OJ Simpson reveals his Alex Murdaugh murder trial verdict prediction
Disgraced former football star, acquitted of murder in 1995, responds as people keep asking opinion
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OJ Simpson has tweeted his opinion on the Alex Murdaugh trial as the jury deliberates in South Carolina.
The former football star and actor posted a video to his Twitter account on Thursday with the caption: “People keep asking me my opinion of the Alex Murdaugh trial.”
Simpson’s own acquittal by a jury in 1995 – for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman – is one of the most controversial of the time. He was found liable in the case in a civil suit in 1997.
His trial created a media storm at the time and was broadcast live, captivating the public and dominating news coverage. It has since been made into a TV series.
In the video, Simpson says: “I don’t know why they think I’m an expert.”
He said he believes that Mr Murdaugh’s decision to take stand was a mistake because he “is an admitted liar”. Simpson did concede that “lying and stealing money is a little different to murder”.
Giving his verdict on the case, Simpson said: “From what I’ve seen, do I think it’s more likely that he did it? Yes. But more likely equals reasonable doubt, from what I’ve seen there is a lot of reasonable doubt there.”
He added: “It wouldn’t surprise me if this guy beats this case.”
Explaining his reasoning, he said: “I realised in watching him testify he was just just trying to relate to one or two of those jurors that he was a Good ‘Ole Boy. That he was one of them. And I’m not sure that he didn’t succeed in doing that.”
This is not the first time Simpson has weighed in on a major court case. In 2021 he caused a stir online after offering his opinion on the trial of Derek Chauvin ahead of the guilty verdict for the former Minneapolis police officer.
Disgraced former lawyer Mr Murdaugh is accused of brutally murdering his wife Maggie, 52, and younger son Paul, 22, on 7 June 2021 by the dog kennels at the Murdaugh family’s 1,700-acre Moselle estate.
Paul was shot twice with a shotgun as he stood in the feed room of the kennels.
Maggie was shot four to five times with an AR-15-style rifle a few yards from her son, as she backed into an ATV parked under a hangar.
Mr Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty.
The jury began their deliberations on Thursday afternoon (2 March) having head closing arguments and having visited the Moselle property.