Odd Twists in Simpson Case : Private Eye Denies Knowledge of Slaying; Porn Star Allegedly Has Information

In a day of bizarre twists and turns in the O.J. Simpson murder case, a private investigator called a news conference Thursday to say he has no information about the killings, and a witness who says she does have information was accused of fabricating her account.

Anthony Pellicano, a well-known private investigator who rose to national attention for his work with entertainer Michael Jackson, was unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight of the Simpson case when a mysterious witness said he had heard that Pellicano had Simpson’s house under surveillance at the time of the killings.

“I can’t even get angry about this because it’s so ridiculous,” Pellicano said. “I have no information about these murders. Had I, I would have brought it to the attention of law enforcement immediately.”

The witness who allegedly named Pellicano is John Dunton, a convicted forger who chose to go to jail this week rather than testify before the grand jury. Pellicano said he was subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury but after meeting with police and prosecutors, he was told he would not need to testify.

“I don’t blame them for this,” he said. “They have to check out everything.”

While Pellicano was going public to defend his name, another witness at the margins of the case met with Simpson prosecutors to share a collection of tips that, if true, would radically change the Simpson prosecution.

Sources close to the case say Jennifer Peace, a pornographic film star, maintains that Simpson’s friend Al Cowlings told her that the gloves found at the murder scene and at Simpson’s estate were his, that Simpson gave him the bloody knife to dispose of and that he and Simpson were hoping to flee to Mexico on the day his friend failed to surrender to authorities as scheduled.

Asked whether Peace has information relevant to the Simpson case, her attorney, Elliot Abelson, responded: “I think she sheds light on some aspects of the case.”

Peace has spoken to police and prosecutors and has testified before the grand jury investigating Cowlings. But Simpson’s representatives dismissed her story as ludicrous, and Cowlings’ lawyer said none of the allegations attributed to her are accurate.

“The truth is that they were not fleeing that day,” said Donald Re, the attorney representing Cowlings. “Anyone who says otherwise is not telling the truth.”