Newly unsealed O.J. Simpson files raise questions about a possible accomplice in the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, including claims of bloody hands.
A new in-depth investigation by the New York Times has raised the possibility that Joey Ippolito, a mobster-turned-informant, assisted in the murder’s cover-up. Recently unsealed federal records and allegations that the man had blood on his hands on the night of the killings were unearthed by the investigators.
The Times reports that the informant was regarded as “extremely reliable” by a seasoned federal prosecutor and was praised by a longstanding federal judge. He was allegedly an associate of O.J. Simpson and a close friend of Simpson’s friend Al Cowlings.
Unsealed court documents lead to many more questions
According to unsealed court documents, an assistant U.S. attorney wrote to a federal judge requesting that Joey Ippolito be given a lighter sentence on a prison escape charge he was facing since the convicted drug dealer had become a federal informant.
In the memo, the prosecutor wrote: “Through his close personal relationships with Al Cowlings, Simpson’s confidant, and others involved in the cases, including O.J. and Nicole Simpson, Ippolito had become privy to many facts relevant to the case, including Simpson’s alleged domestic violence, the Simpsons’ narcotics usage, Simpson’s attempted flight from justice, and his disposal of the murder weapon.”
The informant provided details regarding the alleged location of the murder weapon and the attempts to get rid of it as part of his cooperation agreement with law enforcement. The document also describes general information he provided to prosecutors, but it doesn’t detail exactly what he said.
“His account was forwarded to Los Angeles prosecutors late in Mr. Simpson’s murder trial — so late that prosecutors had already presented their version of events to the jury and rested their case, but had yet to offer closing arguments,” Mike Baker and Tim Arango of the Times write. “The documents in the New York case were ordered 30 years ago to be kept secret. They have remained so, until now.”
Sam Ippolito claims he got rid of the murder weapon
Joey Ippolito passed away in 2006, but his brother Sam told the Times that Joey went to assist a friend on the night of the murders at around 6 p.m. He allegedly came back around midnight with what looked to be blood on his hands and a bag with something heavy inside. He allegedly undressed, stuffed his clothes in the bag, and told Sam to get rid of it. Sam claims that he threw the bag into a dumpster at a nearby construction site.
Additionally, Sam claimed to have witnessed Joey call Al Cowlings and heard his brother tell him he had been “helping” O.J. Simpson.
Sam Ippolito was ‘100%’ sure, until he wasn’t
According to the Times, Sam Ippolito said he was “100 percent” sure that his brother was present at the crime scene and maintained for months that his story was true. However, he later tried to recant those remarks after the paper rejected his request for payment for providing the information.
In a statement to CBS News, the executor of Simpson’s estate, Malcolm LaVergne, said, “None of those three people can speak for themselves today. And I certainly cannot speak for them about what happened that night. At some point, I believe we must recognize that the continued production of theories, allegations, and sensational accounts may do little to bring meaningful resolution to those who have already suffered so much.”
An FBI profiler recently said he believes Simpson had an accomplice
The results of the New York Times investigative report come just a few weeks after Jim Clemente, a former FBI profiler with 22 years of experience, shared a new theory about the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, suggesting O.J. Simpson didn’t act alone.
Ron Goldman’s injuries suggest that two people were involved: one who carried out the assault and another who restrained Goldman, according to Clemente, a former New York State prosecutor and writer/producer of the CBS crime program Criminal Minds.
Jim Clemente also challenged the idea that the murders were just a random attack, arguing that Nicole Brown Simpson was the intended victim. Clemente believes that Goldman might have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time on June 12, 1994 after going to Nicole’s house to return glasses she had left at a restaurant.
When asked who he believed to be O.J. Simpson’s accomplice, Clemente replied he had “a pretty good idea,” but he did not identify anyone.
Jennifer Peace, who said she was dating Al Cowlings at the time of the murders, claimed in May 2025 that O.J. admitted to the killings.