NEW YORK – O.J. Simpson created an uproar Wednesday with plans for a TV interview and a book titled “If I Did It” – an account the publisher pronounced “his confession” and media executives condemned as revolting and exploitative.
Fox, which plans to air an interview with Simpson Nov. 27 and 29, said Simpson describes how he would have committed the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, “if he were the one responsible.”
Denise Brown, sister of Simpson’s slain ex-wife, lashed out at publisher Judith Regan of ReganBooks for “promoting the wrongdoing of criminals” and commercializing abuse. The book goes on sale Nov. 30.
She added: “It’s unfortunate that Simpson has decided to awaken a nightmare that we have painfully endured and worked so hard to move beyond.”
Regan refused to say what Simpson is being paid for the book but said he came to her with the idea.
“This is an historic case, and I consider this his confession,” Regan said.
Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of murder after a trial that became an instant cultural flashpoint and a source of racial tension. The former football star was later found liable for the deaths in a wrongful-death suit filed by the Goldman family. In the years since, he has been mocked relentlessly by late-night comedians, particularly for his vow to hunt down the real killers.
The victims’ families could go after the proceeds from the book’s sales to pay off the judgment. But one legal analyst said there are ways to get around that requirement – such as having proceeds not go directly to Simpson.
“Clever lawyering can get you a long way,” said Laurie Levenson, a Loyola University law school professor and former federal prosecutor who has followed the case closely.
Levenson noted that the criminal justice system’s protection against double jeopardy means Simpson’s book, explosive as it may be, should not expose him to any new legal danger. She added that Simpson could create an extra layer of insulation from any legal worries by presenting the story hypothetically.
“He can write pretty much whatever he wants,” Levenson said. “Unless he’s confessing to killing somebody else, he can probably do this with impunity.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
