Do Minnesota cops have a taped O.J. Simpson confession? Police respond to TMZ report

A Minnesota police department has responded to claims it is in possession of thumb drives that contain recordings of O.J. Simpson confessing to killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

But how did authorities in Minnesota get wrapped up in what has long been referred to as the trial of the century?

It began in 2022 when the Bloomington Police Department arrested Iroc Avelli, who was the former bodyguard of the football star turned actor, according to WCCO. Avelli was accused of assault, and officers seized a “backpack which contained media thumb drives” during the investigation.

In June 2024, the department said it was contacted by the Los Angeles Police Department, which said Avelli and his attorney said those thumb drives contained recordings of Simpson confessing to the infamous 1994 killings, KARE reported.

According to KFGO, Avelli’s attorney said the drives contained “very sensitive, delicate information which shouldn’t be in the public, period.”

TMZ reported on Dec. 3 Bloomington police were in possession of a thumb drive that had the alleged recordings, leading to the department speaking out on the claims.

In a statement to multiple outlets, including KMSP, the Bloomington Police Department said detectives conducted a forensic examination of the drives and “did not locate any information of evidentiary value for the LAPD.”

Simpson was acquitted of murder charges following a highly publicized 1995 trial, but he was later found liable for wrongful death by a civil jury.

He maintained his innocence in the nearly two decades that followed until his death in April 2024.