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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Pictures Cast Doubt About O.J. New Photos Show Defendant’s Shoes

Associated Press

New evidence potentially harmful to O.J. Simpson has emerged: photographs that may validate a hotly disputed picture of him wearing the same brand of shoes as a killer.

A photograph of Simpson wearing a pair of Italian shoes at a Buffalo Bills game in 1993, introduced as evidence at his wrongful death trial, has been called a fake by his attorneys.

Newly found photos, however, taken on the same day by a different photographer clearly show Simpson’s shoes, lawyers who have seen the photos said Tuesday.

Free-lance photographer E.J. Flammer found the photos in his files last week, said his attorney, Mark Cramer.

Attorneys in the wrongful death trial declined to comment, citing a gag order imposed by the judge. But sources said lawyers from both sides were scrambling over the holiday break to learn more about Flammer’s photos.

Simpson, 49, who was acquitted of murder last year, is being sued by the relatives of slaying victims Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

The trial is on a two-week break and will resume Monday with testimony by Simpson’s photo expert, Dallas-based photo technician Robert Groden.

Before the holiday hiatus, Groden took aim at the most important piece of new evidence against Simpson: the picture that freelancer Harry Scull took of Simpson before the 1993 Bills game. The picture surfaced after Simpson’s acquittal.

An FBI shoe expert identified Simpson’s shoes in the trial photograph as Bruno Maglis - the same model that left bloody prints near the bodies of Simpson’s exwife and Goldman.

Groden, however, testified that there is “a high likelihood of forgery” with the photo.

Simpson has denied ever owning that type of shoes, calling them “ugly-assed.”

The plaintiffs have attacked Groden’s character and qualifications, portraying him as a JFK conspiracy fanatic with a bad memory and no formal training in photography. They recruited a former FBI photo expert who authenticated Scull’s picture.

Flammer’s photos have yet to be authenticated or inspected by a shoe expert.

In the photos, Cramer said, Simpson appears to be wearing the same pants, sport jacket, tie and, most important, shoes as he is in the trial-exhibit picture.

“I would say that it corroborates Mr. Scull’s picture. You can see the tops and the sides of Simpson’s shoes,” said Cramer.