Why Fred Goldman Must Be Smiling Now

All that sports memorabilia O.J. Simpson allegedly tried to steal at gunpoint last week, claiming it was legally his… whether or not Simpson is found guilty, any of the memorabilia that turns out to have been legally owned by Simpson… will get handed over to the Goldmans.

And the publicity generated by the robbery couldn’t not have increased sales of the book (as of Tuesday morning, it’s the #2 best seller at Amazon.com).

• If Who Did It (September 17): Okay, what’s the weirdest thing about last week’s release of O.J. Simpson’s hypothetical double-murder confession (as if this whole affair needed any more weirdness)? No mention of Simpson’s name on the cover. It’s a confession without a confessor.Or even worse than no confessor: Amazon.com is marketing the book as “If I Did It by the Goldman Family”.
• September 6
  Barnes and Noble decides to carry O.J.’s book after all, and Lisa Nowak will try an insanity defense (article)
• August 14
  O.J. Simpson’s hypothetical double murder confession, the rights to which are now owned by the family of murder victim Ron Goldman, has been contracted to a publisher [updated article].
• July 30
  So… Now that the rights are owned by Ron Goldman’s father, who plans to rename it Confessions of a Double Murderer, is anybody more inclined to read the thing? And will it become the best-seller HarperCollins originally expected it to be? [article]

Stopping Pre-Crime In Its Tracks (OT)

August 26, 2007 update: McClellan has announced he’s leaving California, claiming “I can’t live here under this Orwellian protocol” (article)

August 4, 2007: Friday, a California judge ordered that Jack McClellan, a self-proclaimed pedophile who posts photographs of young girls (not pornographic) on his web site and has publicly said that he would have sex with toddlers if it were legal – but has never been convicted of a crime – must stay at least 30 feet away from anybody under the age of 18.

The restraining order was granted at the request of two attorneys, on behalf of their daughters (neither of whom has had any contact with McClellan). One of the attorneys, Anthony Zinnanti, said afterward “Today, this is for Polly Klaas, Samantha Runnion [two California girls who were abducted and murdered], for the kids that have been victims of people like McClellan.”

Just a note here: I mentioned this case in my newspaper column, and asked readers for their opinions. I might include any comments made here in a future column, but I won’t use your name unless you expressly tell me I can.

9-Year-Old Jessica Lunsford’s Killer Sentenced to Death (OT)

• The story

Good Luck, Bad Luck, and Just Plain Stupid (OT)

• The latest Crimeweek column