Nicole Brown Simpson - one of two victims
I had never seen so much blood in my life.
As the coroner’s wagon pulled away - there it was. Puddles of it. Some of it had oozed down the cracks in between the pathway pavers and toward the sidewalk. As I looked closer I could see paw prints from a large dog and patterned traces of wispy blood that its dragging leash had left behind. Up toward the gate of the fancy condo statuesque Agapanthus stood, its purple flower heads dotted with drops of this blood.
It was June 1994, about ten a.m. on a sunny Sunday in Brentwood, California. My cameraman and I, the reporter on duty that weekend, had been assigned to go to the home of Nicole Brown Simpson. Word was O.J.’s ex-wife had been murdered.
My first thoughts that beautiful morning were: Why didn’t someone take a hose and wash away this horror - and - where were the police?
With no one to stop us, and with camera rolling, we gingerly tiptoed to the gate and opened it. Across a shallow courtyard was the plate glass window behind which Nicole had lived. We could see inside the cozy living room with its overhead balcony leading off to the side bedrooms. Candles were still burning, framed photos of a smiling Nicole and her kids were everywhere. Outside, there were bloody footprints and what seemed to be a bloody handprint on the side of the house. Eerie, and to this day I remember it vividly.
Is OJ’s voice on the audio tape evidence enough?
Vote in my online poll after the jump…
A mostly black jury in downtown Los Angeles would ultimately find O.J. Simpson not guilty of the throat slashing murder of Nicole and her Good Samaritan friend, Ron Goldman, who was simply returning a pair of glasses left at a local restaurant that fateful night. No matter that a drop of OJ Simpson’s blood was found on the toe-box of Goldman’s boot.
Ron Goldman - the second victim
Now, an all white jury in Las Vegas is sitting in judgment of Simpson. This time the charges include armed robbery and kidnapping stemming from an incident in which sports memorabilia dealers say they were held in a hotel room and threatened by an angry Simpson and a group of goons with guns. The entire scene was immortalized on audio tape, including this opening, snarling statement from Simpson, “Don’t let nobody out of here. Think you can steal my s - and sell it?” And this charming statement from the Juice: “Stand the f — up before it gets ugly in here!”
It’s a sense of entitlement many famous people seem to adopt. “I am different, I don’t have to abide by society’s rules, I can do what I want and explain myself out of trouble later.”
O.J. Simpson’s elevated sense of status in the world brings him to yet another courtroom where he will once again have at the core of his defense the idea that when you’re someone like him the rules of conduct should be different. His defense seems to be that he believed he was simply taking back what was rightfully his - artifacts from his past life.
It seems to me if that’s his defense he should immediately be convicted because he’s admitting what he did. The law clearly says you can’t take back items using threats and guns.
No matter, his faithful attorney will continue to claim that poor O.J. is just a victim of circumstance. The shoulder-shrug position will be that Simpson’s celebrity attracts trouble, not the other way around.
In 1994 lawyers said Simpson was the victim of a misbehaving ex-wife and over zealous detectives. This time he’ll claim he was victimized by unscrupulous sports dealers and over zealous detectives. He’ll maintain he had no idea the men with him were packing heat.
This jury will not be allowed to hear testimony about the murders. They won’t hear the more recent 911 calls by Sidney Simpson to Florida police about her out of control father, or about the December 2000 road rage incident in which Simpson was charged with battery and auto burglary. (He was acquitted.) Also, there were the investigations (plural) that this Heisman Trophy winner may have roughed up his girlfriend and that he pirated signals from Direct TV. For that a judge ordered him to pay a 25 thousand dollar fine. Gee trouble just seems to follow this guy, right?
Our system of justice does not usually allow a jury to take into account a defendant’s past bad acts. But O.J., by the very nature of who he is, drags baggage into that Nevada court room anyway. Some court watchers openly wonder if he can get a fair trial. Others wonder if this guy will ever face true justice.
I wonder if justice will ever come for Nicole and Ron and that brutal, bloody scene I came across in Brentwood, California all those years ago.
Take My Online Poll:
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
OJ may not face justice for killing Nicole and Ron, but he faces his children everyday. And, sooner or later will face God and meet the Devil.
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hermiesma Reply:
September 20th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
The devil is in him already…he knows what he did, and doesn’t care
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J.G. Reply:
September 20th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
BASED ON THE FACT THAT MOST FELONS ARE CONVICTED ON LESS EVIDENCE THAT WAS DISALLOWED IN OJ’S MURDER CASE, NOBODY MORE THAN ME, AND A FEW GUYS I WORK WITH, WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GO DOWN. THAT BEING SAID, I WOULDN’T WANT TO SEE HIM CONVICTED ON HIS LAS VEGAS CASE JUST BECAUSE LA SCREWED UP THEIRS. I STILL BELIEVE IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. IF THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE, I WILL DRIVE HIM TO PRISON..AC COWLINGS CAN EVEN RIDE ALONG. IF NOT, IT IS WHAT IT IS. I AM NOT GOING TO START CHANGING THE RULES JUST TO SATISFY MY SELFISH WISHES.
