Cowlings Not Required to Testify, Judge Rules

Al Cowlings will not have to testify under oath about his actions or his conversations with football buddy O.J. Simpson during the week after the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Cowlings had invoked his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination in refusing to answer questions about the tumultuous period between the Brentwood murders on June 12, 1994, and the low-speed chase that culminated in Simpson’s arrest on June 17. Superior Court Judge Alan B. Haber upheld Cowlings’ right to remain silent.

Cowlings, who drove the Ford Bronco that police followed for miles in the televised chase, was arrested on suspicion of aiding a suspected felon, but was never indicted. Still, prosecutors have refused to grant Cowlings immunity, leaving open the possibility that they may pursue criminal charges against him. With that threat hanging over him, Haber ruled, Cowlings has every right to use the