Lawyers for the families of OJ Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman have told Sky News they still believe he was “a murderer”.
The former NFL star and Hollywood actor died aged 76 of cancer on Wednesday.
Nicknamed “The Juice”, Simpson was tried for their double murder in 1995, in what was dubbed the “trial of the century”.
LA police department booking photo of OJ Simpson following his arrest for two murders. Pic: Reuters
He was found not guilty of murdering Ms Brown and Mr Goldman, but was later found liable for the deaths in a civil lawsuit.
Speaking to Sky News, the Goldman family’s lawyer David Cook said Simpson was “a murderer” and added that “the fact he died doesn’t change it”.
Gloria Allred, the lawyer for Ms Brown’s family, also told Sky News that “he killed her” and pointed to Simpson pleading no contest to spousal abuse in 1989.
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How OJ Simpson’s trial unfolded
“What happened five years before he killed Nicole? He gave her that black eye, she ran out of the house,” the lawyer said. “She was terrified. She hid in the bushes. The police came.
“He was arrested, charged with spousal battery and what were the consequences of that case? He admitted it.
“In other words, he pled no contest to a spousal battery, but he never was sent to jail. In fact, it’s really questionable as to whether he did anything that the judge required him to do, even out of jail, community service, for example.”
Nicole Brown seen in a photograph – shown to jurors in the trial – documenting injuries allegedly from OJ Simpson. Pic: Reuters
Ms Allred added that “it’s only going to get worse for the victim” if no action is taken against perpetrators of domestic violence and said: “That’s what happened. He killed her.”
Mr Cook said there is $114m still owed by Simpson to Mr Goldman’s family, and that they are considering how to claim it back over assets.
After the former NFL player was found liable for their deaths in 1997, he was ordered to pay $33.5m but declared bankruptcy shortly after.
Ronald Goldman was stabbed to death at Nicole Brown Simpson’s Los Angeles home on 12 June 1994. Pic: Reuters
“I review and consider Simpson as what he was: that he was a bad person; he was a murderer; he got out of the acquittal here,” Mr Cook added.
“He remains now and in his death as the day that he committed the crime in whatever the amount of years ago.
“He’s still the same person. And the fact that he died doesn’t change it.”
Read more from Sky News:
OJ Simpson: The case that gripped the US
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Mr Goldman’s father Fred Goldman told Sky News’ partner network NBC News earlier on Thursday that Simpson’s death is “no great loss”.
“The only thing I have to say is it’s just a further reminder of Ron being gone all these years,” he said.
“It’s no great loss to the world. It’s a further reminder of Ron being gone.”
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One of Simpson’s defence attorneys was Robert Kardashian, who was married to Kris Jenner until 1991.
Caitlyn Jenner, who was also previously married to Ms Jenner and who was a close friend of the retired American football star and Ms Brown, said bluntly “good riddance” in response to his death.
The former Olympian wrote in her autobiography The Secrets Of My Life that Simpson “was the most narcissistic, egocentric, neediest asshole in the world of sports I had ever seen, and I had seen a lot of them”.
Simpson was acquitted after the 1995 criminal trial watched by millions worldwide, where Simpson famously tried on a pair of blood-stained gloves allegedly found at the scene of the crime.
The gloves appeared to be too small, leading defence attorney Johnnie Cochran to say: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
Alan Dershowitz, another of Simpson’s former lawyers, told Sky News earlier that the defence was “a nightmare team” and that he did not want the former sports star to take the stand.
“Ultimately it was the glove” that made Simpson refuse to take the stand at his trial, Mr Dershowitz said.
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“When he was able to go in front of the jury and show them that the glove didn’t fit, that led him to conclude, and he made the decision, not to take the stand.
“In the civil case, he took the stand and was immediately found liable.”