KYLE DENNY
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Diane Reply:
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am
Editor Note:
The comment above is written by an LA District Attorney’s investigator who worked the original double murder case.
He reminds us that a past bad act doesn’t necessarily mean a defendant committed another bad act - in this case armed robbery and kidnapping. ~DD
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I think this time OJ will get what he deserves!!!!!!! I feel no sorrow for him! sometimes in life people get greedy!! He let the evil of money and greed take over his spirit! If I had a daughter, and he did what he did, to my daughter!!!personally , I would be in jail !! I would of taken him to the Country and let his juice spill !!!!!!!! He needs to be put away, and they need to throw away the key. I feel so bad for his children , they know what he did. The Court system is not right!!!!!!! To think he got away with Murder, and he still thinks he can do what ever, he freaking feels like doing to humans, to threaten and intimate people cause he thinks he is almighly and untouchable , well he needs to be taught some manners in prison , that is where he belongs. By the way Diane , once again you did well on your writtings. Your the best!!!!!!
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Hey Diane…it’s me again! God, this guy is just a slime ball..he got away with it years ago and here we go again. Adrian you are right in your comments but you know what…I have a feeling this horrible man (I hate even to use his name) is going to get away with this too - he;s a celebrity! They all get away with it..look at Blake!!! As I said the other day, Diane, I was watching Tru TV’s coverage of this and he had that horrible s*** eating grin on his ugly mug - while he had the headphones on listening to the tape..and he was shaking his head as if to say “no”!!! I think smoke was almost coming out of my ears just looking at my tv….I wanted to throw a brick at it until I realized I only bought the tv 2 months ago and thought better not. He claims he knew nothing of the gun….NOTHING???!!!!! I hope to God he gets his come-uppance this time but….I just have that niggling doubt that he will. Great writing Diane as usual. Your ever faithful fan and friend Lyn.
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Janet Turner Reply:
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:55 am
I really believe that you hit the nail on the head Lyn. Celebrity will walk..unless the courts decide to make a scapegoat out of them then it just turns into a circus. About Mark Fuhrman….well what he said was terrible but I watched an interview with him and it was quite interesting. He brought out some really fascinating bits of evidence that the court case did not show for whatever reason….the bloody thumbprint that somehow disappeared off the gate. The host(ess) of the show all but looked down her nose at him. Back to O.J., it puts you into mind of…. and this is probably a bad comparison…Never finding a cure for cancer or ms or md….because the money train would end. Find him guilty…he will eventually..just go away….no more media no more book deals …or lack there of…! This is not a slam on the media….they have a job to do and actually people love to hate this man. Personally….I would have tied him up in a room with no windows, no cameras and Ron Goldmans family and Denise Brown.
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I firmly believe that, “Orenthal James Simpson” The juice. El Pendejo OJ for short. Will meet his masters shortly! Pro 16:18 Pride [goeth] before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Raphael
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Every time you hear the name OJ, you think of skate. He did wonders skating the last time, thanks to Mark Ferman who saved his bacon. The trial then was on Mark Ferman and the very predigest jury put all their focus on him and let OJ skate. Maybe OJ will get what he deserves this time around.
Diane, please continue to write about the corruption in trail cases, maybe, just maybe it will make a difference. -
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From Don:
Hi Diane, I read your column. I’d assume that you feel as I do that no jury with IQs above that of a carrot could have failed to convict OJ for the murder of his wife and Goldman. It was simply blacks in LA protecting a famous member of their ethnic group.
OJ and the sycophants who surround him say they are still looking for the real killer. Really? As a journalist I’m confident that you would agree that if a reporter found evidence that OJ wasn’t the killer and determined with certainty who was, that individual could write a massively successful best seller and get movie rights that would make him/her wealthy beyond belief. Of course, that hasn’t happened and won’t, the killer is OJ.
While I don’t know the facts in the Las Vegas case, he deserves to take a fall. Prison won’t be too bad for him, he’ll be a celebrity with all the other brothers.
His case also brings up some of the many flaws in our legal system. Simpson, I understand, gets someting like $25,000/mo from the NFL and those pensions are excluded from garnishment. Maybe the law was well intended, to shield some person from losing their Social Security check or otherwise and becoming destitute.
Simply put, Simpson is contemptable.
Keep up the good work. Don
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Diane Reply:
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I remember reporting when O.J. Simpson moved to Florida that he likely moved there because that state had a very protective law for those who were dodging lawsuit settlements. I think it was called the Homestead Act or some such and it didn’t allow creditors to come after a person’s home to settle civil suit awards. ~ DD
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From David:
I am unable to have a neutral view of O. J. Simpson because I used to like him before he got in trouble over the Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman murders. I could still like him (I’m sure that I used to like him more before).
