Alan R. Warren - The O.J. Simpson Murder Case

Interview with Norman Pardo

The House of Mystery Radio Show has been on the air for ten years now, broadcasting in over a dozen cities in the United States, including KKNW 1150 A.M. Seattle/Tacoma, KCAA 106.5 F.M. Los Angeles/102.3 F.M. Riverside/1050 A.M. Palm Springs. I started the show to find as much information on the worlds mysteries in crime, science, religion, history, paranormal, and more. Like most people, I have heard stories and rumors and read books or watched documentaries on television, but I would seldom hear one direct answer to a question. Throughout my time recording interviews, I sought out people who had themselves researched a subject enough to have written a book or created a documentary, or even people involved in the event or topic that would have first-hand knowledge.

In most cases, the strange thing was that there was a popular or mainstream idea about what happened; one reported at the time of the event, but then there was an alternative idea. Most writers who had books or shows that did well often disagreed with the current theory and accused the media of faking the story and hiding the truth from everyone. An example would be Who shot JFK? Different government agencies and news media have reported a well-known theory that most people in America have come to accept as the truth. But since the original Warren Report on JFKs assassination, there have been hundreds of theories promoted by many authors and lots of research completed.

The House of Mystery Interview Series is a series of books that contain transcriptions of the very best interviews weve had on several topics. So far, seven books have been published covering the Jack the Ripper case, the JFK assassination, the Zodiac Killer, mysterious celebrity deaths, conspiracy theories, paranormal and the occult, and the D.B. Cooper hijacking. You will find the books in the .

A substantial number of our interviews revolve around true crime. So, we created this sub-series, Voices of True Crime. Like the other Interviews series, we review the most accepted explanation of the case. Then, we follow up with each theory presented during our interviews with the person or people reporting them. Each book lays out the case details and then follows up with what weve learned from each guest.

Like the others in the House of Mystery Radio Show Interviews Series, this book does not attempt to solve the case but only reviews it. There will be no committed answer at the end of the book. We aim to concisely review the extraordinary things we learned during the shows interviews. It is an excellent reference for researchers and a good overview for people who dont know the topic well. Similar to the other volumes in this series, only the highlights of each interview will be included. All these interviews and more are available to listen to on my website: www.alanrwarren.com/hom-podcast-episodes .

Over the last century, there have been plenty of trials called The Trial of the Century, but of all mentioned, the O.J. Simpson case rose well above the rest. Not only because the accused murderer was a high-profile athlete and celebrity and because of the brutality of the murders, but more because of how far the media had advanced. By the mid-1990s, the internet had begun its revolution. Cell phones started becoming regular things people owned, and satellites brought hundreds of television channels into our homes.

Once the police determined probable cause for them to arrest O.J. Simpson and charge him with two murders, the chase was on. Literally. Simpsons lawyer, Robert Shapiro, made an agreement with police for Simpson to turn himself in by noon on June 17th. While more than a thousand journalists surrounded the police station to get pictures of Simpson being arrested, he would never show up. Instead, Simpson disappeared. By 2 p.m. that afternoon, police declared Simpson a fugitive and issued a warrant for his arrest.

At 5 p.m. that same afternoon, Simpsons lawyer Shapiro made a public appeal on television for Simpson to turn himself in. He then read a suicide note that Simpson had written, leading to panic amongst his family and friends. The search was on involving all levels of law enforcement and almost every citizen in Los Angeles. Joining the police in the quest to find O.J. was all the news media, who were using every helicopter at their disposal. In all history, this must have been the first search for a suspect that included this many people in the city while being watched live on television.

Simpson had last been seen with his good friend Al Cowling who drove a white Ford Bronco. The Bronco had been on all the news reports, so everyone in the city was looking for it. Around 6:30 that same evening, another driver driving on the I-5 called 911 to report seeing O.J. and Al Cowling heading North. Police tracked Simpsons cell phone from his calls until finally, officer Ruth Dixon spotted Cowlings white Bronco going North on Interstate 405.

Dixon caught up with the Bronco and drove parallel with them when Cowling opened his window to let her know that O.J. was in the back of the vehicle holding a gun to his own head, threatening to shoot himself. The officer slowed down and started following them instead. Soon, as many as twenty other police cars would follow Simpson and Cowling on the highway. They were all going at a slow speed of about 35 miles per hour. It wouldnt be long before every news helicopter had its cameras on the slow-speed chase and was televised worldwide. There was an estimated 95 million viewers in the U.S. alone. All the streets and overpasses were filled with spectators; surprisingly, many of them had signs telling him to run. As the white Bronco drove by, groups shouted things like Go, O.J. Go!

Simpson, through Cowling, told detectives that he wouldnt surrender until he could speak with his mother in person. Law enforcement let the two of them drive to Simpsons Brentwood home, arriving around 8 p.m. Simpson was allowed to go in and be with his mother for about an hour while at least 25 SWAT officers surrounded the house and waited. Simpson surrendered as soon as his lawyer, Shapiro, arrived. Both Simpson and Cowlings were arrested.