A knife supposedly found on property once owned by O.J. Simpson

A 22-year-old murder case involving an NFL legend may have new evidence, or at least has renewed interest in the case out of nowhere.

Reports on Friday said that a knife supposedly found on the property once owned by O.J. Simpson is being tested by Los Angeles police, a crazy twist that seems like it's out of a bad movie script.

Simpson, a Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, was found not guilty in the criminal trial of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. A murder weapon was never found. The Los Angeles Times reported the LAPD said during a press conference that a construction worker found a buck knife years ago while doing work on the site of Simpson's Brentwood estate and turned it over to a police officer. It was "buried on the perimeter" of the estate (torn down in 1998) according to TMZ, which first reported the story. That's where the story gets a bit insane.

The police officer, a traffic cop working on a movie set when he was given the knife, kept it. For years. This is from TMZ's story, and it's mind-blowing:

"In late January of this year, after the cop retired from the LAPD, he contacted a friend who worked in LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division (RHD). The cop told the friend about the knife and said he was getting it framed to put on his wall. He wanted his friend to get the DR (Departmental Record) number for the Nicole Brown Simpson/Ronald Goldman murder case, which he planned on engraving in the frame."

It's amazing that any person could be so clueless, if the story is at all true. A retired officer never thought to turn over what could have been a key piece of evidence in two unsolved murders? There are plenty of other lingering questions. Would the LAPD have not dug up areas around Simpson's house in their investigation looking for the murder weapon? If this knife was used in the murders, and buried on the perimeter of Simpson's estate, how didn't the police see any evidence of someone digging a hole in the ground when they investigated the property?

Even if DNA evidence is found in testing in the open homicide case, there would be serious chain of custody issues with the knife. And Simpson can't be tried for the murders again, because someone can't be tried for the same crime twice under double jeopardy protection.

But between this, the FX show that is airing about the murders this winter and a five-part ESPN Films documentary set to air in June, it's clear there's as much interest as ever in the case.