It is possible that at one time O. J. was a good guy. He sure seemed it when he interviewed after a U.S.C. Rose Bowl victory in the 60s. I read an article which had someone saying that O. J. was always there for his friends (and this article was after the trial of the century).
Things like that could contribute to why some seem to like O. J. even now more than others do.
I can see that it might be a good goal for O. J. to be interested in something else besides being the one who has the most street smarts, for his own sake as well as for the sake of others.
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Sometimes justice comes in a variety of ways and it comes not just from our legal system. Simpson is not a celebrity anymore and he is leading a life of being snubbed and without status. He is a nothing and all of his football accomplishments have long since been overshadowed by the murder of his estranged wife, Nicole and Ron Goldman. He will be remembered as a murderer who got away with it. For someone like him, with his oversized ego and the denial of his reality, his current circumstances can be one of the most appropriate punishments of all, while he is alive.
Stay tuned. I believe the worst is yet to come, for him.
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I was driving limo for a detective service in Los Angeles when all this happened and remember going by there many times and clearly recall the reports. I was driving a well known comedian to The Ice House comedy room during the “slow speed chase”. What a tragic time.
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Diane, once again you outdo yourself in your journalistic ability to place the reader right at the scene, describing the sheer imagery of stumbling upon the Nicole Simpson/Ron Goldman murder scene. I remember the Hard Copy days, and how in a very short period of time, so many memorable incidents occurred, inlcuding the OJ murder case, the Menendez murders, and the first Michael Jackson child molestation accusations. Finally after all these years, OJ may receive the justice, that that he deserves.
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Diane Reply:
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:32 am
Oh, Derek,
You take me back to the salad days of reporting at Hard Copy. You’re right - so many compelling stories! Some looked down at the “tabloid” nature of Hard Copy but I can say I never worked with a more driven, dedicated, professional group of people. ~ DD
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You know, after reading and re-reading the above comments from all of us, I think it all boils down to the same thing. We all think he was guilty of all charges…..from killing Nicole and Ron and the latest case. He deserves to be thrown in a cell and left to rot…this man is no good…he is such a smarmy “b*****d* - would love to wipe that horrible smirk off his ugly face. He makes me want to vomit….and the Goldman family will never see a cent….it;s sickening how he has got away with so much.
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The cast of characters involved in Simpson’s lastest legal troubles is a group that I would not invite to a backyard BBQ. The testimony and evidence I have seen so far clearly indicates a setup by a group of people intent on profiting from whatever is left from the Simpson personna. As much as I would like to see Simpson do jail time for the murders he did commit, unless you believe that a conspiracy and frame of such ludicrous magnitude was conceived by the entire Los Angeles police department, then this current situation appears to be nothing more than a persecution by a still aggravated legal community that is suffering from the bruised ego of losing the murder trial. You subtract Simpson from this scenario, and the remaining players would already have plea bargains and time served applied. Most of us, after the murder trial, just wanted to wish Simpson into the corn field and relative obscurity and could have done without the constant media coverage afforded this man.
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THE SPILLED JUICE AKA OJ, OMG HE FINALLY GOT HIS PLACE IN PRISON, I WAS RIGHT AFTER ALL!!!!!!!! FINALLY SOME INTELLIGENT JURORS REALIZE THAT A CELEBRITY IS NOT OFF LIMITS!!!!!!!!! JUSTICE FOR THE FAMILIES WHO SUFFERED CAUSE OF HIM. !!!! AS THE BIBLE SAYS , AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.
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As expected, Simpson is found guilty. In my heart, I am thrilled that he is going to spend some time in jail, which he should have beginning 13 years earlier. Just not for this. Our legal system was devised so that guilt, not innocence, has to be proved and those found guilty would have justice administered in a fair and accepted manner. Simpson’s murder trial was the perfect example of how justice can be served on anything from paper plates to silver trays according to the legal counsel one can afford. This trial, in my opinion, is the perfect example of the fallacy of plea bargains. Multiple defendants involved
in the same crime and yet receiving different outcomes, and in Riccio’s
case, immunity. Fromong and Beardsley were the only victims here and the rest of the players should all be receiving the same punishment
for the same crimes. I guess plea bargains are a necessary part of the system, but they never fail to astonish my sense of integrity and fair play.
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i strongly belive that everybody is so unfair to oj always assuming that he was guily of what happend to nicole and her friend. he was found not guilty because he is not guilty. and nobody has ever tried to find the real killer. the goldmans have been at it all there lives instead of letting go and leaving it to god. what happend to oj in this trail was a miscarriage of justice in my opinion this was a community service type of punishment but god will take care of all those people who did this to him and for the record I dont even like the guy but this was about fair honest the judge was also so unfair to her and the jurors it was never about stolen memorablia and with respect to the goldman even if they were to a video of another man committing the murders they will still belive oj did it so god bless them thank you
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jeff liddell Reply:
October 6th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
carlos, you are entitled to your opinion, but if you think simpson did not commit those murders you are among a select minority of the public who remain with their heads hidden under mushrooms and cow patties.
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