The O.J. Simpson Conspiracy Theory That Would Change Everything

O.J. Simpson went from one of America's most beloved football stars in the '70s to a suspected murderer by the mid-'90s. In June 1994, Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend, Ron Goldman, were found stabbed to death outside the steps of her Brentwood condo (via History). The case infatuated Americans, and the criminal trial later became known as the trial of the century. His acquittal in 1995 led by his dream team of lawyers, racially divided American opinions. Per CNN, people were split on whether he actually killed his ex-wife and Goldman in a fit of rage, and others believed he was completely innocent. While he walked free from the criminal case against him, a court did find him liable for the murders in the civil case, reported ABC News. Simpson later wrote a controversial book titled "If I Did It," which was foiled by the Goldman family, who were awarded the rights and filled the book with their perspective. Since then, however, no other suspects have been considered. So who actually did it?

There are some who believe Simpson absolutely killed Nicole and Goldman, and there's those who do not. And then there are those who believe not only did he not commit the murders, but that Simpson knows someone close to him who did. And it's someone extremely close.

In 2016, FX network debuted their show about the case, "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story." The true-crime anthology show renewed American interest in the case, along with some theories.

The two-time divorced Simpson was married to Nicole from 1985 to 1992, and they had two children, Sydney and Justin. His previous marriage was to Marguerite Simpson from 1967 to 1979 (via Vogue). They had three children, Arnelle, Jason (pictured above), and Aaren. In a devastating loss, a young Aaren drowned in the family pool in 1979, per CNN, leaving the couple with just two. And one of them is at the heart of a popular theory that points to him as the killer.

The theory is that Simpson's oldest son Jason killed Nicole and Ron, and it became popular when author William Dear wrote a book titled "O.J. Is Innocent and I Can Prove It." The text presented several points that pointed to several reasons to suggest Jason is the killer, citing his mental health issues, his past offenses, affinity for knives, and a lack of an alibi on the day of the murder, per Your Tango. There are even several threads online where people are adamant about the theories and are convinced that Simpson is innocent, and his son is guilty. However, no evidence has been presented to definitively prove the theories.

How exactly did Jason Simpson become the target of these theories? In his book, William Dear asserts several claims about Jason that most people did not know of during the trial. He highlighted that Jason had epilepsy coupled with his alleged use of drugs and alcohol. Dear also says that there were multiple red flag-raising incidences that were ignored prior to the murders. Such as Jason, who worked as a prep chef, allegedly pulling a knife on his boss and almost killing two of his ex-girlfriends. He supposedly had a volatile temper and had also suddenly stopped taking his prescription medication. Jason even had an apparent liking for Nicole; one that led Nicole into believing that she was being stalked by him, and not O.J. as she initially believed.

On the night that Nicole and Ron were murdered, Nicole had made a reservation at the restaurant Jason worked at. Only she did not show up, and Jason had reportedly left work early. His alibi afterward is not exactly airtight. To top it off, his DNA was purportedly never compared to blood and fingerprints at the scene of the crime. This seemingly leaves a major question mark in the case. Dear also posits that Jason was unable to fill in his father's shoes, which had a detrimental effect on him. But Dear repeatedly points to Jason's mental health issues as a possible reason for him being the perfect suspect, along with the belief that Simpson would have taken the fall for his son out of guilt for not being there for him when he was young.

Jason has since been out of the spotlight, and per a 2016 Los Angeles Times report, he was working as a chef at an Atlanta restaurant.