IN HIS first in depth TV interview since his acquittal on murder charges, O.J. Simpson lashed out at the victims' families and said he was trying to make good on his promise to track down the killer.
Simpson, his voice choked with emotion at the end of a one hour live broadcast on the Black Entertainment Television cable network a black owned cable network little known to many white Americans also pleaded with Americans to accept the verdict.
The interview marked the former football star's first formal television appearance since his October 1995 acquittal of the murders of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. He used the opportunity to plug his mail order video.
He became particularly agitated when talking about the victims families, who have openly stated their belief in his guilt and have brought a wrongful death civil suit against him. "I have compassion, for Fred Goldman for losing a son," Simpson said. "But I have a side of me that's very angry at Fred Goldman and the Browns.
The interview comes in the same week he is giving sworn testimony in the civil suit, which carries no threat of jail but could cost him millions in damages.
The sworn deposition, being taken behind closed doors, is a preliminary step toward a civil trial set for April 2nd.