O.J. Simpson: Knife Found Buried On Property, LAPD Says

Los Angeles Police are investigating a buck knife found buried outside the former home of O.J. Simpson, whose trial for the killings of his wife and an acquaintance more than two decades ago became one of the highest-profile murder cases in U.S. history.

LAPD Capt. Andrew Neiman confirmed in a press conference Friday that the knife had been found years ago but only made it to police officials "within the last month."

There is no information on whether the knife belonged to Simpson or if it had been used in the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, or the acquaintance, waiter Ronald Goldman.

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"Double jeopardy" is in play, Neiman said, meaning Simpson could not be charged with murder again, even if the newly discovered knife provides irrefutable evidence that he was behind the killings. Simpson is in jail for unrelated charges.

More than 20 years after the killings, the very mention of the "O.J. case," as it became known, still attracts wild attraction from conspiracy theorists, sociologists and large segments of every-day people who remember how the trial exposed both lingering racism in the country and a justice system that many felt let down the murder victims and their families.

"He got away with murder," Marcia Clark, one of the prosecutors on the case, told People Magazine on Wednesday.

Even Neiman, during his press conference, had to correct himself after he said "the O.J. Simpson" case, later calling it, officially, the "Nicole Simpson, Ronald Goldman double homicide."

Simpson, a college and professional football star, was acquitted of the murders after a nearly 11-month trial. The prosecution could never produce a murder weapon. A knife was presented to the judge, but was excluded as evidence because oil on the blade showed that it was brand new and couldn't have been used in the murder.

Neiman said that the case is still considered open since there has not been a conviction.

When reached by phone Friday morning, Michael Wright, a Goldman family representative, told Patch that they will have no comment.

The family, though, released a statement Friday afternoon through their PR firm:

“Until the LAPD completes its investigation of the recovered knife, the validity of the knife as it relates to Ron and Nicole’s murder is purely speculative," the statement said. "It is not a shock to our family that stories like this are making headlines again. 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."

The knife was found at Simpson's mansion at 360 N. Rockingham Ave in Brentwood, California, which was demolished in 1998. The murder happened at 875 S. Bundy Drive, in Los Angeles.

TMZ, citing police sources, first broke the story of the knife, saying that a construction worker found it and turned it over to a police officer, who held on to it for years before his superiors learned of its existence in January.

Neiman confirmed that the construction worker turned the knife over to an off-duty LAPD officer. The officer retired in the 1990s, Neiman said, but could not say whether the officer was retired at the time he came into possession of the knife.

"I was really surprised," Neiman said. "I would think that an LAPD officer, if this story is accurate, would know that any time you come into contact with evidence, you should submit that to investigators."

Neiman would not describe what the knife looks like.

TMZ called it a "folding buck knife," and the DA in the Simpson case said the murder weapon was likely a German stiletto knife.

Neiman would not say how long ago the knife was discovered but that it could have been found during the demolition of the mansion.

The officer asked a friend who works in LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division for the Simpson case's Departmental Record number, which he wanted to get engraved on a case to frame the knife in, TMZ reported, adding that the friend told the department, which made the officer turn the knife over to them.

The department is testing the knife for fingerprints and DNA traces, which could still linger even years later.

“It is being treated as we would all evidence. it has been submitted to our lab," Neiman said.

Neiman said there likely will be no administrative charges against the officer who had the knife, since it is not clear whether he was retired when it came into his possession. He could possibly face criminal charges, Neiman said.

Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in jail in 2008 for an armed robbery of a Las Vegas casino hotel.

The Simpson case has received newfound mainstream attention with the success of "The People v. O.J. Simpson," a true-crime TV show that stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Simpson.