OJ Simpson remarks on Alex Murdaugh trial: 'I don’t know why they think I’m an expert on it'
O.J. Simpson gave his take on the Alex Murdaugh double-murder trial on Thursday as jurors in the case began their deliberations after weeks of testimony.
The jury determined that Murdaugh, 54, would be sent to prison for possibly the rest of his life for allegedly gunning down his 22-year-old son, Paul, and his wife, Maggie, 52. Prosecutors have argued that he slaughtered Paul and Maggie on June 7, 2021, near the dog kennels on the family's hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina, in a desperate act of self-preservation.
Dozens of witnesses took the stand over the last six weeks.
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Simpson was among the armchair quarterbacks who weighed in with his thoughts on the trial. He rambled for more than three minutes in a Twitter video.
"A whole lot of people asking me about this Alex Murdaugh trial. I don’t know why they think I’m an expert on it. But I got to admit when he took the stand, a guy who’s [a] habitual liar, I did watch. When the trial first started, I watched him take the stand, and I thought it was probably a mistake because the guy is an admitted liar, and it’s hard for me to think he could be on the stand for five, six, seven, eight days without lying," Simpson said. "The question is: What did he lie about? But lying and stealing money is a little different than murder."
"I realized watching him testify what he was doing. He was just trying to relate to one or two of those jurors that he was a good ‘ol boy. He was one of them. I’m not sure he didn’t succeed in doing that. I am not really qualified to say if the guy did it or he didn’t do it. If a juror missed an hour of testimony, they no longer qualify. I missed days that I haven’t watched this," he continued.
"But from what I’ve seen. Do I think it’s more likely that he did it? Yes," Simpson said. "But more likely equals reasonable doubt. So, from what I know, I would have to say there’s a lot of reasonable doubt. He’s going to go to jail for all the thievery he did – stealing millions of dollars from people. I think he should be looked at more about the death of his housekeeper a few years ago where he ended up with over $4 million of the insurance money. I think they should take a hard look at that. But it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this guy beats this case."
Simpson drew parallels to his own Las Vegas conviction. He was convicted in 2008 and served nine years in prison for leading five men, including two with guns, in a September 2007 confrontation with two sports collectibles dealers at a Las Vegas casino hotel. He was granted parole in 2017 and was released from parole in 2021.
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"He’s going to go to jail. He’s going to go to jail for all the money he’s stole," Simpson added. "I’m curious there because I got nine to 33 years because I caught some guys trying to sell my stolen property and I yelled at them, and even they think I shouldn’t go to jail, and the judge gave me nine to 33 years. I’m trying to see what this guy is going to get."
"I was up there with guys who had robbed casinos and robbed banks two to three times, and they had half the time or a third of the time that I got," Simpson said. "So, I’m always curious to see what kind of time these guys get with stealing millions of dollars when I caught guys stealing my stolen property. The state of California, after I was convicted, ruled it was my property, and they gave it to me, so I have it now. So, how do you go to jail for catching guys who were trying to sell your stolen property?"
"Nevertheless, I do think this guy more than likely did it. But once again, more than likely is tantamount to reasonable doubt. It would work against him in a civil trial, but I don’t know if it will work against him in this criminal trial."
Simpson was charged in the 1994 murders of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. He was acquitted in a televised and widely watched criminal trial.
The victims’ families filed a civil suit against Simpson, and in 1997, the former Buffalo Bills running back was ordered to pay $33.5 million for the wrongful deaths of the two victims.
In 2019, Simpson told the Associated Press that he would no longer discuss the killings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.