OJ Simpson · Amanda Knox · Hamish McLaren
Plus: Ask a Manager and Man In The Window
the true crime that's worth your time
Should you join Kim Goldman in Confronting: OJ Simpson? The short answer: yes. The longer answer, to questions like “What even is that thing?”: still yes, but Confronting is a podcast, co-hosted by Kim Goldman and journalist Nancy Glass, and the confrontation on offer is not an in-person showdown with Simpson (although Goldman has tried to make that happen, and was stymied by Simpson attorneys’ insistence on an NDA). Rather, it’s Goldman, her father Fred, friends of her late brother Ron’s, and various and sundry Simpson-case figures trying to contend emotionally -- and, occasionally, evidentiar...ily? I don’t think that’s a word, but let’s forge ahead -- with the murder of Ron Goldman a quarter of a century ago.
It’s awkward to “review” a project this personal; it is, after all, an organizing grieving, this podcast...a way for Goldman to avenge, but also merely to spend some time with, the brother she adored and revered. It’s like critiquing a memorial. But: it is a Wondery memorial, with Madison Reed ads on it, and this is what we do here at B.E., so -- this is true crime that is worth your time, not least because it is so genuine and relatable. Those of you a bit younger than your “seasoned” editrices may not remember how much time we spent with these people in 1994-5, but there were half a hundred personages in this case whom we saw, heard in our kitchens and above the bar at our locals, literally every weekday for over a year. Some of them did breed contempt in their familiarity. Others, we felt friendly towards. I always liked the Goldmans, felt for them, admired Fred’s bristling heartbreak -- and Kim Goldman remains that approachable presence. Nancy Glass’s voice-over is also very listenable, providing connective tissue between interviews in a way that makes Confronting: OJ Simpson a smooth listen although it’s not an easy one. (The choice to read portions of Ron’s autopsy interstitially is effective, but it’s stern stuff.)
If you’d already had your fill of the Simpson case the last time we went around the block with this in 2014 (or, you know, at the time), Confronting isn’t necessarily going to win you back over, and there’s an argument to be made that 30 For 30’s OJ: Made In America is the definitive account of the man in his and our times. The first episode of Confronting is rather slow in the first 10 minutes, too; I feel for the family and the surreal horror of receiving the notification that Ron was “the other victim,” but as our esteemed colleagues Lavoie and Flynn might say, it’s not good tape. Neither is the sequence in which Goldman interviews Ron’s L.A. bestie, Lauren; I won’t spoil the contents, but the manner of their becoming clear felt rehearsed and under-credible.
Overall, though, it’s information you may not have about the case, from a source with standing, at an angle we haven’t necessarily seen it from. The recent L.A. Times piece on Goldman and the podcast gives you a solid overview of the first episode, so I’d recommend reading that and skipping ahead to Episode 2, which has some interesting comments from case detective Tom Lange and prosecutor Marcia Clark (not least about each other; Lange is not a fan of anyone, except perhaps himself) and surfaces some facts I hadn’t heard before. Again, Confronting: OJ Simpson is available on Wondery’s site and wherever podcasts are downloaded; check it out, and let me know how you find it. -- SDB
Writing for The Nation, More Perfect legal editor Elie Mystal dismantles Linda Fairstein’s recent op-ed defending her prosecution of the Central Park Five. “You’d think Fairstein would be inconsolable, ashamed, or just plain embarrassed when she learned that her actions not only put five innocent boys in jail but also allowed the real perpetrator to go on raping people for that much longer,” he writes. “But, no, she’s not humiliated -- she is defiant.”
Some other relevant When They See Us reading:
Investigative journalist David Heath also picks apart Fairstein’s op-ed via Twitter thread, things begin here.
Other victims of Matias Reyes -- the man who admitted to the attack on Trisha Meili for which Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise were imprisoned -- are speaking publicly for the first time. You can read their stories at The Cut. -- EB
Man In The Window, a podcast about the Golden State Killer, made its debut this week. It’s part of an investigative series by the LA Times (its host, Paige St. John, won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 2011) and includes interviews with Joseph James DeAngelo Jr.’s fiancee, family, and friends, as well as the many detectives on the case. It dropped its first two (of six) episodes on June 11, and will launch a special section in the print and online version of the paper on June 16. -- EB
Maybe you guys need to cool it on the true crime talk at work. Best Evidence subscriber Tara Ariano made us aware of this concern, even though it’s been a long time since Sarah or I worked in an office setting (and when I last did, it was a newspaper, so…) Anyway! In this week’s “Ask A Manager,” Alison Green is approached by a person whose “coworkers love discussing murder. Like, they love it. True crime is their favorite form of entertainment.”
He or she writes that “they have also spoken negatively about people who ‘overreact,’ ‘judge,’ and ‘don’t get it’ when they joke about murder.” So the question is, is the correspondent within their rights to ask them to shut it down? Here’s Green’s response. Do you agree? -- EB
Hamish McLaren should receive his sentence next week. The subject of podcast Who The Hell Is Hamish (which, itself was the subject of a The Blotter Presents episode just last month) was expected to return to court this week, but according to WTHiH host Greg Bearup, there’s still more to go. McLaren pleaded guilty to conning 15 victims out of over $7 million last September, but his fate was delayed after his defense attorneys requested time for a mental health evaluation for their client. -- EB
Amanda Knox’s appearance at the Italian Criminal Justice Festival is “inappropriate,” an attorney for the family of Meredith Kercher said. Speaking to the AP Friday, Lawyer Francesco Maresca said that inviting Knox, who was acquitted of Kercher’s slaying in 2011 “was a mistake." -- EB
Monday on Best Evidence: It’s the 25th anniversary of OJ’s slow-speed Bronco chase, and we’ve got a look back at the best coverage from the case. Have a great weekend!
What is this thing? This should help.
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