How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder: The Shocking Inside Story of Violence, Loyalty, Regret, and Remorse

Anyone who has followed this story knows OJ did it and knows OJ got away with it. The question remained: how did he get away with it? This book fills in the details to the questions the public always wanted to know.

First off let's start with the author, Mike Gilbert. He puts himself up on the chopping block and rightly so. He did everything in his power to make certain his childhood idol, OJ, did not go to prison. He is not the only one. There are endless people in OJ's circle who did whatever they could to make sure he never went to prison and that his money and assets were carefully shipped off or put in other's names so the Goldman family received as little money as possible.

This book is truthful and telling, but be careful what you wish for. Knowing the truth in details about this fateful night will still make your stomach turn, perhaps even more so. It is sickening how fame and celebrity can corrupt people. Gilbert speaks of how everybody in OJ's circle KNEW he was guilty, they just never wanted to deal with it. That plus they didn't want their MEAL TICKET shipped off to prison as most of the people who helped him get away with murder depended on OJ for their income.

Some of the highlights are:

AC and the supposed Bronco chase:
When OJ was originally arrested for the murders, he was let go. (still can't figure that one out) He was told he could turn himself in a few days later. On the day he was to turn himself in, he had AC (Al Cowlings) drive him to Nicole's grave where he was going to kill himself. After AC was sitting in the Bronco for a few minutes, not hearing a gunshot, he went over to OJ and asked him what he was doing. OJ told AC, to more or less, give him a couple minutes because he was trying to kill himself. OJ couldn't go through with it and returned to the bronco. OJ then told AC that he remembered his religious family members telling him that if he committed suicide he would go to hell. He didn't want to go to hell, he wanted to be in heaven with Nicole. Upon leaving the cemetary, AC called Los Angeles Police Department telling them that OJ was ready to turn himself in and that he was suicidal. The LAPD then sent an ESCORT to follow them to OJ's Rockingham Estate.

The whole supposed chase was not a chase at all but a police escort back to OJ's home so police could meet him there to arrest him. This would explain why police never went over a certain speed limit or tried to run them off the road and why AC was NEVER CHARGED with aiding a wanted fugitive. And why AC was never called to testify at the trial. Neither side wanted this little bit of info to get out.

The Glove:
OJ was apprehensive and anxiety ridden over putting on the gloves at trial (which he knew about before it happened). Mike Gilbert suggested a neat little trick that would work which OJ didn't quite get at first. OJ has had terribly arthritis for years and when he doesn't take his arthritis medicine, his hands swell up, especially his knuckles. OJ stopped taking his medication a few days before he was to try on the gloves and Voila! it worked.

Business Deals Behind Bars:
Little known to the average person is that apparenly one can do business while in jail at the LAPD. Well, celebrities can. Mike G., author and OJ's memorabilia dealer, visited OJ every single day and reported they made over 3 million from OJ autographing various items. Some of the guards even lifted some of the merchandise and Mike nor OJ said anything because this was just part of the deal.

OJ and Nicole:
another revealing element of the book is the turbulent relationship between the two. OJ was abusive to Nicole from the start of their nightmare relationship. The basic elements of their relationship were fighting, sex, chaos and drama, and both were addicted to it, according to the author. What is equally disturbing is how Nicole's family knew that OJ was abusing Nicole, but looked the other way and even encouraged Nicole to get back with him. The author writes that these same people who are now supporting "nicole" causes after she is dead, never gave her that much thought when she was alive. Also noted is that Nicole's father and sister both sold Nicole pics and items to the tabloids. He says Nicole's family was living the glamorous life with OJ and got all the VIP treatment perks that came along with OJ's money and fame.

Hiding of Property:
A tip from an LAPD guard to OJ's circle let them know the sheriff was coming to collect from Rockingham and elsewhere via the Goldman's lawyers and judgements against OJ. Everyone flew into high gear and got all the items worth anything out of the estate. Replaced by cheap knock-offs. Mike Gilbert admits doing all he could to make sure the Goldman's got NOTHING. He says of all the people he wants forgiveness from Fred Goldman is at the top of his list.

Double-Edged Sword:
I commend this author for doing the right thing, telling the truth about what happened. He is relieving his conscious and his debt to society. This book does not make you feel bad for him, or even sorry for him, in fact this man makes my skin crawl at the lengths he was willing to go for dirty deeds done dirt cheap. I believe what the author is saying to be true. I believe OJ confessed to him and others. I believe the details of the trial and all the missing pieces he provides.

