The knife found on O.J. Simpson's property probably isn't the murder weapon

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oj simpson

Reuters

Defendant OJ Simpson wearing the blood stained gloves found by Los Angeles Police and entered into evidence in Simpson's murder trial displays his hand in front of the jury at the request of prosecutor Christopher Darden.

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The knife found on O.J. Simpson's property is inconsistent with the killings of O.J.'s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, Los Angeles law enforcement officials told NBC on Saturday.

The knife is a relatively inexpensive, small knife carried by landscapers and gardeners. The characteristics and condition of the knife, which had no traces of blood, were inconsistent with the weapon used to murder Brown and Goldman, sources told NBC.

The LAPD sources cautioned that they will still conduct forensic tests on the knife "just in case," according to NBC.

The knife was allegedly found by a construction worker in 2002, who handed it to off-duty LAPD officer George Maycott, according to TMZ.

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Instead of turning the knife over to investigators, Maycott, now retired, kept the knife in his home. When he contacted a friend who worked for the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division about his plans to have the knife framed on his wall, his friend contacted his superiors who demanded that Maycott turn in the knife in January of last year, reports Business Insider's Jethro Nededog.

Regardless of the outcome of the forensic testing, Simpson cannot be charged with same crime twice due to the US's double jeopardy law.

Simpson was acquitted of the murders in 1995, though he's serving a 33-year sentence in Nevada for an armed robbery in 2007. He isn't eligible for parole until 2017.