Former NFL star O.J. Simpson was acquitted after being accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman.
The FBI has just released over 500 documents pertaining to this inquiry. The papers show that the scene had the bloodstained shoe print of Bruno Magli, as well as clothing, the now-infamous Ford Bronco that Simpson owned, and hair samples.
While fellow NFL retiree Al Cowlings drove his white Ford Bronco, Simpson infamously led authorities on a low-speed chase through southern California. Some saw his flight as an admission of guilt. Others saw it as a fearful retreat by a man wrongfully accused.
The horrific double murder shook and divided the nation.
One of the most compelling pieces of evidence was the bloody footprints of the killer. They were identified as an expensive pair of Italian shoes that O.J. Simpson was known to wear.
The exclusive Italian manufacturer sold less than 300 pairs nationwide. According to testimony from an FBI shoe treads specialist, he visited two Italian companies while conducting the inquiry.
The FBI archived photos of Simpson wearing Bruno Magli shoes before the killings, and the images were tagged with the designation “K32.”
A picture of him wearing Bruno Maglis appeared in tabloid newspapers.
According to an FBI analyst’s report, the shoes in the photos were not an identical match to the ones that left shoe prints at the crime scene.
Unfortunately, the prosecution failed to persuade the jury that the print belonged to Simpson, and the shoes that he wore to the crime scene were never located.
Much more compelling evidence was dismissed by the jury, including that the killer dripped blood, indicating a cut on his hand. Simpson sustained a cut on that hand the night of the murders. The jury was unmoved.
Simpson’s legal difficulties persisted for decades after the jury acquitted Simpson of murder charges. He was found guilty in a civil action and ordered to pay $33.5 million to the relatives of the victims.
He was also convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping and spent nine years in a Nevada prison.
