Secret informant and missing weapon: Simpson case remains a mystery for 30 years

In the failed 1995 murder prosecution of O.J. Simpson, the government claimed that he single-handedly killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

One of the problems hindering the investigation of this case is the lack of the murder weapon, which has never been found. The missing murder weapon has long fueled speculation about whether the killer had help from others.

Now, 30-year-old records unsealed at the request of The New York Times show that a key government informant provided law enforcement with key information about the killing, including the alleged location of the murder weapon and details of Simpson's actions to avoid prosecution. Together, the findings challenge the prevailing narrative surrounding the case.

This year, the informant’s brother told The New York Times that his brother’s role in the case was far more profound than was known. The brother also said he himself helped dispose of a bag containing heavy items in the hours after the murder.

An "extremely reliable" informant provided information about O.J. Simpson.

Joseph Ippolito, known as Joey, was a convicted drug dealer and Mafia member who escaped from a Florida prison a month before the 1994 murders.

After escaping, the brothers headed west to Los Angeles, Ippolito's brother said. Before being imprisoned, Ippolito ran a popular restaurant there and was a close friend of longtime Simpson confidant Al Collins.

After Simpson and Cowlings' infamous Bronco chase, investigators found a photo of one of Ippolito's girlfriends and her phone number in the car.

Ippolito was eventually detained again a year later. He then provided information about the Mafia to federal investigators in New York and arranged a meeting with undercover narcotics agents, who prosecutors said "found Ippolito to be an extremely valuable source of information." Prosecutors wrote in a memo lobbying the judge for a lenient sentence that Ippolito risked his own safety to assist the investigation.

He also leaked information about Simpson and the killing.

The informant spoke of the missing murder weapon.

Prosecutors said Ippolito's close relationship with Cowlings and Simpson gave him "knowledge of many facts relevant to this case, including Simpson's alleged domestic violence, the Simpsons' drug use, Simpson's attempts to evade justice, and his handling of the murder weapon."

A federal court memo and a sentencing hearing transcript obtained by The New York Times outline the details of Ippolito's cooperation. A federal prosecutor, a former U.S. Marshal, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent and an official involved in prosecuting the murder case also independently confirmed Ippolito's cooperation.

Federal officials said they have shared the information with prosecutors in Los Angeles. But by the time the information arrived, the murder trial that had attracted global attention was nearing its end. Ippolito was never called to testify. He died in 2006.

The informant's brother said he was at the murder scene.

Earlier this year, one of Ippolito's brothers, Sam, told The New York Times that they were living in a West Hollywood apartment on the night of the murders in 1994. Joey told Sam he was going out to help a friend that night. Sam said his brother returned hours later with what appeared to be blood on his hands and a bag containing something heavy. Sam Ippolito recalled Joey telling himself to get rid of the bag. Sam Ippolito said he threw it in a dumpster at a nearby construction site.

Sam Ippolito said he is convinced his brother was present at the murder scene. Months after his interview with The New York Times, Sam Ippolito asked to be paid. When a reporter refused, he reversed his previous claims and said he had been "offered a large sum of money" to tell his story elsewhere, apparently for an upcoming documentary.

Simpson once described a "hypothetical" accomplice.

In 2007, Simpson made public his "hypothetical" confession to the murder, published in the book "If I Did It." In the book, he describes a friend who was with him on the night of the murder, who was initially a horrified bystander but later agreed to help him dispose of the murder weapon and Simpson's blood-stained clothing.