On Friday, it was confirmed by TMZ and The Hollywood Reporter, among other sources, that a buried knife was found at O.J. Simpson's former estate in Brentwood, California. THR reports that the LAPD is currently investigating the knife, which may or may not be related to the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. So, let's just ask one of the many questions that may be running through your head right now: Could there be fingerprints on the knife?
(Update: On Friday, the LAPD held a press conference in which Andrew Neiman, a police caption, confirmed that the knife is now in LAPD custody and that the name of the police officer who allegedly had possession of the knife will not be shared with the public.)
Thus far, nothing has been reported about any fingerprints. Let's say the knife is the murder weapon used to kill Brown Simpson and Goldman. If fingerprints are found, they could easily be those of the killer. Let's also take into account that at the time of their deaths, a pair of gloves were found: one glove a the crime scene and its match at Simpson's estate. These notorious gloves also led to one of the most memorable moments from Simpson's court case. After Simpson tried them on and they didn't fit, his attorney Johnnie Cochran declared, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." Simpson was later acquitted and found not guilty.
Whoever has handled this knife could have been wearing gloves — whether they were the found gloves or a different pair — meaning no fingerprints would be left behind. Take the construction worker who allegedly discovered the knife. Per TMZ, a construction worker allegedly found the knife several years ago, possibly as far back as 1998 when Simpson's house was demolished. The construction worked allegedly handed the knife over to an off-duty LAPD officer who was working security for a movie that was filming across the street. The cop allegedly then kept it and didn't hand it over to authorities until January 2016, according to TMZ.
If the construction worker and the LAPD cop weren't wearing gloves, their fingerprints could be on the knife. Since the knife was reportedly discovered a very long time ago, who knows who has handled it since then — gloves or not. Basically, there could definitely be prints, but who they belong to is a whole other question.
