Kato Kaelin: The Whole Truth (The Real Story of O.J., Nicole, and Kato from the Actual Tapes)

This book actually turned out better than if Kato had stuck his name on it as the "writer" of it. This gave the real writer the freedom to publish what Kato truly had to say about OJ, Nicole, and the whole situation, before a "scared-for-his-life Kato," had the chance to water it down and remove anything that might offend OJ.

Loved this behind-the-scenes look at O.J. and Nicole's lives!

boring

Good book!

Author Marc Eliot notes in the first chapter, “I had put the finishing touches on ‘Star Witness: My Life with Nicole and O.J. Simpson. Kato had… given his final approval to the manuscript… However, by March 21, the day Kato was sworn in for his formal testimony, I had decided to disassociate myself from the project and him. His increasing equivocation over what he wanted taken out, his criminal and business lawyers’ continued interference, and… their attempted manipulation of me had led me to this conclusion… Kato’s entertainment manager and lawyer, called the publisher to inform them that ‘we’ were not going to deliver the manuscript, now or in the foreseeable future.” (Pg. 15-16) Later, he adds, “I have therefore chosen to write this book to set the record straight… to release the information Brian ‘Kato’ Kaelin at first gave me so enthusiastically and then tried so hard to squelch.” (Pg. 52)He explains, “At least a dozen times during our meetings Kato would … ask if I thought O.J. might be angry at him for saying certain things… What it O.J. were acquitted, and held a grudge… what if O.J. comes after me? In the end, fear is always about self-preservation, and it was quite clear to me that Kato had begun to fear for his life. His solution was a simple one… All we had to do was change a few things, a little verbal surgery to ensure the nobody got hurt.” (Pg. 26)He observes about Kato’s trial testimony, “it had become clear to me that Kato, whether on his own or under advice from others, had decided to neutralize his testimony as much as possible. The portrait of O.J. that began to emerge was a surprisingly benign one… According to Kato’s trial testimony, O.J. was a valiant prince of light rather than a malevolent creature of the dark.” (Pg. 31-32) He notes, “At this point, [prosecutor Marcia] Clark was genuinely shocked at the sheer incomprehensibility of Kato’s responses. Here was her supposed key witness not only changing his testimony, but seeming to reinvent his memories of the day of the murders ON THE SPOT.” (Pg. 37)Of the famous conversation between Kato and Simpson the night of the murders, he says, “O.J. said… Can I borrow five dollars to give the skycap at the airport?’ ‘Sure,’ Kato said… He pulled out a twenty, the smallest bill he had. O.J. put it in his pocket and said he was going to get something to eat. Without thinking, Kato blurted out, ‘You mind if I come along? Can I go?’ … He looked at me in a very odd way… I had invited myself and felt uncomfortable about it… he said, ‘Yeah, sure, come along, we’ll grab a burger or something.’ They went outside, got into O.J.’s Bentley, and headed for a McDonald’s.” (Pg. 85)While Simpson was preparing to get into the limousine to go to the airport that night, “Kato called to him and said, ‘Don’t forget this bag,’ and started to go for it. ‘No, no, I’ll get it,’ Kato recalled O.J. saying. ‘He came all the way over, past me, to the Bentley… Like so many things that night, this didn’t make any sense. I turned away and never saw exactly what happened to it…’ In any case, the bag was never seen again.” (Pg. 95)He continues, “I [Kato] kept hearing O.J.’s phone ringing… It seemed to ring a thousand times that night.’ He didn’t know at the time, but at least one of those calls was probably from O.J. Simpson, trying desperately to get hold of Kato before the police did.” (Pg. 99)Eliot wonders, “if you are O.J. Simpson, and your house guest informs you he heard noises behind the house and suspects it might be a prowler, your daughter lives on the premises, and you are leaving to travel two thousand miles away, why don’t you simply call the police?” (Pg. 99)Simpson, his family and friends, and Kato sat in the living room the next day, watching the news coverage. “At one point a reporter came on and said O.J. couldn’t account for his whereabouts during the time of the murder. [Simpson] shouted, “That’s not true… Kato knows where I was! Kato knows he’s my alibi!... Kato went to McDonald’s with me.’ ‘Yeah, O.J., Kato remembers saying out loud… ‘: did go to McDonald’s with you.’ ‘And Kato knows I went back in the house after.’ … ‘No, I never saw you go in the house after McDonald’s.’ And I didn’t. The last thing I remembered seeing before going into my room was O.J. standing by the driver’s side of his Bentley… in my head I was screaming to myself, ‘What am I doing here? What’s going on…’ I was afraid for my life.” (Pg. 117)Eliot points out, “it became clear to Kato that Nicole was taking herself and the precarious state of her relations with O.J. very seriously. ‘If he even saw us driving around together… he’d really be p____d… I can’t believe the power he has over people… because he’s O.J. Simpson. No one’s going to touch him. O.J. Simpson can get away with murder!’” (Pg. 202)He recounts, “A very close friend of Nicole’s told Kato that Nicole wanted to try three-way sex… and she was looking for ‘candidates,’ one of whom… was Ron Goldman. Nicole knew Ron from Mezzaluna; they belonged to the same health club… He had driven her car several times and she had tried to help him out by making a few phone calls on his behalf to friends of hers in the film industry. One of the things that bothered Kato about the night of the murders is that police found lit candles throughout Nicole’s town house, and that he body was discovered wearing the same black dress she’d worn to the recital. ‘I don’t know if Nicole was expecting Ron,’ Kato told me, or if she was expecting someone else… However, those candles, and the presence of Ron Goldman, continue to haunt me.” (Pg. 256)He records, “On at least a half-dozen occasions, Kato, off-tape, told me he believed O.J. had killed both Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, and probably had help doing it. Further he expressed fear of a ‘freed’ O.J. revenging his testimonial ‘betrayal’ at the hands of Brian ‘Kato’ Kaelin.” (Pg. 269)Since Kato refused to get involved with this book, one must take its testimony with a grain of salt, of course. But it is a very interesting (and seemingly credible) perspective on the events of the criminal trial and its background, and will be of great interest to those interested in Simpson, and the criminal trial.