However there is one thing I don't believe him on: Feeling bad about his part in all of this. Don't get me wrong, I think he does feel bad and this has haunted him for years, but lets get to "levels" of feeling bad. He says hiding OJ's money from the Goldmans is the one of the things he feels the most regret about, so he feels bad enough to write this book, yet not bad enough to give any of the proceeds to the Goldman family??

Let's face it, no one and no amount could ever give back to the families who lost so much, but it sure as hell couldn't hurt to give something, anything, right?

Nicole and Ron:
Of this entire saga, these two people are actually the least mentioned in all of it. Everything from racism to lawyers to football legacies to lawsuits to amounts to Broncos and everything else in between has been discussed. Yet two human beings were butchered and a murderer walks free. And this murderer is set for trial this month (september 08) for breaking into a hotel room in Las Vegas. He stands to serve time for this. Only in America can celebrities go free for murder yet end up doing time for something much less. The author of this book does not believe OJ will do time for this either.

OJ may have out smarted and conned his way past a double murder. He may have escaped the repsonsiblity of an Earthly court, but he still has to answer in God's court.

I hope and pray the families of both victims find resolve and make peace with all of this. I hope OJ comes clean, finds God and starts doing something worthwhile with his time left on Earth. It is really a shame how our justice system does not work sometimes. ( in this case, there might as well not have even been a trial, he's OJ, he's cool, he's a legend, so what if he did it, he's a celebrity and people like him) It is also a shame how millions are blinded by wealth and fame.

To Nicole and Ron: RIP

* ( I refused to contibute to this man's pockets ( no matter how sorry he may or may not be), so I got my copy from the public library)

There doesn't seem to be anything published in the last fourteen years regarding the O.J. Simpson double murder case that doesn't come across as being coated in sleaze, debauchery, or simply self-serving. This book written by Mike Gilbert fits directly into that mold with the additional feel of a "Sybil-like" multiple-personality disorder suffered by the author. After reading this book my feelings are even stronger than they were before I read this book, that there was no possible benefit to humanity by publishing this. Prior to the release of this book I had pledged to never put a penny in the hands of any of the people involved with Simpson either in the crime or the cover-up. You're probably asking how can that be so if I bought this book? Ah-ha! Good question! And here is where the multiple-personalities regarding integrity and lack of same by the author and publisher. On the inside book cover "jacket" it states: "PROCEEDS FROM THIS BOOK ARE GOING TO THE "MARCH OF DIMES" AND TO SEVERAL OTHER CHARITIES WITH WHICH GILBERT HAS LONG BEEN ASSOCIATED." That is why I took a chance buying this book, because I figured in the worst set of circumstances at least "ALL" of my money would go to charity.... BUT!! When I got home, I noticed that at the bottom of the back of the cover, a small black square similar to the warning on a pack of cigarettes states: "A PORTION OF AUTHOR PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THIS BOOK WILL BE DONATED TO THE "MARCH OF DIMES" AND OTHER SELECTED CHARITIES." Well which is it? All... or a portion? And if it's a portion how much?? Now with that bad taste in my mouth and the stench that goes with being mislead, I will now share with "possible" readers the personality and loyalty swings of the author.

Gilbert throughout the book boasts over and over how O.J. was his idol growing up and how he absolutely loves O.J., and it was tantamount to gospel, that O.J.'s inner circle should be loyal at all costs, and anyone trying to hurt O.J. by whatever means, such as the poor mourning Goldman's, were the enemy. The author lambasts former friend Ron Shipp as "the first Judas." Shipp's crime was that he told the truth. I feel this would be a good place to go back in time and share with the potential reader how Gilbert got O.J. as a client, and how he treats the friend in this book that arranged it.

