With news that a knife might have been found buried on the former estate of O.J. Simpson, the father of murder victim Ron Goldman told the media on Friday that the police officer who reportedly held onto the knife for years “wasn’t doing his job.”
“Obviously [the cop] wasn’t doing his job. His responsibility was to turn it in and not try to use it as a piece of memorabilia,” Fred Goldman told the New York Daily News.
The knife was reportedly found by a construction worker at Simpson’s former estate in Brentwood, California, and was turned over to an off-duty police officer, who kept it for years before handing it over to the Los Angeles Police Department.
During a press conference on Friday, LAPD Capt. Andrew Neiman said that he did not know if the officer who possessed the knife will face charges.
“I would think that an LAPD officer-if this story is accurate — any time you come into contact with evidence you should and shall submit that into evidence,” he said.
Police have also not ruled out the possibility of a hoax in the matter.
Simpson was tried for the 1994 murders of Goldman and the former football great’s ex, Nicole Brown Simpson, but was ultimately acquitted. The elder Goldman later successfully sued Simpson for wrongful death.
Simpson is currently serving a 33-year sentence on unrelated charges.
While the elder Goldman said that the new development is “fascinating,” he believes that it will likely be “much ado about nothing.
“It will only be further proof of his guilt, and sadly, it would probably be just another piece of evidence that if the jury had it, they would ignore that too,” Goldman said.
Simpson cannot be criminally tried for a second time for the murders due to double jeopardy.