A Bible gifted to O.J. Simpson by his friend and attorney Robert Kardashian during his infamous murder trial has been sold to the highest bidder—despite objections from Kim Kardashian.
In 1994, Simpson was charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. While he was acquitted in the 1995 criminal trial, a civil trial in 1997 found him liable for their deaths.
The day after Simpson was formally charged, Robert Kardashian—father of reality TV star Kim Kardashian—gave him a Bible inscribed with a heartfelt message. Kardashian, who was a key member of Simpson’s defense team, passed away in 2003.
Simpson received the Bible as he faced legal troubles (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The personal inscription read: “O.J. This book will help. God loves and he will speak to you with his words. Read this book everyday. God has a definite plan for your life. You are his child and he will use you again. I love you and God loves you.”
Kardashian also signed “Robert” at the conclusion of the inscription, and the date of “June 18, 1994,” appears on the top right corner.
Kim had initially tried to buy the Bible before it was auctioned for $15,000, however, this sale never went through.
Speaking about the failed sale, executor of Simpson’s estate Malcolm LaVergne told PEOPLE: “Why would I spend $15,000 of estate money — why would I spend $15,000 in attorney’s fees — to sell it to Kim for $15,000?”
“That’s a zero-sum game. That’s a bad business model. If Kim had offered $150,000 for it, we would’ve been in court getting this approved outside of the auction.”
Collectable marketplace Goldin confirmed the Bible has now sold for $80,276 with an associated buyer’s premium fee, and that the auction ended on March 29.
Robert Kardashian left a message for OJ in the Bible (Goldin)
LaVergne confirmed that he did not know the identity of the buyer and the buyer’s name was not disclosed in the purchase.
While O.K was found not guilty for the criminal charges, he later served nine years in prison for his role in a botched armed robbery and was granted parole in 2017.
Robert died from esophageal cancer at 59 in 2003. O.J. died on April 10, 2024, at the age of 76 following a battle with prostate cancer.
