Unsealed O.J. Simpson files call an informant ‘extremely reliable,’ and his brother claimed he came home with bloody hands, then tried to recant

Unsealed federal records suggest a convicted drug trafficker named Joey Ippolito may have helped cover up the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, killings for which O.J. Simpson was acquitted in 1995 before being found liable in a 1997 civil trial. As first reported by The New York Times, Ippolito’s brother has also claimed Joey came home that night with what appeared to be blood on his hands.

An assistant U.S. attorney described Ippolito as “extremely reliable” in a memo to a federal judge. The prosecutor requested a lighter sentence for Ippolito on a prison escape charge because he was working as a federal informant.

The memo noted that Ippolito was close with Al Cowlings, a friend of O.J. Simpson. Through those connections, the memo said, Ippolito became privy to many facts, including Simpson’s alleged domestic violence, narcotics usage, and alleged disposal of the murder weapon.

The informant’s account never reached the jury

The memo said Ippolito had information about how the murder weapon, which was never found, had been disposed of. CBS News reported that Los Angeles prosecutors received the information after Simpson’s acquittal, and the court documents remained sealed for three decades.

Joey Ippolito died in 2006, but his brother, Sam, shared his version of events from that night with the Times. He claimed Joey left to help a friend around 6 PM and returned near midnight with what appeared to be blood on his hands and a bag containing something heavy.

According to Sam, Joey undressed, placed his clothes in the bag, and told him to get rid of it. Sam claims he threw the bag into a construction site dumpster. He also said he heard Joey call Al Cowlings to confirm he had been “helping” O.J. Simpson, though Cowlings has never been charged in connection with the killings.

Sam Ippolito initially told the Times he was “100 percent” sure his brother was at the scene, but he later tried to retract those statements after the paper turned down his request to be paid for the story. Legal analyst Rikki Klieman told CBS News there was “no real reason to trust the word of the brother,” and former prosecutor Marcia Clark told the Times she had no knowledge of Ippolito.

Malcolm LaVergne, the executor of the Simpson estate, addressed the developments in a statement to CBS News, noting that the three people with firsthand knowledge of that night, Brown, Goldman, and Simpson, are all deceased. “None of those three people can speak for themselves today,” he said. LaVergne added that the continued production of theories and sensational accounts may do little to bring resolution to those who have already suffered so much.

The records follow claims from Jim Clemente, a former FBI profiler with 22 years of experience, who suggested that O.J. Simpson did not act alone. Clemente said the injuries sustained by Ron Goldman point to two people being involved. He theorized that one person carried out the assault while another restrained Goldman.

Clemente believes Nicole Brown Simpson was the intended target and that Goldman arrived at the house on June 12, 1994, to return glasses left at a restaurant. When asked to identify a potential accomplice, Clemente said he had “a pretty good idea” but declined to name anyone. Claims that someone else was involved have surfaced in other high-profile cases, including one where an Idol contestant convicted of wife’s murder had blamed home invaders.

Jennifer Peace, who said she was dating Al Cowlings at the time, claimed in May 2025 that O.J. Simpson admitted to the killings.