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OJ Simpson said he believed Alex Murdaugh 'more than likely' killed his wife and son: 'Once the guy's a liar, you can't believe anything he says'

Mar 3, 2023, 08:58 IST
Insider
Left: OJ Simpson. Right: Alex MurdaughAP/AP
  • OJ Simpson weighed in on the Alex Murdaugh trial in two Twitter videos on Thursday.
  • Prior to the verdict, Simpson thought Murdaugh likely killed his wife and son but believed there was a possibility of acquittal.
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OJ Simpson took to Twitter on Thursday to weigh in on the Alex Murdaugh trial, a few hours before a jury unanimously found the South Carolina lawyer guilty of murder.

Simpson — who himself was cleared in the murder trial of his wife and Ron Goldman in the "trial of the century" in 1995 — initially said he wouldn't be surprised if Murdaugh "beats this case."

Murdaugh was found guilty of gunning down his wife Maggie and son Paul at the family's hunting compound in South Carolina on June 7, 2021.

While no direct evidence connects Murdaugh to the crimes, prosecutors pointed out in their closing arguments on Thursday that he admitted lying to investigators about his whereabouts that night, and had a motive to kill the pair to cover up his prescription painkiller addiction and financial crimes.

While Simpson said in the video he's "not qualified to say whether the guy did it or didn't do it," he believes that Murdaugh probably is guilty.

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"From what I've seen, do I think it's more likely that he did it? Yes. But more likely equals reasonable doubt," Simpson said.

"It wouldn't surprise me in the least if this guy beats this case," Simpson added.

Simpson said he decided to make a video because "a whole lot of people are asking 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 did admit to watching it, fascinated to see how a "habitual liar" survived multiple days on the witness stand.

Watching Murdaugh's testimony, Simpson said it struck him that the accused killer had a strategy.

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"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 didn't succeed in doing that," Simpson said.

Minutes after the guilty verdict was handed down on Thursday evening, Simpson posted a second video in which he said he discussed possible outcomes with his friend.

"If the verdict comes back tomorrow, he's going to be guilty," he said in the video. "If the verdict comes back next week sometime that means they're probably fighting and there's probably some disagreement in it."

Simpson then remembered the time when he was incarcerated in a sheriff's jail for his case.

He recalled that a lieutenant in the sheriff's office shared that many officers within the department's jailhouse were predicting that he would be sent home after police officers testified in the case against Simpson.

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"I said, 'Well, how can you guys be so sure?' They said, 'When a jury sees somebody is 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 that the jury must have seen is that the guy's a liar and once the guy's a liar, you can't believe anything he says."

Murdaugh comes from a prominent legal family in South Carolina.

Jim Griffin, one of Murdaugh's attorneys, did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

While Simpson — a once-storied NFL running back — was acquitted in the killings of his wife and Goldman, he did eventually serve nearly a decade in prison after being convicted of holding a man at gunpoint in Las Vegas in 2007.

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