Twenty years ago I followed the O.J. Simpson case quite closely, and I read several books about the crimes, the trials (both criminal and civil), and the people involved. When it was over, I pretty much lost interest and stopped reading about it. But when I saw this book in a library sale last summer, I couldn't resist buying it. It provides a different point of view on the murders--that of a houseguest who had lived on the properties of both O.J. and Nicole and who knew intimate details about their lives and relationships. Kato Kaelin had worked out a rather informal book deal with the author Marc Eliot, but after the deal fell through, Mr. Eliot used his extensive taped interviews to produce this book. He tells us that Kato knew a lot more than he revealed on the witness stand, all of it incriminating to O.J. Simpson, but that information was not terribly surprising. The strong point of this book is not new evidence but rather the look into the lives of the people involved. The personalities of O.J. and Nicole are fully developed, as seen by a close friend who liked them both, and through Kato's own experiences we learn what life is like for a Hollywood wannabe. At this point in time, this book may be a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I did enjoy reading it. It is not graphic or gruesome--Kato didn't witness any part of the crime itself--and there is a lot more about Nicole's life than her death. Like another reviewer, I found myself wanting maps or aerial views of the properties, especially O.J.'s residence, to help me visualize what Kato was describing, but I'll have to look them up elsewhere. The author closes by wondering "What is wrong with a society that sees Brian 'Kato' Kaelin as a hero?" He doesn't answer his own question, but it could be pointed out that Kato was, although briefly, more of a celebrity than a hero. And if he hadn't been, it's doubtful that this book ever would have been written or published.

An interesting read.

Why did I even bother to buy this.