Gilbert's first big client was former Oakland Raider and Kansas City Chief Hall of Famer Marcus Allen. Marcus's mentor and friend was O.J. Simpson. Since Gilbert was always... and I mean always telling anyone within earshot how much he idolized Simpson since he was a kid, Marcus arranged an introduction and O.J. became a client. So the reward Marcus gets from Gilbert is to be constantly harangued throughout this book, and in addition to baring all his dirty laundry, the author also summarizes that if it wasn't for Marcus there probably wouldn't have been a double murder on June 12, 1994. He starts off my saying: "part of my job for Marcus included creating smokescreens that allowed him to more easily cheat on his lovely wife, Kathryn. I would leave false messages on his answering machine at his request-asking him to appear in fictional contexts, to give him an alibi and cover for his trysts with other women." I ask the potential reader: Why is this necessary to bring up 14-20 years later? Then the author decides to pour some sleaze on himself by saying: "Pretty soon, I became an illusion myself. I started cheating on my own wife, even though I loved her more than anything in the world." Another personality of the author, which I'll call the WALTER-MITTY-SYNDROME" starts to emerge where he by inflection, starts to include himself as part of the "Dream-Team" legal defense by saying: "Here's how we manipulated it... "First of all, we leaked the information about the sock... "And we kept going: a sock has four sides... "We then launched a seething attack on the man who collected the vial of O.J.'s blood... All of these "We's" are just from one page!

Gilbert beats his chest with enormous pride when he relates how he spearheaded the operation to screw the Goldman's and Brown's out of property that was legally theirs from the civil settlement. They worked all night taking possessions out of the Rockingham house and later out of other residences in other parts of the country to beat the movers coming for the belongings. Yet by the end of the book Gilbert says how much he wants to apologize to the Goldman's. One of the more distasteful claims by the author, and there are so many, it's hard to choose which ones to highlight in this review, is the fact that during Simpson's ENTIRE incarceration in jail he was signing autographs, clear up to the day of the verdict. "Business was booming. In fact, business had never been so good. He was signing footballs, jersey, posters, lithographs, serigraphs, movie scripts-you name it, he signed it. It's hard to calculate exactly how much we made during O.J.'s incarceration, but it was probably in excess of $3,000,000.00."

The author's loathsome mea culpa is, "WE KNEW HE WAS SPIRALING DOWNWARD, WE KNEW HE WAS IN TROUBLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE DAYS RIGHT BEFORE THE MURDERS. I SOMETIMES FEEL AS IF HIS CIRCLE OF FRIENDS UNDERSTOOD THIS, UNDERSTOOD THAT O.J. WAS A *VICTIM OF SOMETHING OUTSIDE HIS CONTROL*, BUT THAT HE COULD NEVER ADMIT IT, PARTIALLY BECAUSE O.J. DOESN'T LOSE CONTROL. HE'S O.J., REMEMBER?"

In summary, not only do I feel there was no reason to publish this book, I also feel there should have been no pictures included. Why would a person (Gilbert) who is now pleading for forgiveness want to print pictures with his buddy O.J. smiling with his arm around him? Why would a Father want a picture of his son with O.J. pretending to choke him? Perhaps the most repulsive picture is of O.J. giving Nicole a Christmas present of a fur coat and a handful of "stacks" of hundred dollar bills. Gilbert owes an apology to more than the Goldman's, he owes it to society as a whole.

Last but not least, if the author had any integrity at all he would give the entire amount of income from this book to charity and have it legally documented.

This book is no revelation to me. As a police officer, I looked at the evidence - evidence that was overwhelming albeit poorly handled. I always knew Simpson was a killer and it makes me sick to my stomach to know his attorney's knew this as well. Simpson told his first attorney Robert Shipero the truth and Shipero was going to try and get him the best plea deal he could, something he was known for. Then along came Johnny Cochran and the rest of the "dream team" who said "we can get him off if we attack the investigation." Knowing he was guilty - how do these people sleep at night? They lied to the court and to the world - their sin is as bad as Simpson's. With this book in print and obviously from an insider with first hand knowledge, I believe the feds should charge Simpson with a civil rights violation and try him again. Thanks Robert for finally telling the truth.

As someone who never thought OJ was innocent, I was only interested in this book to judge whether it was a "get rich quick", another involved cronie of OJ's or Nicole's, thrown together, it should be a crime, book.
After reading Bugliosi's book on the trial, I didn't think I'd need even more validation that I've been right all along about OJ. I picture Mr. Gilbert as someone who once said "I would never do something like that," referring to everything he did to protect his hero. This book couldn't be anything but the truth. It's one of those things one could hardly make up. It all makes sense. It's a great read; to the point. Although a little maudlin in a couple areas, there isn't any other way for Mike Gilbert to tell his story. If only he could reach the millions of young people who are caught up in the same hero worship. This is a great read, and a great lesson. While Mike Gilbert made so many bad decisions, who among us would have done differently? Rationalization is the root of all piece of mind. If you're interested at all in OJ Simpson, the real story, read this book. Shame on everyone in Nicole's life who didn't come forward to encourage her to leave OJ a long time before her death. What a great point Mr. Gilbert made in his book.

