Brother of Alleged OJ Simpson Accomplice Claims He Returned with Bloody Hands

A convicted drug trafficker with alleged mafia ties may have aided O.J. Simpson in concealing evidence related to the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, according to a report by The New York Times.

Joseph "Joey" Ippolito, described as a mob-connected associate of Simpson and Al Cowlings, reportedly returned to a Los Angeles apartment on the night of the murders, June 12, 1994, carrying a mysterious bag containing a heavy object. His brother, Sam Ippolito, told The Times that Joey appeared to have blood on his hands after leaving the apartment earlier that evening to assist a friend. According to Sam Ippolito's account, his brother stuffed his bloody clothes into the bag and instructed Sam to dispose of it, which he claimed to have done by discarding it in a dumpster near a construction site in Los Angeles.

Sam Ippolito also stated that he overheard Joey speaking with Cowlings on the phone, during which Joey allegedly said he had been "helping" Simpson that night. This information emerged from previously sealed federal court records. These records reveal that Ippolito had provided authorities with information concerning Simpson's alleged disposal of the murder weapon, which was never recovered.

Joey Ippolito, who had escaped from a Florida prison in May 1994, became a federal informant after his arrest in August 1995, as Simpson's nationally televised murder trial was approaching its conclusion. A federal prosecution memorandum from December 1996, unsealed at The Times' request, described Ippolito as a valuable source who possessed information about Simpson's purported efforts to get rid of the murder weapon and his attempts to evade authorities. The former federal prosecutor involved, David Kelley, described Ippolito as a "remarkable source of information" whose cooperation proved valuable. However, Kelley told The Times that he did not believe Joey Ippolito was involved in the killings themselves.

The Times reported that information from Joey Ippolito was shared with Los Angeles prosecutors during Simpson's murder trial, though he was never called to testify. Former prosecutor Marcia Clark informed The Times that she had no knowledge of Joey Ippolito and suggested she would have been informed if he had provided credible or relevant evidence.

The account provided by Sam Ippolito has faced scrutiny. After initially maintaining his claims, Sam Ippolito reportedly sought compensation from The Times and later attempted to retract his statements, attributing his difficulty in distinguishing reality to his experiences. Friends and relatives of Joey Ippolito, who died in 2006, have also disputed suggestions of his involvement in the murders.

Al Cowlings did not respond to The Times' requests for comment.

The newly revealed information raises further questions about whether Simpson received assistance on the night Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were fatally stabbed outside her home. Simpson was acquitted of the murders in 1995 but was later found liable for their deaths in a civil trial. He died in April 2024 at the age of 76. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to The Times that the decades-old double-murder case remains an open investigation.