O.J. Simpson Publisher Judith Regan: Why I Did It

Judith Regan, publisher of O.J. Simpson's book "If I Did It," says she did not pay him for the rights to publish his book, in which the one-time football superstar tells how he would have killed his ex-wife and her friend if, in fact, he had done it.

"What I do know is I didn't pay him," Regan says in an eight-page statement titled "Why I Did It" released on Thursday. "I contracted through a third party who owns the rights, and I was told the money would go to his children. That much I could live with."

• Raw Data: Judith Regan Statement: 'Why I Did It'

Regan also says in the statement that she wanted Simpson's "confession" because she herself was once a victim of abuse.

"I made the decision to publish this book, and to sit face to face with the killer, because I wanted him, and the men who broke my heart and your hearts, to tell the truth, to confess their sins, to do penance and to amend their lives."

Although Regan has acknowledged that Simpson does not directly say that he killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, she said she considers the book to be his confession.

Regan said Simpson approached her with the idea for the book, which reportedly was sold for $3.5 million.

Regan also says in the statement that she knew "from my own experience" that Simpson would be found not guilty of the murders, because she was abused in her 20s by a boyfriend who "manipulated, lied, and broke my heart. ... And then, after all but leaving me for dead in a hospital ... he left for good."

Regan said the book was a way to undo the "criminal injustice system" that let her own abuser go free, a man she says "could charm anyone" and with whom she had a child.

"My son is now 25 years old, my daughter 15," Regan's statement says. "I wanted them, and everyone else, to have a chance to see that there are consequences to grievous acts. ... And I wanted, as so many victims do, to hear him say, 'I did it and I am sorry."'

"I didn't know if he would," she says. "But I wanted to try. I wanted his confession."

After word of the book emerged, Regan says she's watched as the media "have all but called for my death for publishing his book and for interviewing him."

"To publish does not mean 'to endorse'; it means 'to make public,"' she says.

"If you doubt that, ask the mainstream publishers who keep Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' in print to this day. ... There is historical value in such work ... for anyone who wants to gain insight into the mind of a sociopath."

"If I Did It," published by ReganBooks — an imprint to HarperCollins, is scheduled for release Nov. 30. FOX is airing a two-part TV interview of Simpson on Nov. 27 and 29.

Simpson was acquitted of the murders in 1995, but was later found criminally liable for the deaths in civil court in 1997.

Although he was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to the Goldman family, Simpson has avoided making full restitution because California law prevents his NFL pension from being seized to satisfy the judgment. His lavish residence in Florida is similarly protected under state law.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FOX and HarperCollins are owned by News Corp., which is the parent company of FOXNews.com.

• Raw Data: Judith Regan Statement: 'Why I Did It'