I've always been convinced of Simpson's guilt. However, like most people, I've always wondered why those bloody gloves didn't fit when, in the courtroom, Simpson was told to put them on. Now I know the reason.
Simpson told Gilbert, his then confidant and business agent, that for whatever reason he did not wish to put the gloves on in court. In response, Gilbert reminded Simpson that whenever Simpson failed to take his arthritis medication for a few days it would result in his hands (especially his knuckles) swelling to twice their normal size. Apparently, Simpson took Gilbert's advice.
Gilbert's book has the ring of truth to it. As an insider who is not bound by the attorney/client privilege, Gilbert is able to fill in a number of details that were previously unknown. If you have an interest in this case, this book is definitely worth reading.

If you are interested in a very interesting and detailed critique of how badly the prosecution of this case was handled by the District Attorneys, I highly recommend Vincent Bugliosi's book, entitled "OUTRAGE". (Note: Bugliosi is the former Los Angeles D.A. who prosecuted Charles Manson.)

Though only 190 pages are devoted to narration, this small book was a gem of information. And I was surprisingly pleased with it.

Before reading it, I was skeptical that Mike Gilbert was really O.J. Simpson's friend, and I did not at all believe Mike's assertion that he was O.J.'s BEST friend. If Mike were black, I would have been more open minded. But Mike is white, and...well, I don't know exactly why, but I just couldn't believe he was really O.J.'s best friend. Now, having read this book, I'm still not convinced that Mike was O.J.'s BEST friend, but I have been persuaded that they were indeed friends.

That is, at least for five or six years, maybe as long as ten years, starting in 1989. By the time this book was published in 2008, the friendship had dissipated.

Warning! You do yourself a disservice by paying attention to those vituperative rats who lambast Mike's book as a piece of shameful trash that exploits the monstrous murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. Mike Gilbert was an important source of income for O.J., serving as his marketing manager, arranging appearances for signing football cards, books, jerseys, footballs, and other things, and marketing and selling such memorabilia. He was a frequent visitor at O.J.'s Rockingham estate in the plush neighborhood of Brentwood. Along with Skip Taft (business manager), Cathy Randy (public relations), and Al Cowlings (assistant and O.J.'s longtime friend), Mike was part of O.J.'s inner circle. As such he was in a position to reveal much about O.J.'s non-public life. Thus, by writing this book, Mike was not taking advantage of murder, he was performing a public service.

He was also considerate enough to offer a number of extras: twenty color photo plates, a timeline of the killings, a timeline of the criminal trial, a glossary of people and places, and an index with helpful entries like "white bronco," "bloody sock," and "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." He also provides copies of one of Nicole's letters to O.J. (undated but incriminating to O.J.), O.J.'s "suicide note," and a police memo from Detective Mark Fuhrman, regarding the 1985 9-1-1 call that Nicole made when O.J. was hounding her. Finally, Mike gives us his theoretical narration regarding how the killings were done (of course, O.J. did them).

Mike does reveal inside information about the killings and the trials. One night when he was alone with O.J. at Rockingham, he asked O.J. about the killings, and Mike may have been responsible for the glove not fitting during the criminal trial. But after reading Toobin's THE RUN OF HIS LIFE and Petrocelli's TRIUMPH OF JUSTICE, nothing in the world could dissuade me of the fact that O.J. killed Nicole and Ron. So Mike's revelations were not enlightening.

For me, the most valuable information involved peripheral events. For example, how O.J. mannaged to survive after being slammed with a $33.5 million debt from the civil trial (all of O.J.'s properties were worth only about $10 million). And I was rewarded with information about O.J. himself. His good side, his bad side, and the deterioration of his character after the acquittal.

All in all, this is a reasonably truthful book. I do not recommend it for someone wanting full coverage of the Simpson case; for that go to Toobin and Petrocelli. But if you want an inside peek at O.J. before the killings, and a more in-depth look at him after the killings, this book is a good choice.

Having closely followed the trial, and read a couple of the other books about the case - I was left in no doubt that Simpson was guilty. I wasn't really expecting too much new from this one, but I was wrong.

