Secret mob informant in OJ Simpson's murder trial told cops about missing weapon, unsealed court files reveal

A criminal informant described as 'extremely reliable' told investigators about the missing murder weapon used in the 1994 killings of OJ Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend Ronald Goldman, as well as the former couple's alleged drug use, according to newly unsealed 30-year-old federal court files.

Simpson was acquitted of the murder charges in October 1995, only to be found financially liable for the wrongful deaths of Brown and Goldman at a civil trial 16 months later. The knife used in the killings was never found, leading some to speculate about the possibility of an accomplice in the murder. Simpson, who passed away in 2024 at 76, had maintained his innocence for the rest of his life.

But according to a newly unsealed 1996 letter urging a lenient sentence for convicted drug trafficker and prison escapee Joseph 'Joey' Ippolito, an assistant US attorney told a federal judge about valuable information provided by the department's informant, much of which involved narcotics and the mafia. The letter also said Ippolito was 'privy to many facts' from the infamous 1994 murder, 'including Mr. Simpson's alleged domestic violence, the Simpsons' narcotics usage, Mr. Simpson's attempted flight from justice, and his disposal of the murder weapon.'

'While Ippolito ultimately was not called as a witness he was arrested and began to cooperate as that trial drew to a close my conversations with the Los Angeles authorities indicate that Ippolito's information was, at the very least, very helpful to their case,' read the letter unsealed at The New York Times' request and obtained by The Daily Mail. 

Ippolito died in 2006, but his brother Sam did speak to the Times, saying that the two siblings were staying in West Hollywood on the night of the 1994 murders. The Times reported Sam saying Joey left that night to help a friend, only to return with what appeared to be blood on his hands and a bag containing a heavy object. 

But when contacted by The Daily Mail, Sam denied making that comment, instead saying his fugitive brother was 'in hiding' at the time and 'not out past 10.' The murders in LA's Brentwood neighborhood are believed to have occurred after 10pm on June 12, 1994.  

In its piece, the Times accused Joey's brother of requesting compensation from the news outlet.

When the reporter refused, according to the Times, Ippolito recanted his statement and told the Times he 'was offered a ton of money' to tell his story to another outlet. As The Daily Mail reported last month, Sam Ippolito was among the subjects included in the upcoming Peacock documentary. 

In a text message to The Daily Mail, Sam Ippolito denied asking for money from the Times. 

Joey Ippolito, who owned a Santa Monica restaurant, was close with Cowlings, the lifelong friend and former teammate of Simpson. It was Cowlings who led LAPD on a low-speed chase with Simpson in the back seat of a white Ford Bronco on June 17, 1994 before Simpson ultimately surrendered at his Brentwood mansion.

As confirmed by Cowlings's attorney to the Boston Herald in August 1994, Ippolito once helped Cowlings kick a freebase cocaine habit and in return, Cowlings asked a federal judge to release Ippolito on bail as he awaited trial on drug charges in 1993. 

Later, after being sentenced to 10 years behind bars, Ippolito walked away from a minimum-security style prison camp on a military base in Pensacola, Florida on May 6, 1994, according to a Boston Herald report at the time. It was after he was brought back into custody that Ippolito became a federal informant, according to the newly unsealed letter obtained by The Daily Mail. 

The letter broadly outlines Ippolito’s testimony to investigators, but stops short of offering specifics. Crucially, it does not reveal if he implicated himself or others in the crime. 

The Herald also reported that the FBI and federal prosecutors had telephone records showing calls from Ippolito's Santa Monica restaurant to Simpson's Brentwood estate.

As for Ippolito's alleged mafia connections, federal law enforcement officials claimed he was a member of the DeCavalcante crime family of New Jersey with ties to New York's Lucchese family.

Ippolito was ultimately given credit for time served, as the government agreed not to prosecute him for drug distribution in California for the five years prior to his arrest.

He was released from custody in 1998, according to records reviewed by The Times.

Lead investigator Tom Lange told the Times that he recalled seeing Ippolito's name, but never considered him a serious suspect. Lange maintains that Simpson acted alone in the double murder.

The murder investigation was never solved and remains open with the LAPD.

But other investigators do believe Simpson had an accomplice.

A former New York State prosecutor and FBI profiler who went on to write and produce CBS' Criminal Minds, Jim Clemente supported the theory in a recent podcast interview with media personality Tom Zenner and Kato Kaelin, Simpson's former tenant and a crucial witness in his murder trial.

According to Clemente, evidence points to another attacker at the scene.

For starters, he explained that the presence of multiple stabbing victims always increases the likelihood of multiple attackers, simply because it's difficult for one person to commit both crimes quickly and in the same space.

The bigger clues, Clemente explained, were the defensive wounds left on Goldman's legs.

'With the cuts in his jeans, in his pants that he was wearing at the time, the knife wounds could only have been made if both of his legs were elevated and bent and straightened out like he was kicking,' Clemente said.

'And the only way that we behaviorally could figure out how that could happen is if somebody has him in a bear hug from behind and he's being stabbed by somebody in the front.

'He's kicking, he's fighting for his life,' Clemente continued. 'It's a horrible, horrible scene.'

Curiously, Clemente explained, Goldman did not have defensive wounds on his arms.

'If he was punching and kicking, you would see the same kinds of wounds through his clothing on his arms because the person with the knife would have been lashing out,' Clemente said. 'He wouldn't just stab his legs.'

Rather, according to Clemente, Goldman's 'arms are being held and his arms were being pinned and that's why he resorted to his legs only.'

As for why Simpson would bring an accomplice to murder his wife, Clemente suggested the presence of the couple's two children at her condominium was a good reason.

'What if the kids aren't in bed yet?' Clemente asked, rhetorically. 'What if the kids wake up and come down?'

Simpson continued to deny any involvement in the Brown-Goldman murders until his death from cancer at age 76 in 2024, but the theory he committed the crimes with an accomplice is nothing new.

Recently, The Daily Mail revealed an upcoming Peacock documentary investigating the theory that Simpson had a mob-linked accomplice in Ippolito.

Peacock spokespeople declined to comment on The Daily Mail's reporting at the time. The project's upcoming release has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Speaking with Zenner, Clemente also challenged the notion that the murders were simply a crime of passion.

Rather, he insisted Brown was the intended victim of a carefully planned murder.

Goldman, sadly, was just returning the pair of glasses Brown left at his restaurant when he stumbled upon the crime that was taking place.

'Whoever committed this crime had an extreme amount of rage and anger in them,' Clemente told Zenner and Kaelin. 'And they have been fantasizing about this for a long time. They planned this. This is not a disorganized crime. This is an organized crime. Which means that the offender thought about this, thought it out carefully, thought about every angle, knew when she would be vulnerable.

'Of course, he thought she would be alone at that moment, but because she left the glasses there at the restaurant, somebody else showed up. That is an unexpected result.'

Asked if he had any clue about the accomplice's identity, Clemente said he had a 'pretty good idea' who was with Simpson but stopped short of revealing a name.

Of course, there is no statute of limitations on murder, so if such an accomplice is still alive, they could theoretically face justice.

Simpson defense attorney Johnnie Cochran also posited an accomplice theory during the murder, saying Brown and Goldman may have been killed by drug dealers looking for her friend, Faye Resnick, who was battling a cocaine problem.

However, at least one member of Brown's family remains skeptical that Simpson had an accomplice.

'I've heard about the conspiracy theory for years,' Brown's sister told the Daily Mail by email. 'To me it's a bunch of BS.'

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