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More than 30 years after Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were murdered, a new investigation has brought fresh attention to a man who may have known more about the case than investigators publicly revealed.
Joseph "Joey" Ippolito, a convicted drug trafficker who knew O.J. Simpson through their mutual friend Al Cowlings, reportedly supplied federal authorities with information about the case. But a recent New York Times investigation has uncovered a separate, more troubling account from Ippolito's brother, Sam.
Sam told the newspaper that Joey returned to their Los Angeles apartment late on June 12, 1994, with what appeared to be blood on his hands. He allegedly had a heavy bag with him and, according to Sam, put his clothes inside before asking his brother to get rid of it while he showered.
Sam said he dumped the bag at a construction site near Doheny Drive. He could not say what was inside, leaving open the question of whether it had any connection to the murders or the knife that was never recovered.
Sam also claimed he overheard Joey telling Cowlings that he had been "helping" Simpson that night. The allegations have not been independently established, and Joey's involvement in the killings remains unproven.
The newspaper's investigation also uncovered federal records detailing Joey's work as a government informant. A 1996 prosecution memorandum described his cooperation as valuable and indicated that he had provided information about Simpson's alleged efforts to get rid of the murder weapon and flee authorities.
Joey was arrested in August 1995 after escaping from a Florida prison the previous year. He became an informant as Simpson's murder trial was approaching its conclusion, but he was never called to testify.
There are reasons to approach his brother's account cautiously. Sam reportedly asked the Times for compensation before later trying to withdraw his claims, saying he could no longer distinguish what was real from what was not. People close to Joey have also rejected suggestions that he helped with the murders.
David Kelley, the former federal prosecutor who worked with Joey, told the Times he did not believe he had participated in the killings. Former prosecutor Marcia Clark said she had not known about him and would have expected to hear of any credible evidence he supplied.
Simpson was acquitted of the murders in 1995, although a civil jury later found him liable for the deaths. He died in April 2024, aged 76.
