Documents relating to O.J. Simpson, the NFL Hall of Fame running back who was acquitted of killing ex-wife Nicole Brown Smith and Ronald Goldman, have been released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The 475 pages mostly focus on the murder investigation, which made worldwide headlines after Simpson was named a person of interest and ultimately charged.
OJ Simpson last public video before his death at Super Bowl aged very poorly
He was later put on trial in 1995, with the spectacle often called one of the most famous trials of the century. In the end, Simpson was acquitted of all charges on October 3, 1995, though he was later found liable in a wrongful death in civil court two years later, and told to pay $33.5 million in damages to the families of Brown and Goldman.
Why did the FBI release the documents now?
Simpson always maintained his innoncence, even up to his passing, which happened in April 2024.
The FBI releases records to the public once individuals die. Nevertheless, some names have been redacted, with the FBI also calling the release of these documents ‘Part 01″. Despite the label, it is unclear whether more documents will be released.
Most of the files focus on the FBI evidence collection and testing, which includes fibers found at the crime scene, as well as blood testing.
The documents also reveal that the FBI went to Italy to study Bruno Magli shoes, as it was determined they were worn by the murderer and were rare. They also looked into the sales of the shoe and tried to understand the soles of two models which were sold in the USA at the time.
Also included is a memo the FBI sent to investigators given the attention the case was receiving.
“Due to the intense media interest in captioned matter, and the potential prejudicial impact that public dissemination could have on pending criminal proceedings, the following information should be handled on a strict need to know basis, and should not be disseminated outside the FBI,” the memo states.
