O.J.'s Canceled Book Details Hypothetical Account of Goldman-Simpson Murders

Jan. 15, 2007 — -- After "If I Did It," O.J. Simpson's unpublished book, caused an uproar last year, Newsweek got an exclusive look at the book's crucial chapter, Simpson's fictional account of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.

"If I Did It" was to be published and an interview was to be aired in November by News Corp.-owned HarperCollins and Fox News respectively.

After public backlash and criticism within Fox from Geraldo Rivera and Bill O'Reilly, however, News Corp. head Rupert Murdoch called off the project, apologizing for any pain that it had caused the Goldman and Brown families.

Simpson was acquitted of the June 1994 slayings, but suspicion over whether he got away with the slayings have dogged him.

So does Simpson's "hypothetical" account of the killings match the prosecution's version of what happened? In many ways, yes, Newsweek says.

According to Newsweek, Simpson writes that on the night of the murders he drove to Brown Simpson's Brentwood, Calif., home and saw Goldman in her courtyard.

When her dog greets Goldman with a familiar wagging tail, Simpson screams Goldman, "You've been here before."

Simpson then writes, "Then something went horribly wrong, and I know what happened, but I can't tell you exactly how."

Similarities and Differences

Prosecutors always contended that violent jealousy -- like the feelings that Simpson describes -- led to the slayings.

Simpson's story differs from the prosecution's theory, though. In the book, he writes that there is someone with him during his wife's killing -- a friend he calls Charlie -- who repeatedly urges him to stop.

Both sides agree that Simpson strips off his blood-soaked clothing down to his socks. Police later discovered those socks, and they became important evidence. His other clothing was never found.

So how did he get home? Simpson writes that he sneaked onto his property, and tripped over an air conditioner behind the guest house where Kato Kaelin stayed, making a huge racket. That's exactly what Kaelin told the court during Simpson's trail.

"In my room. It has this wall. It was [Kaelin makes sound: "bump, bump, bump"]. Like that," he said.

'Incredibly Angry With Her'

The chapter's tone and the approach that Simpson takes in writing about his wife stand out, said assistant managing editor Mark Miller, who wrote the Newsweek article.

"He was incredibly angry with her," Miller said. "It's the interesting classic language of a wife-abuser: It's not really his fault, that she is to blame. … And that language is rife throughout his chapter."

Miller said the chapter was fairly straightforward in describing the events.

"I did this. … I drove to Bundy. … I intended to scare her," Simpson writes.

As for Simpson's friend Charlie, Miller said people had several theories about the character's identity.

"Does Charlie really exist? Some people think it might be O.J.'s alter ego," he said. "Other people think, 'How could he have done this thing by himself?' … He does write that he gets Charlie to give away the bloody knife."