Filmmaker Brian Heiss and legendary private investigator Pat McKenna joined me for one final on the OJ Simpson case and trial. We talked mainly about the scientific side of the investigation. We talked about the LAPD’s Scientific Investigation Division which was in charge of all of the DNA evidence. Brian touched on the SID’s incredibly unprofessional and sloppy techniques. We talked about the incredibly high crime rate at the time in LA and the intense pressure the SID was under to deliver results. Pat and Brian focused on criminalists Dennis Fung, Collin Yamauchi, Andrea Mazzola, and Michelle Kessler. We talked about how they routinely contaminated and degraded key pieces of DNA evidence from the beginning of the investigation on June 13, 1994. We also talked about the larger impact that the SID had on the thousands of people sent to jail based on their erroneous tests. Later we talked about the the state of the criminal justice system and the long road ahead towards real reform.
Today we are joined by private investigator Pat McKenna and legendary attorney F Lee Bailey for a discussion of OJ and the criminal justice system. We begin by discussing some of the recent media reports about OJ that have come out in the tabloid press. The three of us address these bogus claims that OJ was thrown out of the Cosmopolitanism hotel in Las Vegas. Lee also tells us about his background in the Marine Corp and how he became one of the most famous trial lawyers. We then move onto some new research by Brian Heiss looking at a forgery in Nicole Simpson’s dairy. We discuss how Fred Goldman helped lobby California’s legislature to allow the diary and the forgery into the civil trial. Lee gives us his legal perspective about the civil trial and the ways in which it was conducted. He talks about the numerous instances in which false information was introduced as evidence, and how this has convinced many that the civil trial was the “good trial.” We explore how the media treated the criminal jury and how this influenced the civil juries verdict. Later Lee and Pat discuss the criminal trial itself. Lee talks about his cross examination of Mark Fuhrman. He talks about the moment he knew he had caught Fuhrman in his own web of lies. Pat and Lee also touch on how Judge Ito wouldn’t allow several witnesses who were willing to testify that Fuhrman was a virulent racist.
In the second hour Lee and Pat discuss their book project which deals with both OJ’s criminal and civil trials. They talk about how their book will differ from the plethora of OJ related books. Lee in particular touches on several important aspects that will be included in the book that were not widely know during the trial. Lee and Pat discuss the continued importance of truly understanding this case, and their hopes for the future generation. Lee also talks about his own theory as to the motive of the murders: a drug killing that meant to target Faye Resnick. Later Pat and Lee discuss the school they have founded for teaching investigative skills. Lee talks about the need for teaching trial lawyers how to turn facts into evidence, and how many lawyers are not fully equipped to carry out investigations. Pat talks about a similar problem facing private investigator’s and what he will be teaching. We also talk about the role that Hollywood has played in crafting our understanding of criminal justice. Lee talks about the problem that show’s like CSI have had on the criminal justice system. We round out the show by talking about some of the problems with forensic evidence. We talk about things like shoe print analysis and how that played a role with OJ and the infamous Bruno Magli shoes. We also touch on the problems with hair and fiber analysis.
Legendary private investigator Pat McKenna joins me today to discuss his work on the OJ Simpson trial. We begin by discussing Pat’s initial work on the case which took him to Chicago. Pat talks about his three weeks there interviewing numerous witnesses who saw OJ. Pat explains how like most people he assumed that the media was right and OJ was guilty. Yet as his investigation unfolded, interviewing people such as the staff at the hotel near the O’Hare airport, to people on the plane, Pat began to come to the realization that OJ was not the murder. Pat points out some of the key pieces of evidence he discovered there which point towards someone other than OJ being the killer. We discuss how OJ signed numerous autographs yet no one remembers him as having cut up and bloody hands. Pat also talks about the fact that OJ only left his hotel room after he was told of his ex-wifes murder, which casts doubt on the theory that he left to bury evidence. Pat also talks about Chicago PD’s assertion that the LAPD began screwing up evidence the moment they received it from Chicago. Next we move onto Mark Fuhrman, his racist past and the numerous problems with his timeline of events on the night in question. Pat explains his own investigation into Fuhrman’s background and lays out how Fuhrman planted the gloves. Pat also breaks down the impossibility of the prosecutions timeline of events that night.
In the second hour we take a look at one one the most overlooked but important witnesses in the case, Tom Lange, the last person to have seen Nicole Simpson alive. We explore both the original police report and Lange’s own personal notes on what he saw the night of June 12, 1994. Pat explains how Lange saw Nicole talking with two men a few minutes after 10pm who were driving a White Ford 350 truck. Pat talks about the credibility of Lange and why his story should be trusted, as well as why the LAPD and prosecution never followed up with him. We also point out some of the discrepancies between the police report and what Lange actually stated he saw that night. Later we talk a look at other eye and ear witnesses from that night and show how nearly all of them contradict the prosecutions own timeline. Pat also touches on the ways in which the prosecution went after these witnesses and trotted out the most untrustworthy individuals to prop up their increasingly flimsy case. Pat also breaks down the numerous issues with the infamous bloody socks. Pat and I also touch on the allegations that drugs played a part in the murder.
Pat will be joining me again very soon so let me know if you have any questions you would like us to discuss.
Frequent guest Brian Heiss joins me for an in depth discussion of the current state of the media, and their continued legacy of manipulation and deception. We begin our conversation by dissecting the bogus news story that OJ Simpson is set to make a reality TV show with Casey Anthony. Brian and I discuss now the genesis of this story is a TMZ article that determined that an OJ reality show was actually impossible to make at this current time. Brian describes how this TMZ article became the source for numerous mainstream media articles making the false claim that the reality show indeed happening. We dive into how this fake news became a viral and is now entirely accepted as fact. Brian and I then move onto how the OJ trial built the foundation for this trend in media. We talk about several lies about the trial that have become accepted fact because of peoples emotional desires to believe something that fits their world view. We discuss productions such as The People vs OJ Simpson and OJ: Made in America and how they have continued to exploit lies in order to craft their own version of the truth.
