Christopher Darden ‘Vindicated’ by O.J. Simpson ‘Confession’

Christopher Darden, the co-prosecutor in the 1995 trial of O.J. Simpson, said that he felt “vindicated” by the newly aired interview from 2006 showing Simpson all but confessing to the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman on camera.

Darden was named co-prosecutor at the last moment in the highly publicized case. He and the other prosecutor, Marcia Clark, have taken a lot of criticism over the years for failing to get Simpson convicted for the murders of Brown, his wife, and Goldman, her friend.

Darden famously came up with the idea to have Simpson try on an incriminating glove found at the crime scene, which backfired. Many believe that moment helped lead to Simpson’s acquittal. However, he built a long career as a lawyer, teacher, and occasional TV personality off the notoriety of the case, and he was brought in as one of the experts on the panel for the special.

“I think he’s confessed to murder. If I’d know he said this in 2006 I would not have objected to the release of this video,” Darden said. “I don’t think there’s any question of his involvement and that he is the person who is wielding the knife.”

Darden was one of the loudest voices objecting to the interview’s release. The interview was filmed in support of Simpson’s book, If I Did It: Confessions of The Killer, and conducted by the publisher, Judith Regan. However, outrage over the insensitivity of the subject matter cause Fox to put the interview on a shelf, and their subsidiary, HarperCollins, to drop the book. The book came out later, funded by the Goldman family’s earnings from a civil lawsuit against Simpson.

The interview consists of a nervous, at times apparently delusional Simpson, giving a “hypothetical” account of how he believes the murder was committed. At times, the former pro football star even slips into first person, giving substantial evidence to the claims that he was the one holding the knife.

Darden was particularly concerned with Simpson’s confession on tape that he himself left the infamous bloody glove at the murder scene.

“Well, it certainly supports my belief that the gloves fit,” Darden said in an interview afterwards with TMZ. He also speculated that Simpson, now on parole, is probably shaken by the interview.

“I doubt that he remembers everything that he said back in 2006. I’m sure he was probably a little surprised,” Darden added.

O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession? aired on Fox on March 11. It’s available on Hulu and other streaming services.