Evidence of OJ Simpson's Innocence Was Held From Murder Trial, Lawyer Says

F. Lee Bailey, one of O.J. Simpson's attorneys during Simpson's 1995 double murder trial, says evidence proving Simpson's innocence in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman was held back from the trial.

In a highly controversial verdict, Simpson was found not guilty.

Bailey (pictured left) wrote a 20,000-word document about the trial called "The Simpson Verdict," which he hoped to turn into a book. In it, he says the defense had four witnesses that could have solidified Simpson's case, but didn't call them to testify because of worries that a mistrial would be declared if the eight-month trial kept going.

The witnesses were a forensic scientist, an expert on battered women, a blood expert and, most prominently, a witness who claims he saw Nicole Brown Simpson in an altercation with two men -- neither of whom were O.J. Simpson -- the night of her murder.

Bailey thinks that the murderers were drug dealers who were collecting a debt and mistook Simpson and Goldman for their target.

"It's time somebody put out the real facts of the case," he told the Associated Press of the document, which was released Sunday on his website.

Bailey said the evidence might have swayed public opinion, given the high population of people who are still convinced that the football great committed the killings. He lamented the impact that the controversial decision had on him.

"Among the rednecks of America, which there are many more than people seem to realize, it was terribly damaging," he said. "I got blamed for O.J.'s acquittal."

But Gloria Allred, who represented Nicole Brown Simpson's family in the trial, doesn't think anything in the document changes matters much, claiming anything substantial would have been entered into the civil trial that followed the acquittal in the criminal case. In the civil case, Simpson was found liable for the deaths and forced to pay $33.5 million.

"If Mr. Bailey can't think of anything better than trying to help the public reputation of O.J. Simpson, that's really sad," Allred said.

Simpson is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence for kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges for his role in the gunpoint robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas hotel.

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