In the second hour we expand out on this topic and look at the ways in which the media manipulates crime both here and abroad to fuel ratings and revenue. Brian and I use the OJ trial and the false allegations by people such as Jill Shivley as an analogy for the current push for war in Syria. We examine how emotions and not evidence drive both the public’s opinions about OJ and Bashar al Assad. Brian and I also look at the increased number of true crime documentaries that knowingly manipulate our emotions with lies and how this is affecting our entire criminal justice system. We speak about this rush to judgment and trial by media circus and it’s relationship to events such as the recent chemical attack in Syria.
Author John Potash joins me in the first hour for a discussion of his book The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black Leaders. John describes the radical political life that Tupac was born into; mother Afeni Shakur and step father Mutulu Shakur were both prominent Black Panthers. We talk about the impact that this had on Tupac and how this would ultimately shape his life and his untimely death. John talk about the political messages with in Tupac’s songs, as well as his efforts behind the scenes to broker peace between gangs such as The Bloods and Crips. These efforts along with the politicization of the gangs would contribute to the FBI and US Intelligence targeting Tupuac relentlessly. We explore the numerous assassination attempts on Tupac including the infamous Atlanta and Marin Music Festival shootings. Later we delve into the New York shooting and the trumped up sexual assault case that would land Tupac in jail. John and I also break down the influence of Death Row Records and Suge Knight on Tupac. We discuss the intelligence connections behind Death Row, including CIA cocaine money, mafia lawyers, and the deep relationship it had with the LAPD and their elite police units. We discuss how Death Row was able to orchestrate Tupac’s killing in Las Vegas at the behest of the FBI/ATF and others. We finish off by talking about the impact that Tupac’s killing had on the rap world and the activist community.
In the second hour I talk about my article in the American Journal of Economics and Sociology. I talk about the issue as a whole which deals with CIA and DOD influence in Hollywood and talk about the other writers involved. Later I rant about the growing corporate take over of America and the misuse of the term Deep State. I discuss the notion that corporations are becoming countries, and countries are become nationalist corporations. I look at this through the lens of Trumps administration and the Keystone Pipeline as a case study. I attempt to show how this is really what the Deep State is up to.
Today we are joined once again by Jeffrey Augustine of The Scientology Money Project and Surviving Scientology Radio. Jeffrey and I begin by discussing the actual intake process an individual goes through when first introduced into Scientology. Jeffrey breaks down this process from being approached by a “body-router” on the street, to your first auditing session and beyond. Jeffrey details the way Scientology uses four important and legally binding contracts to ensnare a new recruit. These contracts make it extremely difficult to sue Scientology, and essentially signify you giving up all rights to the cult. Jeffrey also explains the legal complexities of how Scientology operates as a franchised business. We talk about the legal definition of what a Scientologist is, and how the organization is structured, and why this is so important to them.
Later we look at how Scientology is evolving as a cult and the steps it is now taking to ensure its survival. We talk about how Scientology is desperately trying to portray itself as a humanitarian group through the use of various front groups. Jeffrey talk about how the group has begun to cozy up more and more to police departments through the use of their anti-drug groups. We discuss how this is all a cynical PR attempt to make Scientology look like a benevolent group while they continue to employ the destructive teachings of L. Ron Hubbard.
Today we continue our series looking at the 21st anniversary of the OJ Simpson trial with return guests Brian Heiss and Ed Opperman. The three of us explore a wide variety of theories surrounding the case. We begin by looking at some of the false theories put out again and again by the media such as, Jason Simpson or Glenn Rogers as the killer. Next we move onto the issue of Joey Ippolito being behind the murder and his connections to all of the principle and secondary persons involved in the case. Brian explains some of his recent research into OJ friend Donald Soffer his connection to the Bronco chase, and to notorious drug trafficker Joey Ippolito. The three of us discuss what the Bronco chase may have really been about, and how this is still one of the least understood events of the case. Later we explore the role of celebrity culture in creating many of the personalities surrounding the trial. We focus particularly on Faye Resnick’s rise to stardom in the aftermath of the murder of her best friend. The three of us also discuss the role that domestic abuse played in the trial and in the public’s conception of what transpired on June 12 1994. As we round out the discussion we pick a part some of the media’s favorite false facts, such as OJ stopping his arthritis medicine, and how these have made their way into the public’s mind. We also manage to mention Trump and his various connections to OJ Simpson.
Today my guest is researcher and host of “Surviving Scientology Radio” Jeffrey Augustine. Jeffrey and I have an in-depth conversation on the growing relationship between The Church of Scientology and the Nation of Islam. Jeffrey relates the history of how these two groups came together, and describes the role that Christian minister Alfreddie Johnson has played as a top Scientologist recruiter and spokesman, particularly through his Scientology front group, the World Literacy Crusade. We discuss how Johnson deeply involved Nation of Islam’s Tony Muhammad, who in turn brought Louis Farrakhan into the fold. We explore how the Nation of Islam has essentially been turned into a Scientology franchise, which now requires all high-level members to go “clear.” Jeffrey and I discuss the future of these two cults and how their relationship may evolve over time. Jeffrey closes out the conversation by discussing some of his recent work looking into the financial affairs of Scientology. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, so we plant to have Jeffrey back on the show again soon!
Porkins Policy Review 