No "if" about it, he did it

Just over 11 years ago, on October 3, 1995, I sat in a crowded restaurant a couple of miles from my office and watched the verdict read in the O.J. Simpson criminal murder trial. When the not guilty verdict was read, there was an audible gasp in the crowd and I looked around at the other people there in stunned, disbelieving silence.

Not guilty? How in the hell . . . ?

For weeks I walked around spouting about the verdict to anyone who would listen. The O.J. trial had been my obsession for months. I watched the Court TV recaps. I read every news article I came across that discussed the courtroom happenings. I, like many, believed he was guilty; I was confident he’d be convicted.

But somehow he got away with it and instead of devoting his life to “finding the real killer” like he promised, O.J. went back to the golf course and his Florida home, which due to laws in that state cannot be seized to pay his outstanding debt to the Brown or Goldman families. O.J. went on to live the good life, unpunished and unrepentant.

So now, when I hear about his upcoming book and interview I want to vomit. He is easily one of the most despicable, disgusting, deplorable people on this planet. What audacity to come out and talk about how he WOULD have killed the mother of his children. How he WOULD have sliced her neck so many times her head was nearly severed from her body. How he WOULD have stabbed Ron Goldman nearly 30 times. Who does he think he is fooling? I can’t even begin to wrap my brain around how morally bankrupt—how utterly devoid of decency—the people at News Corp (owners of both Regan Books and Fox) must be to have given this piece of shit the green light.

I really want to watch the upcoming interview. I desperately want to hear what this pathetic excuse for a human being has to say. I want to watch with my own eyes for those telltale twitches, pauses, and other clues that indicate he is yet again lying about his innocence. I want to see him squirm and cry as the previews promise. More than anything, I want to hear him admit his guilt, and this interview is probably the closest we’re going to get to that.

But I will not watch. I have no doubt this show will be a ratings bonanza for Fox, but I refuse to be a part of it. And I hope you won’t either. You can read what O.J. said the next day on the web or in the paper and not contribute to O.J.'s plan to continue living the good life. And maybe, just maybe, if this book and interview somehow flop, O.J. will finally taste a little bit of the sorrow he so rightfully deserves.