Killing Time: The First Full Investigation

The authors of this provocative inquiry into the O.J. Simpson double-murder case maintain that ""[t]he prosecution was shackled by their obsession with O.J. as a berserk Othello,"" a jealous lone killer. In their estimate, ""Simpson's alibi certainly has `the ring of truth.'"" Using detailed time lines and maps, they propose several alternative scenarios for the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Some scenarios posit two killers, with Simpson as a co-conspirator or bystander. In other scenarios, Goldman was the primary target, and the authors point to a pattern of drug- and mob-related violence surrounding Goldman and O.J. Simpson. Another theory advanced is that a professional assassin employed by a drug cartel committed the murders. The authors sift numerous details that their own investigative team reportedly uncovered, plus evidence that, in their opinion, has been unexplored by the LAPD. Their presentation, however, relies too much on anonymous sources, which weakens their case considerably. Freed, historian and screenwriter, wrote The Killing of RFK. Briggs is director of research at the Southern California College of Optometry. Author tour. (Sept.)