There could be new evidence in the case against O.J. Simpson and the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson.
The New York Times has reviewed recently unsealed court files, interviews and evidence, including information surrounding the missing murder weapon and Simpson’s alleged efforts to cover up the crime.
The newspaper wrote, “A decades-old document filed in an unrelated, obscure criminal case in New York — recently unsealed at the request of The Times — outlines the account of a prized informant who came forward with tantalizing information while Mr. Simpson’s 1995 murder trial was proceeding.”
The informant, according to a long-time federal prosecutor and praised by a judge, was called “extremely reliable” and was a close friend of Al Cowlings. He was also an associate of Simpson’s.
He was identified as Joseph Ippolito, a mafia associate for the DeCavalcante crime family, a drug runner, and a friend of Simpson. Ippolito is now dead.
Ippolito told law enforcement about where the alleged murder weapon was and efforts to dispose of it. The documents reviewed by the Times only gave broad information, not specifics.
The information was given to Los Angeles prosecutors too late in Simpson’s murder trial, the trial during which the pro-football player turned actor was acquitted of not only the murder of his wife but also her friend Ronald Goldman.
Ippolito was never called as a witness, the Times reported.
He may have had an even closer connection to the murders. Ippolito’s brother Sam said that his brother was at the scene. Sam Ippolito said his brother left their apartment around 6 p.m. the night of the murder, then came back around midnight carrying a bag with something heavy inside and appeared to have blood on his hands. Joseph Ippolito then undressed, put his clothes in the bag and asked his brother to dispose of it while he showered.
He also claims his brother called Cowlings, telling him that he had been “helping” Simpson.
Sam Ippolito told the Times he didn’t ask questions and threw the bag away in a dumpster near a construction site. The brothers then left Los Angeles and on the trip back east, when Sam asked his brother, he only said he “went to help O.J.” that night.
A friend of Joseph Ippolito, Eddie Trotta, said that he was told by Joseph that Cowlings hid and discarded the murder weapon, NJ.com reported.
Sam Ippolito said he should have come forward before now but that when his brother became a federal informant, the mafia attacked him in retaliation for his brother’s cooperation with the authorities, the Times reported.
Joseph Ippolito died in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2006, NJ.com reported.
Ippolito over the summer tried to recant what he told the newspaper, claiming he was under contract to tell the story to someone else, adding that previously he could not tell the difference between what was real and what wasn’t.
Friends and family of Joseph Ippolito told the newspaper they don’t think he could have been involved and that Sam Ippolito should not be trusted, adding that he may be trying to get attention and compensation.
An attorney for Simpson, who is also the executor of the estate, has spoken out about the Times reporting. Malcolm LaVergne told TMZ that while there is fascination with the case, it can be painful, even disrespectful to the victims’ family. He said that not only are Nicole Brown Simpson and Goldman dead, but Simpson is too, so no one can say exactly what happened.
LaVergne said he is focusing on settling the estate and addressing creditors’ claims.
As for the Simpson-Goldman case, the Los Angeles Police Department said the case is still open and ongoing.
Because of the acquittal, an LAPD spokesperson told the Times, “the department has an obligation to continue to pursue justice in this matter.” The spokesman added, “at a point that new evidence is found, detectives will follow those investigatory leads.”
While Simpson was acquitted, he was found liable for the deaths in civil court, TMZ reported. He died in 2024.
Click here to read the entire investigation by The New York Times.
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