In this final episode of the series, Derrick and Kris summarize their views on the evidence they have examined. Here are the key pieces of evidence:
Despite the fact that Michael Martin passed the rigorous polygraph test administered by Dr. Louis Rovner, the investigators still have problems with Martin as an eyewitness. The story of his presence in the back alley of Bundy as a private investigator is far-fetched, and the fact that he waited twenty years to come forward raises concerns about his reliability as an eyewitness. Thus, there was doubt cast on the "two car" theory that suggested Jason "riled up" O.J. with rumors about Nicole, drove to Rockingham where he parked his car, then rode with O.J. to Bundy where O.J. committed the crime. By the end of the program, this theory has been discarded.
In the DNA testing for blood on the knife belonging to Jason Simpson, the lab technicians found this piece of evidence of "limited utility." In other words, it would not be possible to link the knife to the murders of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman through DNA testing. It still could be the murder weapon. But forensic science would likely not be the determining factor.
The investigators ruled out the possibility of the police planting evidence in the form of 1.5cc of blood drawn from O.J. Simpson placed on the pair of socks in the Rockingham home. The problem is that blood from Ron and Nicole was also found on the socks.
The two shoe prints at the crime scene, as suggested by Dr. Henry Lee, were deemed inconclusive. Dr. Lee was only examining photos, not the actual crime scene. According to Detective Tom Lange, the images identified by Dr. Lee were not shoe prints but the patterns of a shirt on top of the blood. With the exception of Bill Dear, the investigators conclude there was only one set of footprints at the crime scene.
The watch of Nicole Simpson was in a broken state when it was received by Nicole's sister Tanya with the time of 9:59. But Detective Lange indicated that the watch was still functioning when it was taken into evidence. The investigators concluded that the watch is a "red herring" in offering evidence about the actual time of the murders.
Still, Derrick, Kris, and Bill all agree that there is a "strong possibility" that another person was at the crime scene along with O.J. Simpson.
Several evidentiary matters in this series were not discussed to the full in this final program:
(1) THE TIME CARD: Derrick's analysis of the time card stressed that this piece of evidence is not helpful because the dates are not listed on the card alongside the hours when Jason worked. Consequently, the evidentiary value of this card is worthless. This means that Jason's only alibi comes from his girlfriend and the restaurant owner. But the girlfriend's alibi statement conflicts with Jason's deposition in the civil trial in which he testified that he dropped her off at her apartment but did not enter the building with her. And the restaurant owner's statement was thoroughly debunked by the restaurant's co-owner, who told the investigators that the owner was not even present at the restaurant on the night of June 12.
(2) THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE LACK OF AN ALIBI FOR JASON SIMPSON. The most important eyewitness testimony about Jason's whereabouts on the night of the murders comes from Carlos Ramos, the busboy at Jackson's Restaurant, who recalled that the kitchen closed at 9:00pm on June 12. Ramos estimated that Jason could have left the restaurant at 9:30pm. When Kris and Derrick made another test drive (Jackson's Restaurant to the girlfriend's apartment to the Bundy crime scene) on Sunday evening, as opposed to weekday traffic, they made the drive in 25 minutes and 58 seconds. This would place Jason on the crime scene just prior to 10pm.
(3) THE BLOOD EVIDENCE. Detective Tom Lange asserted that the argument of this case was built on "blood, blood, and blood," Yet exactly like the LAPD, the investigators in this series failed to truly examine the implications of the blood in the double homicide. According to Dr. Henry Lee, the assailant of Nicole and Ron would have been drenched in blood. In making the getaway, the vehicle should have been covered in blood. If O.J. was the assailant, there would have been massive evidence of blood in the interior of Bronco, especially the passenger's seat, the accelerator, and brake. In his investigation of Jason Simpson, Bill Dear conducted a stake-out of Jason and witnessed how he would periodically open the car window to allow rain to soak the interior of the vehicle. How many car owners intentionally allow rain to soak their vehicles? Later, Dear actually purchased Jason's jeep and discovered that much of the interior had been gutted. The question is why?
The nearly complete absence of an alibi for Jason Simpson, the pattern of rage that led him to be on probation at the time of the murders, the testimony of Carlos Ramos indicating that Jason could have left the restaurant any time after 9:00pm, the lack of substantial blood in the interior of the Bronco, and Jason's destruction of the interior of his Jeep, all point to the possibility that he committed the crimes, phoned his dad, who visited the murder site, acquired small amounts of blood on his shoes, then flew to Chicago believing that Jason might be charged with the crime. For this reason, O.J. hired a defense lawyer for Jason the next day before he himself was arrested.
The series did not do justice to the meticulous study conducted by William Dear. Viewers are encouraged to read Dear's 400+ page book "O.J. Is Innocent" to examine the evidence in greater detail.
