goldman murders nor does it appear it was buried for a length of time that would put it in the time frame of the slayings.


    Well (none / 0) (#31)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Mar 04, 2016 at 08:38:43 PM EST
    at least there's an answer to that question.

    Parent
    Yep, I used to ski with (none / 0) (#38)
    by fishcamp on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 08:41:44 AM EST
    Nicole, her sister, and a batch of kids.  OJ didn't ski.  I don't think the NFL lets their guys ski.

    You must be (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by jbindc on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 08:43:33 AM EST
    The most fascinating person in real life. :)

    Parent
    thanks jb... (5.00 / 3) (#40)
    by fishcamp on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 09:14:32 AM EST
    I used to be kind of fascinating way back then, but now it's just memories that kick in when these stories start me up here on the blog, and remind the old brain cells.  

    Parent
    Did you (none / 0) (#41)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 09:27:53 AM EST
    ever see any inkling of what was to come? So sad for Nicole that she was starting over when her life ended.

    Parent
    No not really Ga, (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by fishcamp on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 10:33:21 AM EST
    but Nicole was hanging out with a bartender from Meszzaluna restaurant in Aspen.  He ultimately moved to LA and worked at the Mezzaluna down there.  After the murder he came back to Aspen and told me while he was at Nicole's house he saw OJ peeking in the window once.  That's when he immediately transferred back to the Aspen Mezzaluna.  Strangely he went to high school down here in the Keys.

    Parent
    I don't even know what to say anymore about (none / 0) (#42)
    by ruffian on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 09:40:42 AM EST
    all your connections. Must be interesting to have 6 degrees or less of separation from every major news story.

    Parent
    It's not really that ruffian. (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by fishcamp on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 10:49:01 AM EST
    I guess it's the stars that lived in Aspen, the Aspen Ski Co. calling me to ski with visiting dignitaries who didn't want an affiliated ski instructor, and the 15 years of working with American Sportsman, where we always had a star with us.  When someone here on the blog mentions a person I knew the stories come out.  In truth I'm just an old fisherman with an exciting past.

    Parent
    In fact I just put (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by fishcamp on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 11:46:43 AM EST
    Clorox Cleanup in the washing machine instead of Clorox.  Wonder what color my sheets will be this time.  I need someone to watch over me.  In Scotland they call them minders.

    Parent
    Ha! Yes, I need a minder too (none / 0) (#48)
    by ruffian on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 12:09:01 PM EST
    OT, but maybe related to murder...I am convinced an entire CSI unit will be called to my house someday to figure out how I died. It will be some freak accident like hitting myself in the head opening the linen closet, as I did once.   Wish I would be around to see the scene.

    Parent
    When I saw the video of (none / 0) (#46)
    by oculus on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 11:02:56 AM EST
    Syndegaard and Cespedes riding to Mets spring training on horseback, I wondered if their contracts barred riding horses.

    Parent
    Rockingham (none / 0) (#43)
    by KD on Sat Mar 05, 2016 at 09:48:12 AM EST
    It's Rockingham, not Buckingham.