Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
In June 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, a restaurant waiter and her friend, were stabbed to death in the courtyard outside Simpson’s house in Brentwood, Los Angeles. The authorities eventually arrested OJ Simpson for the death of his wife and Goldman. Now, 30 years later, the victim’s sisters—Tanya, Dominique, and Denise—are coming forward to talk about the catastrophic death in the Lifetime documentary The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson. The documentary will reveal startling details about Simpson’s death and what her sisters knew about OJ Simpson’s abusive behavior.
While speaking to People Magazine, Denise opened up about the moment they received the news of her sister’s death. She said that her mother learned about Simpson’s demise from a phone call from the authorities. The publication also mentioned that her mother was crying and fell to her knees after hearing the news. However, when authorities arrested OJ Simpson for the alleged murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, her family got to know about the abuse she suffered over the years.
Denise told People Magazine that her sister never left OJ and always took the blame for what happened between them. She said, “I thought they were isolated incidences. The next day Nicole would be back, like, ‘Oh, everything’s okay. We talked about it. It was my fault.’” There were instances when OJ had called Simpson a “fat pig” during her pregnancy.
Tanya learned about OJ’s abusive behavior during the trial that ensued after the murder. Likewise, Denise got to know about the abuse after her sister’s death. Talking to People Magazine, she stated how education plays an important part in letting women know about domestic violence. Denise noted, “You need to let people know when something like this is happening. And there’s so much shame involved in domestic violence, but what people have to understand is they have to be supportive.”
The documentary, The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, airs exclusively on Lifetime on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2, at 8 p.m. ET.
What happened to Nicole, and did OJ Simpson go to prison for her murder?
On June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson went out for dinner with her children and several others. After dinner, Simpson and her children left the restaurant and had some ice cream. CNN reported that Simpson’s sister called the restaurant where they had dinner and told the staff that their mother had left her glasses there. One of the restaurant workers, Ronald Goldman, went to Simpson’s house to give her mother’s glasses. Three hours later, Simpson’s neighbors discovered the bodies of Simpson and Goldman outside her home.
After investigating the crime scene, authorities sent the bodies for an autopsy. PennLive reported that Nicole Brown Simpson’s autopsy revealed that the killer stabbed her 12 times in the neck and scalp. The publication also stated that the culprit stabbed Ronald Goldman 25 times. Five days later, authorities told OJ Simpson to surrender, but instead, he fled. ABC News reported that a slow-speed chase took place on the freeways of Southern California. OJ eventually surrendered and was apprehended by the police. Reports indicate that 95 million people in the US watched the chase in real-time.
On January 24, 1995, the trial of OJ Simpson began, and the prosecution tried to prove his involvement in the case. In its opening statement, the prosecution claimed that OJ Simpson brutally murdered his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman. According to The Los Angeles Times, the prosecutors called OJ a “wife beater” and an “abuser.” The prosecutors said, “The evidence will show that the face you see, and the man you will see, is the face of a batterer, a wife beater, an abuser, a controller. You will see the face of Ron and Nicole’s murderer.”
Meanwhile, the defense argued that OJ Simpson was wrongly accused of the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, per ABC News. During the trial, the prosecution presented the glove that investigators discovered while investigating Simpson’s house. However, when OJ tried the gloves, they didn’t fit properly, and the defense claimed that OJ was not the murderer. Subsequently, the prosecution alleged OJ skipped his arthritis medicines to make his arm swell up, but that claim turned out to be false, per People Magazine.
When this claim was dismissed, OJ Simpson’s lawyer, Johnnie Cochran, made a famous statement to the jury about acquitting. During the closing arguments, Cochran said, “This is O. J. Simpson’s one day in court. By your decision, you control his very life in your hands. Treat it carefully. Treat it fairly. Be fair. Don’t be part of this continuing cover-up. Do the right thing. Remembering that if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
In October 1995, the court acquitted OJ Simpson of all the criminal charges, per ABC News. However, in 1997, a civil jury found the OJ liable for wrongful death in the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The court ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the families of both victims.
In April 2024, OJ Simpson died of cancer at the age of 76.