Despite the fact that Michael Martin passed the rigorous polygraph test administered by Dr. Louis Rovner, the investigators still have problems with Martin as an eyewitness. The story of his presence in the back alley of Bundy as a private investigator is far-fetched, and the fact that he waited twenty years to come forward raises concerns about his reliability as an eyewitness. Thus, there was doubt cast on the "two car" theory that suggested Jason "riled up" O.J. with rumors about Nicole, drove to Rockingham where he parked his car, then rode with O.J. to Bundy where O.J. committed the crime. By the end of the program, this theory has been discarded.
In the DNA testing for blood on the knife belonging to Jason Simpson, the lab technicians found this piece of evidence of "limited utility." In other words, it would not be possible to link the knife to the murders of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman through DNA testing. It still could be the murder weapon. But forensic science would likely not be the determining factor.
The investigators ruled out the possibility of the police planting evidence in the form of 1.5cc of blood drawn from O.J. Simpson placed on the pair of socks in the Rockingham home. The problem is that blood from Ron and Nicole was also found on the socks.
The two shoe prints at the crime scene, as suggested by Dr. Henry Lee, were deemed inconclusive. Dr. Lee was only examining photos, not the actual crime scene. According to Detective Tom Lange, the images identified by Dr. Lee were not shoe prints but the patterns of a shirt on top of the blood. With the exception of Bill Dear, the investigators conclude there was only one set of footprints at the crime scene.
The watch of Nicole Simpson was in a broken state when it was received by Nicole's sister Tanya with the time of 9:59. But Detective Lange indicated that the watch was still functioning when it was taken into evidence. The investigators concluded that the watch is a "red herring" in offering evidence about the actual time of the murders.
Still, Derrick, Kris, and Bill all agree that there is a "strong possibility" that another person was at the crime scene along with O.J. Simpson.
Several evidentiary matters in this series were not discussed to the full in this final program:
(1) THE TIME CARD: Derrick's analysis of the time card stressed that this piece of evidence is not helpful because the dates are not listed on the card alongside the hours when Jason worked. Consequently, the evidentiary value of this card is worthless. This means that Jason's only alibi comes from his girlfriend and the restaurant owner. But the girlfriend's alibi statement conflicts with Jason's deposition in the civil trial in which he testified that he dropped her off at her apartment but did not enter the building with her. And the restaurant owner's statement was thoroughly debunked by the restaurant's co-owner, who told the investigators that the owner was not even present at the restaurant on the night of June 12.
(2) THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE LACK OF AN ALIBI FOR JASON SIMPSON. The most important eyewitness testimony about Jason's whereabouts on the night of the murders comes from Carlos Ramos, the busboy at Jackson's Restaurant, who recalled that the kitchen closed at 9:00pm on June 12. Ramos estimated that Jason could have left the restaurant at 9:30pm. When Kris and Derrick made another test drive (Jackson's Restaurant to the girlfriend's apartment to the Bundy crime scene) on Sunday evening, as opposed to weekday traffic, they made the drive in 25 minutes and 58 seconds. This would place Jason on the crime scene just prior to 10pm.
(3) THE BLOOD EVIDENCE. Detective Tom Lange asserted that the argument of this case was built on "blood, blood, and blood," Yet exactly like the LAPD, the investigators in this series failed to truly examine the implications of the blood in the double homicide. According to Dr. Henry Lee, the assailant of Nicole and Ron would have been drenched in blood. In making the getaway, the vehicle should have been covered in blood. If O.J. was the assailant, there would have been massive evidence of blood in the interior of Bronco, especially the passenger's seat, the accelerator, and brake. In his investigation of Jason Simpson, Bill Dear conducted a stake-out of Jason and witnessed how he would periodically open the car window to allow rain to soak the interior of the vehicle. How many car owners intentionally allow rain to soak their vehicles? Later, Dear actually purchased Jason's jeep and discovered that much of the interior had been gutted. The question is why?
The nearly complete absence of an alibi for Jason Simpson, the pattern of rage that led him to be on probation at the time of the murders, the testimony of Carlos Ramos indicating that Jason could have left the restaurant any time after 9:00pm, the lack of substantial blood in the interior of the Bronco, and Jason's destruction of the interior of his Jeep, all point to the possibility that he committed the crimes, phoned his dad, who visited the murder site, acquired small amounts of blood on his shoes, then flew to Chicago believing that Jason might be charged with the crime. For this reason, O.J. hired a defense lawyer for Jason the next day before he himself was arrested.
The series did not do justice to the meticulous study conducted by William Dear. Viewers are encouraged to read Dear's 400+ page book "O.J. Is Innocent" to examine the evidence in greater detail.