Larry King had a "tenth anniversary" broadcast tonight about the O.J. Simpson case, chatting with members of the victims' families and some of the officers who investigated the case. At one point, Tom Lange, who was one of the latter, said this…
One thing of interest that hasn't come out that also should have during the trial is another bit of evidence that wasn't introduced, and that was the fact that Nicole had reported her house keys stolen some ten days before this ever happened… she said, "I think O.J. has the keys." Well after the chase, guess what we find in his pocket? The keys.
I followed the case more closely than I now like to admit, and I read all the books, though not Lange's. I never heard that.
Lange didn't explain why this was never introduced in the trial but I can guess. The prosecution made a decision to omit all discussion of the famous slow-speed Bronco chase. There were a number of incriminating elements to it but the prosecutors apparently feared Simpson's lawyers could spin some aspects of it to drum up sympathy for the guy, and they figured they had more than enough evidence without it. That might have made sense at some level but…jeez. He had her stolen keys in his possession? That's a heck of an incriminating fact to throw away.
Yeah, I know: You don't care about this any more. I don't either, most of the time. Now and then, I have lapses…