OJ Simpson's ex-pal who testified against him in 2008 case claims athlete wasn't keen on Christianity
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: OJ Simpson’s former friend Walter Alexander, who had somewhat of a roller-coaster friendship with the NFL star, recently opened up about his friendship.
After the former Buffalo Bills running back’s family members announced his death on social media, his former friend, Alexander shared that while he was “not crying,” he was “mourning” nonetheless.
Alexander became a friend of Simpson soon after he was acquitted by a jury for the double murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her pal, Ronald Goldman. Following an eleven-month-long trial, Simpson was acquitted by the jury.
Nevertheless, he was bereft of fame, fortune, and the companionship of his celebrity friends. During this time, he became friends with Walter Alexander and both stayed friends until 2008 when he testified against Simpson in the Las Vegas memorabilia heist.
OJ Simpson’s friend wanted NFL star to embrace Christianity
During a recent interview with the New York Post, Alexander claimed that he allowed himself to be guided by God when he testified against Simpson which led to his conviction for the 2008 Las Vegas hotel room robbery case.
Alexander recently told the outlet that though he was interested in partying previously, later in his life he embraced Christianity and tried to influence his friend to embrace God too.
Alexander, nevertheless, claimed, “That’s not where his mind was,” before adding, “He just wanted to party.”
During the infamous 2007-2008 trial, Alexander told the jury that Simpson told him and his other friend to bring guns to the Las Vegas hotel room where Simpson was planning the heist. The NFL star claimed he was retrieving a memorabilia wrongfully stolen from him.
Alexander also shared that Simpson tried to blame him entirely for the episode. Simpson’s ex-friend claimed, “He was just trying to save his own ass,” before adding, “He was just doing what I think a lot of -people would do. He wanted to stay out of jail.”
Alexander, though an accomplice in the heist initially, refused to support Simpson’s story and decided to help the prosecutors. His testimony against Simpson helped the jury to declare Simpson guilty.
The former athlete was sentenced to 33 years in prison. However, he was released nine years later on parole in 2017.
OJ Simpson’s friend mourns his death
Alexander also opened up about Simpson’s death in the interview, saying, “I’m not crying today,” before adding, “But I am mourning.”
He explained, “At one point we were very close friends. In my mind, he was a genuinely good person who made a terrible decision one day.”
He also shared insights into the beginning of their friendship, saying, Simpson found himself in a desperate situation after he was left with friends, money and fame after his acquittal in the double murder case.
“He was very disappointed that he found himself in a situation where he had once had all these endorsement deals and money and fame and now it was all gone,” Alexander said, before adding, “He would get his check from the NFL, but it was nothing compared to what he was used to getting. He was down in the dumps.”
Alexander said that he befriended Simpson then and introduced him to the Black party circles, saying, “He didn’t have a lot to do with Black people before all that.”
He added, “But after the case, I would take him to the Black clubs, to places where he still had support. We partied a lot.”
He also recalled the time when he decided to testify against Simpson in 2008.
Alexander said, “I saw him coming out of the bathroom the day of the hearing,” and recalled telling Simpson, “I said ‘Juice, I love you but I’m not going to jail for you'. And he said ‘I love you too. Do what you have to do'.”
He also shared his thoughts on Simpson’s death, saying, “He made a terrible mistake,” referring to Nicole and Ron’s death, and concluded, “And he got away with it.”