O.J. Simpson: "If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened"

By Linda Orlando

If you are one of the few who still think the American justice system is the best in the world, get ready to change your mind. An interview with O.J. Simpson scheduled to air in a couple of weeks will leave some people amused, some angered, and some appalled.

Fox Television plans to broadcast a two-part interview with the former football star, in which he will talk graphically about the slayings of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson was arrested and charged with the killings, but after a lengthy and sensationalistic trial that was heavily influenced and closely followed by the media, Simpson was acquitted of the killings.

The 59-year-old Simpson, who now lives in Florida, was cleared by a jury in his 1995 criminal trial and subsequently vowed to find the real killer, that pursuit has apparently been abandoned in recent years. In 1997, the family of Ronald Goldman sued Simpson for wrongful death, and Simpson was found liable. Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million in restitution to the families of the victims, but he never paid up. Ronald Goldman's father, Fred, has been attempting to get a court order to force Simpson to come up with the cash.

Simpson has agreed to take part in an "unrestricted" interview with book publisher Judith Regan. "O.J. Simpson, in his own words, tells for the first time how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible for the crimes," the Fox network said in a statement. "In the two-part event, Simpson describes how he would have carried out the murders he has vehemently denied committing for over a decade."

Advertisements for the two-night "no holds barred" special, which is being described by Fox as "the interview that will shake the nation," show Simpson breaking down into tears and talking about the huge amounts of blood that would have covered the victims if he had been a witness to the killings.

A video clip of the interview posted on Fox’s website shows Regan remarking to Simpson, "You wrote, ‘I have never seen so much blood in my life.’" Simpson replies, "I don’t think any two people could be murdered without everybody being covered in blood."

Within hours of Fox announcing the special interview, Simpson’s former sister-in-law, Denise Brown, offered harsh criticism for the network and Regan Books for allowing Simpson to profit from the murders. "We hope Ms. Regan takes full accountability," Brown said in a statement, "for promoting the wrongdoing of criminals and leveraging this forum and the actions of Simpson to commercialize abuse." She added that she is sorry that her sister’s two children with Simpson "will be exposed to Simpson’s inexplicable behavior." Her statement concluded by saying, "We will provide them with our love and support during this time."

Not coincidentally, the special interview will be broadcast just a few days before the November 30 release of Simpson’s new book, which is also titled, "If I Did It." The book was published by Regan. The National Enquirer reported that Simpson was paid $3.5 million from Regan Books for publishing his book. There is no official word on how much Fox paid for the rights to broadcast his interview with Regan.