O.J. Simpson, the unsolved murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, are back in the news with a tell-all tome written by Simpson's "friend" and sports memorabilia collector, Mike Gilbert.

Gilbert claims in his book, How I Helped O.J. Simpson Get Away With Murder: The Shocking Inside Story of Violence, Loyalty, Regret and Remorse, that he heard the former NFL star, actor celebrity Simpson confess.

Gilbert, a former manager of Simpson, claims he heard Simpson "confess" to the murders of Ron and Nicole a few weeks after he was acquitted in the sensational trial. Gilbert claims Simpson, who had taken a sleeping pill, was smoking pot and drinking a beer, said he "went to his ex-wife's condominium, but that he didn't take a knife with him. Simpson claims that Nicole had a knife in her hand when she opened the front door of her condo.

In a soft mumble, Simpson told him: "If she hadn't opened that door witha knife in her hand ... she'd still be alive."

"Nothing more needed to be said," Gilbert writes. "O.J. had confessed to me. There's no doubt in my mind."

Gilbert, an ex-manager of Simpson's, not only didn't inform anyone of O.J.'s purported confession but went on to profit from the sale of O.J.'s sports memorabilia, hiding the profits, something that could be construed as illegal, so that the Goldman family, who had won a multi-million dollar civil lawsuit against Simpson, wouldn't be able to claim the money was legally theirs.

Gilbert also claims he was the one who told Simpson that if he stopped taking his arthritis medication his hands would swell and not fit into a pair of bloody gloves introduced into evidence in Simpson's double-homicide trial.

Simpson's attorney, Yale Galanter fired back, calling Gilbert "a delusional drug addict who needs money. He's fallen on very hard times. He is in trouble with the IRS."

At this point we wondered, does Gilbert's confession that O.J. kinda, sorta, confessed, really make a difference in the court of public opinion in regards to O.J. Simpson? Does this make a difference in anyone's opinion of O.J. Simpson?

A Hypothetical Confession from a Psychopath

What if hypothetically, O.J. confessed to the murders of Nicole and Ron. What type of confession do you suppose we'd hear? Would it be clear, concise, matter of fact? Or would it be one where Simpson attempted to blame the victims and/or painted himself as the victim, or declared the killings "justifiable, that Nicole and Ron "had it coming, or a pseudo-confession such as his "book", If I Did It.

Excerpt from the If I Did It manuscript:

I'm going to tell you a story you've never heard before, because no one knows this story the way I know it. It takes place on the night June 12, 1994, and it concerns the murder of my ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her young friend, Ronald Goldman. I want you to forget everything you think you know about that night because I know the facts better than anyone. I know the players. I've seen the evidence. I've heard the theories. And, of course, I've read all the stories: That I did it. That I did it but I don't know I did it. That I can no longer tell fact from fiction. That I wake up in the middle of the night, consumed by guilt, screaming. Source -TMZ

Is Simpson a Psychopath?

Simpson has been playing a "cat and mouse" game with the public since he was acquitted October 3rd, 1995, in the double murders in the "Trial of the Century". The excerpt from the If I Did It is yet another example of Simpson pushing the boundaries of how much the public is willing to be "jerked around". Was this an example of the behavior of a psychopath?

From Michael G. Conner, Psy.D's, Are You Involved With a Psychopath?:

A psychopath is usually a subtle manipulator. They do this by playing to the emotions of others. They typically have high verbal intelligence, but they lack what is commonly referred to as "emotional intelligence". There is always a shallow quality to the emotional aspect of their stories. In particular they have difficulty describing how they felt, why they felt that way, or how others may feel and why. In many cases you almost have to explain it to them.

According to publisher, Reagan Books, Simpson's If I Did It, "hypothetically describes how the murders have been committed". The book was supposed to have been published in 2006 but the project was canceled after the ensuing public uproar. Chairman of News Corp, Rupert Murdoch publicly apologized:

I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said. "We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."

Conner wrote that psychopaths lack "emotional intelligence", that they need to have someone explain to them "how other's feel and why". Someone should have explained to Simpson that his "book" would cause problems with the public. That it came across as not only self-serving but also as "game" Simpson's been playing with the public, that the public is no longer "buying" his favorite persona, that of the character he played in the Police Squad movies, the bumbling, lovable Detective Nordbert.

This persona may have still held water if not Simpson's behavior after the acquittal that destroyed any vestige of believability. Simpson publicly declared he would spend the rest of his days hunting for the "real killers" of Ron and Nicole then went about his life, moving to Florida, playing golf while selling sports memorabilia and hiding the proceeds in an attempt to "outwit" the multi-million dollar civil judgment leveled against him in favor of the Goldman family while procuring a very young Nicole "lookalike" girlfriend.

Simpson is also facing trial in Las Vegas on felony charges stemming from a "sting" he allegedly pulled on a sports memorabilia salesman.

In September of '07 Simpson and several of his "posse" allegedly entered a hotel room in Vegas. What happened next is subject to interpretation. Simpson claims he was merely attempting to recoup several items that were his personal property.

The Vegas authorities have a different take: Simpson and two of the men who were with him were charged with one felony of armed robbery, assault, kidnapping, burglary, conspiracy and coercion last November. Simpson has been out on bond and the trial is scheduled for this fall.

They don't understand or appreciate the impact that their behavior has on others. They do appreciate what it means when they are caught breaking rules or the law even though they seem to end up in trouble again. They desperately avoid incarceration and loss of freedom but continue to act as if they can get away with breaking the rules. They don't learn from these consequences. They seem to react with feelings and regret when they are caught. But their regret is not so much for other people as it is for the consequences that their behavior has had on them, their freedom, their resources and their so called "friends." Michael G. Conner, Psy.D

If Simpson was hoping to rehabilitate his "character" since the trial he hasn't succeeded and it may be due to the fact that Simpson is a bonafide psychopath, unable to understand how his behavior impacts others.

All things being equal we have to concede that Simpson was caught between a rock and a hard place. He was found not guilty in the Ron and Nicole murder criminal trial but was then found liable for the murders in the civil trial. He was ordered to pay 30 plus million to the Goldmans. Perhaps Simpson felt that an innocent man shouldn't have to pay millions of dollars to the family of a man he was acquitted of murdering. What he didn't bargain on was the fact that many felt and still feel that he "got away with murder". That he was essentially on Double Secret Lifetime Probation. His behavior since the trial hasn't changed any of those opinions.

It's the other crowd, those who were behind O.J., those who felt he was innocent in the crimes. Some of that past support has dwindled and dried up due to Simpson's behavior. Simpson's upcoming trial in Vegas lacks the former outcry from various segments of the public, of an "innocent" man railroaded by the LA cops and prosecutors.

Simpson's cronies writing autobiographies claiming they heard Simpson admit he murdered Ron and Nicole doesn't help Simpson no matter how hard his attorney tries to paint them as bad characters.

In the end, those who felt Simpson got away with double-murder are not surprised by Gamble's book, it's the others, those who supported Simpson back in the "Trial of the Century", those numbers continue to dwindle, due to Simpson's own behavior and more "tibbits" revealed by "former" buddies.

Sources:

E!News - Fall Start for Simpson Trial
Fox News - News Corp. Cancels O.J. Simpson Book and TV Special
Answers.com
SignonSanDiego - Ex-Manager says OJ confessed