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OJ Simpson weighed in on Thursday in two Twitter videos about the Alex Murdaugh trial.
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Before the verdict, Simpson thought Murdaugh probably killed his wife and son, but believed an acquittal was possible.
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Simpson himself was acquitted in 1995 after being accused of murdering his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson.
OJ Simpson took to Twitter on Thursday to weigh in on the Alex Murdaugh trial, just hours before a jury unanimously found the South Carolina attorney guilty of murder.
Simpson – who himself was acquitted in the 1995 “trial of the century” murder case against his wife and Ron Goldman – initially said he wouldn’t be surprised if Murdaugh “beats this case.”
Murdaugh was found guilty of shooting his wife Maggie and son Paul at the family’s hunting grounds in South Carolina on June 7, 2021.
While there is no direct evidence linking Murdaugh to the crimes, prosecutors pointed out in their closing arguments Thursday that he admitted to lying to investigators about his whereabouts that night, and that he had motive to kill the pair to cover up his addiction to prescription painkillers and financial crimes.
While Simpson said in the video that he is “not qualified to say whether or not the guy did it,” he believes Murdaugh is likely guilty.
“From what I’ve seen, I think it’s more likely that he did it? Yes. But more likely equals reasonable doubt,” Simpson said.
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this guy beats this case,” Simpson added.
Simpson said he decided to make a video because “a lot of people ask me what I think about this Alex Murdaugh trial.”
While Simpson said he doesn’t understand why people think he’s an “expert” on the trial, he admitted he watched it, fascinated to see a “common liar” survive several days on the witness stand.
Looking at Murdaugh’s testimony, Simpson said he noticed the accused killer had a strategy.
“He was just trying to relate to one or two of those jurors that he was a good old boy. He was one of them. And I’m not sure he failed to do that,” said Simpson.
Minutes after the guilty verdict was handed down on Thursday night, Simpson posted a second video saying he discussed possible outcomes with his friend.
“If the verdict comes tomorrow, he will be guilty,” he said in the video. “If the verdict comes sometime next week, that means they’re probably fighting and there’s likely to be a disagreement.”
Simpson then recalled the time when he was in a sheriff’s jail for his case.
He recalled that a lieutenant in the sheriff’s office shared that many officers in the department jail predicted he would be sent home after police officers testified in the Simpson case.
“I said, ‘Well, how can you be so sure?’ They said, “If a jury sees someone lying…they won’t convict,” Simpson said, accusing the officers who testified in his case of lying.
“That seemed to be the case here with Murdaugh,” he said. “One thing the jury must have seen is that the man is a liar and once the man is a liar you can’t believe anything he says.”
Murdaugh comes from a prominent South Carolina legal family.
Jim Griffin, one of Murdaugh’s lawyers, did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
While Simpson — a once-legendary NFL running back — was acquitted of the murders of his wife and Goldman, he ultimately served nearly a decade in prison after being convicted of holding a man at gunpoint in Las Vegas in 2007.
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