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LAPD Investigate Knife Found On Former Property Of O.J. Simpson

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

Here in Los Angeles, police are investigating possible new evidence in a case that's nearly 22 years old - the double homicide of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Police say it's a knife that was claimed to have been found on the former property of O. J. Simpson. NPR's Kirk Siegler reports the knife is now being submitted for DNA testing.

KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE: The LAPD says they learned of the existence of this knife about a month ago. A now-retired LAPD officer allegedly got it from a construction worker at the site of O. J. Simpson's estate in the posh Brentwood neighborhood here. The Rockingham estate has since been demolished. LAPD spokesman Andy Neiman told reporters today he was shocked to learn of this latest twist, but he cautioned this whole thing could be a hoax.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ANDY NEIMAN: I'm not going to go into the description of the knife because that could be germane to determining whether or not this actual piece of evidence is, in fact, evidence, or it's just a facsimile or a made-up story.

SIEGLER: The knife is set to undergo DNA testing in an LAPD forensics lab. It's not clear how long it will take for the results. It's also not clear why the retired police officer apparently waited as long as he did to turn the knife over to police. The lack of a murder weapon was always seen as one of the setbacks for prosecutors in the Simpson case. There has been renewed interest in the O. J. saga since "The People v. O. J. Simpson" series launched recently on the TV network FX.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "AMERICAN CRIME STORY")

SARAH PAULSON: (As Marcia Clark) Yeah, what've you got?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Got two victims in Brentwood.

PAULSON: (As Marcia Clark) Brentwood? Nobody gets killed in Brentwood.

SIEGLER: The LAPD's Andy Neiman said today the case itself is still considered open. Simpson was charged but later acquitted. Even if it turns out this latest twist is credible, though...

NEIMAN: Double jeopardy would be in place here, so we could not charge Mr. Simpson with the homicides that he's already been charged with because he's been acquitted.

SIEGLER: Simpson was acquitted in the double homicide case in October of 1995. Kirk Siegler, NPR News, Culver City, Calif. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Kirk Siegler
As a correspondent on NPR's national desk, Kirk Siegler covers rural life, culture and politics from his base in Boise, Idaho.
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