New allegations suggest O.J. Simpson had help after 1994 murdersJosh DuBose Tue, October 20, 2026 at 5:57 AM UTC
More than three decades after O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, a new investigation is raising questions about whether the former NFL star had help covering up the 1994 killings.
The allegations, detailed in a bombshell investigation published Sunday by The New York Times, center on Joseph “Joey” Ippolito, a convicted drug trafficker with ties to organized crime who later became an FBI informant.
According to The Times, Ippolito may have helped Simpson dispose of evidence, including the murder weapon, which was never recovered.
The claims are based in part on newly unsealed federal records and an account from Ippolito’s brother, Sam, who alleged that Joey returned to a Los Angeles apartment the night of the June 12, 1994, murders with blood on his hands and a bag containing a heavy object.
Sam reportedly told the newspaper that his brother instructed him to dispose of the bag, which he claimed to have thrown into a dumpster near a construction site.
O.J. Simpson and his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, arrive for the opening of the Harley-Davidson Cafe in New York on Oct. 19, 1993. Simpson, the decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial, has died. He was 76. (AP Photo/Paul Hurschmann, File)
He also alleged that Joey later admitted to helping Simpson in the aftermath of the killings.
However, Sam subsequently attempted to withdraw his account after The Times declined his request for payment, raising questions about the credibility of his allegations.
Ippolito, who died in 2006, was a close friend of Al Cowlings, the man behind the wheel of the white Ford Bronco during Simpson's infamous low-speed police chase.
While the new allegations have reignited interest in one of the nation's most notorious murder cases, the lead detective who investigated the killings says he's not convinced.
"As far as the police perspective goes, cops work on evidence, not supposition," retired Los Angeles Police Department Detective Tom Lange said. "If there was anything to this, we need to see the evidence and then take it from there."
In this June 17, 1994, file photo, a white Ford Bronco, driven by Al Cowlings carrying O.J. Simpson, is trailed by Los Angeles police cars as it travels on a freeway in Los Angeles. Simpson, the decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial, has died. He was 76. (AP Photo/Joseph Villarin, File)
Lange, who helped lead the original investigation, said Ippolito was already known to authorities during the murder probe, but investigators never uncovered evidence connecting him to the crime scene.
"His name came up three different times, but from federal sources," Lange said, adding that the information had nothing to do with the murder investigation.
The retired detective also pushed back on suggestions that the new revelations fundamentally change what investigators established more than 30 years ago.
"Until there is hard evidence, to point to direct evidence, or even some circumstantial evidence, that's fine," Lange said. "This case was solved, filed back then and it just has never been any physical evidence at the crime scene of anyone else being there, period."
Simpson was acquitted of the double murder in October 1995 following a highly publicized trial that captivated the country.
Two years later, a civil jury found him liable for the deaths of Brown Simpson and Goldman.
Despite the criminal acquittal, the LAPD still considers the double-homicide investigation open because no one has been criminally convicted.
Prominent defense attorney Mark Geragos, speaking on NewsNation, noted that there is no statute of limitations on murder, meaning investigators could still pursue new evidence decades after the killings.
Simpson died in April 2024 at age 76.
With Ippolito also deceased and questions surrounding his brother's account, it remains unclear whether the newly uncovered information will lead investigators to revisit any aspect of the case.
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Source: Crime