Could O.J. Simpson Be Tried Again for Nicole Brown’s Murder After Bizarre Confession Interview?

Viewers were absolutely stunned watching Fox’s O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession? special on March 11. The notorious former football player seemed to admit to killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in the old interview, though he claimed it was all hypothetical. So, if this was, in fact, a confession, can O.J. be tried for murder again?

The answer is basically no. America has airtight double-jeopardy laws making it impossible for a person to be convicted of the same crime twice, so even if they found new proof that he did it along with a blatant confession, the state cannot try him again for the two brutal murders.

Technically, it isn’t 100% impossible that O.J. could face more charges, though, because he could be pursued on a federal level. There is no statute of limitations for murder, so this is still possible. However, it’s still highly unlikely that the federal government would go after a case that’s more than 20 years old, and it rarely ever happens.

People wondered the same thing in 2016, when the LAPD uncovered what was possibly the knife used to kill Nicole. Even if that weapon had O.J.’s DNA on it, it wouldn’t have made a difference on a legal level. However, the families of the deceased could still benefit from feeling validated with proof.

So, since O.J. can’t be tried again, does this mean Nicole and Ron’s murder is a closed case? No. Cases are only closed when someone is convicted of the crime. Since O.J. was acquitted, the case remains open and no justice has been served on Nicole and Ron’s behalf. Unfortunately, it seems like the LAPD never really pursued the case after O.J. was let go, and there are no other suspects. After watching O.J.’s wild interview, perhaps we know why.