There are many, like Mike Gilbert, his former agent who writes this book that had complex motives for what he calls "acting as on-going accomplices to the murders". Mike is at the heart of all of the activity going on in Vegas with OJ's souvenirs - and tells the timely background tale of it. But, the most fascinating part is the motivations and actions of those around O.J. to protect him from the consequences of his true actions. For so long, O.J. had been his loyal groups meal & power ticket - and treated them well - that his destruction they knew would also to be theirs.

Finally, we hear O.J. tell someone he trusts, who has nothing to gain and doesn't profit from it (all proceeds go to charity)- that yes, he indeed did it. (While there's never been any doubt of that in my mind - this does offer some interesting probably more accurate details to the [[ASIN:0825305888 If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer]] description of the murder, insight behind the glove that wouldn't fit and other interesting tidbits. )

Although Gilbert fully accepts responsibility for some horrendous actions and comes across as a man with no morals - including his own actions to protect OJ from getting the money owed to the Goldmans, and profit from O.J.'s notoriety - this is still a book I recommend if you still wondered what really happened.

This is, perhaps, the best book on OJ Simpson I have ever read (and I've read them all)! Mike Gilbert shares the raw emotions felt by OJ's inner circle...this is a very powerful account, as it reveals what it was like being there at Rockingham, and in the jail with OJ, knowing that he was guilty, but loving him more than justice itself...THANK YOU MIKE GILBERT....You are an AWESOME writer and an honest human being...you have certainly restored your integrity with this book. Although we know that OJ is guilty, you also leave us with a valuable lesson: Don't judge a man by the worse day of his life...

Best of luck to you always & I hope writing this book has now brought you peace.

Oh, one more thing, if Nicole is the one who came to the door with a knife, and OJ had only gone there to stalk or "scare" Nicole, why would he wear gloves? I can see the knit cap, maybe, but why would he wear gloves unless he had some intention to commit a crime?

As a very close friend and agent for OJ, the author provides a close personal insight into the events leading up to OJ's murder of two people, a fascinating story about how he eventually confessed to the author and the precise words he used and the circumstances of the confession, and about his vile selfish money-grubbing behavior after he was acquitted. The author is not trying to make himself look good, and in fact he shames himself by explaining how he helped OJ hide money and avoid giving the Goldman family the money he owed them by court order. Amazingly, OJ and his close friends acted like the Goldman's had wronged them by winning a financial judgment, when all OJ did was murder their son.

I purchased this via audible.com and listened to it hoping to hear the remorse Gilbert claims he had in the opening. What I heard was a braggart boasting about all the clever schemes devised to make OJ money while in jail, make money after aquittal, keep the families from getting monies awarded by the civil suit, replace OJ's prized possessions w/ cheap replicas before the items were to be taken by the sheriff's office, and things along those lines even when Gilbert knew OJ was guilty. It reads like an egomaniacal guide to schilling anyone & everyone. There is far more bragging than remorse and to me, it was disgusting. I have read that procedes from this book went to charity & if that is indeed true, it is the ONLY time Gilbert consented to a mili-cent going anywhere outside his pocket.

This book is not satisfying in how it gives detail on anything relating to the murders. He says OJ said he did it (paraphrasing to avoid spoilers for those who wish to read/listen) but Gilbert didn't ask any questions about it, so no details were given. No reasons were given. No explanation of how it went down was given. And Gilbert went WAY out of his way (and brags about it!!) to keep OJ's possessions from going to the families for auction, even when he knew OJ was guilty.

During the trial, Gilbert claims the reason the glove didn't fit OJ was based on an idea of his. He describes during the trial how much money OJ was making daily through autographed items that Gilbert was bringing in for OJ to sign. He describes in great detail all of the money making schemes & how even to this day he still has items that are of great value in his possession & what they are worth. Remorse? Remorse would better be displayed by giving those items over to the families so they can get just 0.5% of what they were awarded by the court. He has zero remorse. Actions speak louder than words.

Reading the book may be different than listening to it as the reader uses their own internal voice rather than having one provided that may reflect tones differently. Statementsmy not seem as cocky to a reader as they sound to a listener. But I still say the book is full of braggadocio and short on remorse.

So many conversations are given in the book but who knows if they really happened or not. Gilbert is not a reporter w/ a special gift of retention as part of his job, nor does he claim to have written or recorded any conversations.

After hearing this book, I honestly wonder if there is remorse or if there wasn't an incident that put Gilbert and OJ against each other. It had to be about money b/c it certainly wasn't about OJ being a murderer.