Photo: Getty Images
Does the glove fit?
By Alice Kelly
Written on Dec 28, 2020
Even though it has been decades since O.J. Simpson went on trial for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, the details and outcome of the case continue to divide opinions and send conspiracy theorists into a frenzy.
The latest theory to take flight, backed up by plenty of compelling evidence, places O.J.’s oldest son at the scene of the fatal June 12 1994 killings.
The O.J. Simpson conspiracy theory that O.J.'s son Jason killed Nicole Brown Simpson is not new.
The crime book O.J. Is Innocent And I Can Prove It by Dallas private investigator William Dear written back in 2012 pointed out evidence that could incriminate Jason Simpson. It was also a key theory in the 2000 BBC documentary O.J. Simpson: The Untold Story.
But thanks to some well-researched TikToks, the theory is having a revival.
Who Is Jason Simpson, O.J. Simpson's son?
Jason Simpson was born in 1970, O.J.'s first son and second child from his first marriage to Marguerite L. Whitley.
Jason was just 7 years old when his father started dating Nicole Brown while still married to Jason’s mother. His parents divorced in 1979 and O.J. went on to marry and father two more children with Nicole.
Jason had a difficult childhood. His youngest sister from O.J.’s first marriage, 1-year-old Aaren, tragically drowned in the family pool months after his parents' divorce.
Dear’s book suggests that Jason began abusing alcohol, ecstasy, and cocaine as early as age 14 and puts forward medical records that show 3 recorded suicide attempts.
By the time the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman took place, Jason Simpson was grappling with mental health issues and a criminal record.
What evidence suggests Jason Simpson killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman?
Dear’s 18-year investigation features an exhaustive list of evidence that supposedly substantiates the jury’s not-guilty verdict while the BBC documentary implies that there was never enough evidence to put O.J. on the stand.
Both sources put forward several suggestions of who else might be responsible for Nicole and Ron’s deaths but some of the most damning evidence points to Jason Simpson.
1. Jason Simpson has a criminal past.
Police reports indicate Jason was arrested at least 4 times prior to the murders. These arrests include a DUI, driving with a suspended license, and most notably assault with a deadly weapon.
Jason had violently attacked one girlfriend with a knife, almost killing her, and had assaulted another in the years leading up to his stepmother’s death by stabbing. At the time of the murder, he was on probation for attacking his boss with a kitchen knife.
While it was alleged that O.J. was also a perpetrator of domestic violence, he wasn’t known to use weapons in his attacks.
2. Jason has a diagnosed rage disorder.
Jason had been diagnosed with intermittent rage disorder which is commonly referred to as Jekyll and Hyde syndrome. This would make him prone to angry and violent outbursts.
Simpson was known to blackout and had been committed to a hospital on several occasions after hearing voices in his head. While he was prescribed Depakote to cope with anger and seizures, Dear’s book says that he had stopped taking his medication in the months leading up to the murders.
The book, documentary, and an extensive Business Insider article imply that Simpson’s motive for the killings was a fit of unexplained rage. Business Insider also states that on the night of the murders Brown was supposed to dine at the restaurant where Jason worked but changed her mind last minute, possibly without notifying her step-son.
3. His private diary reveals violent thoughts.
Dear obtained diaries belonging to Jason that talked about wanting to hurt anyone who had wronged his loved ones.
Source: O.J. Is Innocent And I Can Prove It
A note titled “Dear Jason” demonstrates manic thoughts and describes the writer as being three people. Handwriting experts concluded that Jason had written the note himself.
4. Physical evidence links Jason to the murder scene.
A black knit “navy watch cap” found at the scene did not match any fibers found on O.J. The hat was also coated in dog hairs. O.J. did not own a dog but Jason did.
Photographs found in Jason’s storage locker show that Jason wore watch caps frequently. One image, dated 3/24/93, shows Jason sitting with his dog while wearing an identical cap to that found at the murder site.
Source: O.J. Is Innocent And I Can Prove It
The LAPD found 15 unknown fingerprints at Nicole’s Brentwood home where the murder took place, none of which matched O.J.’s prints. The police also failed to compare them to Jason’s prints.
There was also blood and skin found under Nicole’s fingernails that did not match O.J.’s DNA.
Ron Goldman, a 3rd-degree black belt, was found with bruised hands suggesting he had fought back against his attacker. O.J. stripped for LAPD a day after the murders and showed no signs of bruising. Jason’s DNA was never requested by the police nor was he interviewed by LAPD.
4. A knife was found in Jason's storage locker.
Dear purchased the contents of a storage locker owned by Jason at the time of the murders which contained a knife that matched the description of the murder weapon.
The swiss and stiletto knives owned by O.J. were ruled out as the murder weapons but a forensic scientist hired by Dear to examine Jason’s knife concluded that the butt of the knife matches the injury Nicole suffered at the top of her head.
Jason had previously attended the Army and Navy Academy and a former classmate told Dear that he had been trained in hand-to-hand combat as well as field knife training. O.J., on the other hand, was known to hate the sight of blood.
5. Jason has no alibi.
The LAPD determined that the murders took place between 9:45 pm and 10:05 pm. After 9:50 pm, Jason was alone and has no alibi that can be supported by someone else.
At the restaurant where he worked, Jason’s time card for the night of June 12 was handwritten even though the electronic time clock was working, meaning his alibi could be false.
Jason was known to have a love/hate relationship with the mother of his youngest siblings and was possibly infuriated that she hadn’t come to see him at work.
6. O.J. hired a defense team for Jason.
In the days after the murders, and four days before his own arrest, O.J. hired top criminal attorney Carl Jones to represent his oldest son. However, Jason had never even been interviewed by police nor was he being investigated for the murders.
If a client is wrongfully accused of murder the most logical argument for a defense lawyer is to suggest who, other than their client, could be responsible. Yet O.J.’s “dream team” defense made no attempt to do so. Is it possible that this is because O.J. was protecting his son from being incriminated?
Alice Kelly is a writer who covers news, entertainment, and trending topics. She is a pop-culture enthusiast with a passion for conspiracy theories.