O.J. Simpson's new book tells all...
Hypothetically speaking, of course. ![]()
Victims' families lash out at O.J. Simpson, network, publisher over book, interview
The Associated Press
Victims' relatives are angry at the planned publication of a book by O.J. Simpson in which he discusses how he would have killed his ex-wife and her friend "if I did it."
"He destroyed my son and took from my family Ron's future and life. And for that I'll hate him always and find him despicable," Fred Goldman said in an interview broadcast Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America."
The book, "If I Did It," is being published by ReganBooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, and goes on sale Nov. 30. Fox, which like Harper Collins is owned by News Corp., is airing a two-part TV interview of Simpson on Nov. 27 and 29.
Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of murder in the 1994 killings of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman after a trial that became a source of national racial tension. He was later found liable for the deaths in a wrongful-death suit filed by the Goldman family but has failed to pay the $33.5 million (€26.19 million) judgment.
Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, accused publisher Judith Regan of "promoting the wrongdoing of criminals" and commercializing abuse.
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, which is being offered for $16.47 (€13). She said he came to her with the idea.
"This is an historic case, and I consider this his confession," Regan told The Associated Press.
In a brief promotional clip from the interview posted on Fox's Web site, Simpson, says, "I don't think any two people could be murdered without everybody being covered in blood."
Simpson did not return numerous calls for comment. Simpson's own attorney, Yale Galanter, said he did not know about the book or the interview until this week.
Simpson and the families of the victims have wrangled over the wrongful-death lawsuit money in court for years.
The families could go after the money 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 money 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.
As explosive as the interview or book may be, the criminal justice system's protection against double jeopardy means Simpson's book should not expose him to any new criminal charges, she said.
"He's snubbing his finger to the system, to the community again," Goldman's sister, Kim Goldman, told CNN's Larry King Live. "He's telling us one more time, 'I'm gonna continue to get away with killing your family members and I'm not gonna honor the judgment and look at me, ha, ha, ha.'"