The discovery of a possible murder weapon years after the trial of O.J. Simpson had finished spread around the world this week, but the owner of the construction company that led the demolition of Simpson's Brentwood mansion has called the find "a joke."
Mike Weber, owner of Weber-Madgwick Inc., denied that any of his workers had found anything, although he admits that there was a circus-like atmosphere surrounding the construction site due to a heavy media presence. The knife was turned over to the LAPD this week, who are reportedly examining it for evidence.
"I think it's a joke. I think it's just filler... no one on my crew found anything," Weber said regarding the alleged discovery. "I had instructed my people, 'If you find anything, don't keep it. Tell me, we'll take the appropriate action.'"
The knife is currently in the possession of the LAPD, who received it recently after it was apparently kept for two decades by a retired officer identified by his lawyer as George Maycott, who wanted it as a souvenir. Capt. Andrew Neiman told reporters at a press conference on Friday that it is still unknown whether the claims surrounding the knife are "bogus from the get-go" and that it could be a "facsimile or made-up story."
Neiman did state that it was unlikely that the knife was used as a murder weapon, as the actual weapon would be larger and possibly more "exotic". He also confirmed that while the case of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman remains open, "double jeopardy" is in place for Simpson himself, who cannot be charged twice for the same crime.
Simpson's trial was famous in part for the presence of his "dream team," a number of expert lawyers who are featured as the main cast of the current mini-series broadcasting about Simpson, "American Crime Story: People V. O.J. Simpson." Several of those attorneys have spoken out on the knife's discovery, calling the find "ridiculous" and "highly suspect."
"Where has the knife been? Who has handled it?" said Alan Dershowitz, former appellate adviser for Simpson. "You have to ask the question... Why was it revealed now? I think it raises more questions than it answers."
