LOS ANGELES, May 10, 2008
O.J. Confessed Murder, Former Friend Says
A New Book, "How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder," Details Confession
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Mike Gilbert says he helped O.J. Simpson, seen here at his 1994 murder trial, get away with murder, by giving him the idea to make his hands bloated so they wouldn't fit into the infamous blood-stained gloves. (AP Photo)
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Play CBS Video Video O.J. Insider Tells All Thomas Riccio led O.J. Simpson to a hotel with his missing memorabilia, recorded the violent confrontation, testified for the prosecution, and now has a tell-all book. He speaks with Maggie Rodriguez.
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Video O.J.'s Bail Doubled By Judge O.J. Simpson's bail has been doubled by a Las Vegas judge after he was imprisoned for allegedly violating his parole by trying to relate a message to a former co-defendant. Jennifer Miller reports.
The prosecutors in Simpson's murder trial, Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden, could not immediately be reached for comment on Gilbert's claims.
Former Gilbert partner Bruce Fromong, who was involved in the Vegas incident, said Gilbert is known for spinning tall tales.
"Mike makes up a lot of great stories," said Fromong. "Mike Gilbert has a ton of skeletons in his closet. He's as dirty as anyone."
Gilbert said he broke with Simpson two years ago because he felt cheated, didn't approve of his lifestyle and was repulsed by "If I Did It." He writes that he was guided to do his own book by dreams in which he saw the ghosts of his dead grandmother and of Nicole Brown Simpson.
He refers to himself in the book as a "Judas," and says he is betraying Simpson because he is ashamed of what he did and wants to soothe his conscience. He responded to Fromong's criticism by saying he's made mistakes and is not trying to clean up his image with the book.
He writes that he was not alone in helping the football star-turned actor beat the murder charges, but "I hope to be the first to finally confess."
Gilbert said he funneled money from autograph signing appearances to Simpson under the table so the Goldman family could not get it. Gilbert said he paid Simpson 80 percent, kept 20 percent but had to pay taxes on the whole amount. He said Simpson repeatedly told him they'd settle up later.
But they never did and when pushed Simpson reminded him of the Goldman debt: "Hey, at least you don't owe $33.5 million."
"Yeah, I didn't kill anybody either," Gilbert replied. Simpson scowled.
He offers apologies to the dead Nicole Simpson, whom he said he never liked, and to the Goldman family.
"He offers an apology for money laundering?" said Goldman attorney David Cook. "I don't think we want the apology. I think we need the money. Send us a check, not an `I'm sorry."'
He said he plans to use the book as a treasure map to Simpson's hidden assets.
Gilbert, 53, was a childhood fan of Simpson who was thrilled when another client, football great Marcus Allen, introduced them and they began doing business together.
Gilbert wrote in his book that he was admitted to a world of privilege and he got caught up in a power trip in which he believed he was better than "ordinary people."
Gilbert blames himself and other Simpson friends for failing to act when they detected domestic violence in the Simpson marriage. But he says each time there was a fight between the couple or a call by Nicole to police it was dismissed as part of their obsession with each other or they pretended it didn't happen.
"O.J. mattered more," he said. "The fringe benefits that came with being one of O.J.'s friends mattered more - or at least we thought they did."
Gilbert wrote the book for many reasons. It wasn't just to make money or hurt Simpson.
"Nothing can hurt O.J.," he said in an interview. "He doesn't have the emotions we have."
In a chapter on the Las Vegas case, he acknowledges that Simpson was in search of memorabilia he believed Gilbert stole from him, including the suit he wore the day he was acquitted.
"I never sold the suit, not even when I was dead broke," he writes. "At least that's something small to be proud of."
But Gilbert does acknowledge that he unsuccessfully tried to sell the suit at one point - before he sold his book.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
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See all 67 CommentsYour right, comparing OJ with obama is a real insult and whoever does this owes OJ an apology.
I disagree with your statement. If i were selected for jury duty i would look at the facts presnted, put my personal opinion aside and make my decision on guil or innocense regardless of wha race was involved. Whe you are sowrn in as a juror this is what you swear to do.
Geez. For the last time, it''s not like I WANT this to happen. I''m simply SAYING that its going to happen. I''m pro-Obama myself, but if he is the Dem candidate, expect so-called ''legitimate'' prosecutions against black males to come to the forefront, especially if they involve white victims. As I said before, forewarned is forearmed. I didn''t make the world. I just see it as it is, and relate what I see. The Michael Jackson trial was a kangaroo trial, a show trial. It was not about justice, it was about politics. How else do you slap a man with 10 indictments, NONE of which is later upheld by the jury? You do it because the publicity surrounding the case is more important than the justice of the case itself. Personally, I think OJ was guilty and should be fried. But, it was not lost on the powers that be that the OJ trial was a turning point in ''white'' perseptions of black America. The M. Jackson trial was totally designed to play into that hatred, and it worked.
Expect more of the same this summer and fall.
Posted by ubrew12 at 08:39 PM
My apologies to Misspp. I spoke to soon. Yes, as evidenced above and below, the racists couldn''t resist even attacking Obama at the same time. Again, if you see this, sorry.
Posted by Misspp at 10:34 PM
I think OJ is driving you crazy. Personally, I don''t care. I wish they wouldn''t do articles about him, because he is now nobody. And yes, I once believed him innocent, but the glove incident was so fake, I was beside myself with how easy he got away with it.
You are right in that many times if the accused is black, the racists come out of the woodwork. But I haven''t seen that yet (I haven''t read back on the posts either, so I don''t know if the typical racists have shown up or not).
What a lovely person.
This Glibert guy should be prosecuted for obstruction, among other things. What a joke these people around this simple jack*ss called OJ; racist, self-hating, clown. He''s a coward''s coward who used his race to escape conviction and the only black people he''s seen since were those two idiots who helped him in Vegas last year and the caddies at those Golf Clubs where he''s supposedly been looking for the Nicole''s and Ron''s killers.
F*CK OJ SIMPSON!!!!!
I never said black men were unreliable. I said that, if Obama is the nominee, an effort will be made to PAINT black men as unreliable. It will be an EMOTIONAL effort (i.e. an effort that pulls peoples emotions rather than their logic). It will (if ''04 and the Jackson trial are any guide) consist of several high-profile (read: lots of TV coverage) prosecutions of black men in various crimes against (preferably) white people.
Prosecute Kobe Bryant for ''raping'' a white woman: that would be great for the news media.
I think Obamas a great candidate and plan to vote for him. I just know that the forces arrayed against him are very rich and very powerful, and very knowledgeable about which emotional ''strings'' to pull in the American public. If the Michael Jackson trial is any guide, expect several prominant black trials to take place between now and November. How they turn out is not the point. The POINT is the publicity surrounding them, and its effect on the American voter.
And common sense should tell you that if this guy really had the goods on OJ, he would have gotten rich off of it too before now. But you believe it because it fits your racist views. You even bring the other black folks you hate the nost (Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Barack Obama) into it. How stupid!
How many of you bigots care this nuch about the same situation when it is:
1. white man and white wife?
2. black man and black wife?
3. White man and black wife?
Answer: You don''t care!
Prediction: OJ will be driving you folks crazy until you die. GET A LIFE!!!
The right wing is counting on peoples ignorance (when have they not?). Even ignorant people get to vote. As I said, expect many more such spurious ''prosecutions'' of black male figures in the coming months if Obama is the Dem candidate. I''m not saying I like it, I''m saying its what''s going to happen, and forewarned is forearmed.
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