Revisiting the O.J. Simpson Murder Trial: The Shocking Details, Key Players and Verdict

Mar. 15, 2025

Robert Kardashian, OJ Simpson trial.Photo: VINCE BUCCI/AFP/Getty

TheO.J. Simpsontrial for thebrutal murdersof his ex-wifeNicole Brown Simpsonand Ron Goldman captivated the country’s attention and still has a lasting impact nearly 30 years later.

Thefirst trial to be televised from start to finish, nearly 100 million people tuned in to watch the shocking verdict.

Interest in the trial was reignited followingThe People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Storyin 2016, which saw starSarah Paulsonwin an Emmy for portraying head prosecutor Clark and featured star turns fromCuba Gooding Jr.as Simpson,John Travoltaas Robert Shapiro andDavid SchwimmerasRobert Kardashian.

In January 2025, a new docuseries on the murder investigation calledAmerican Manhunt: O.J. Simpsonpremiered on Netflix, featuringinterviews with witnesseswho were never called to testify during the trial.

Simpson died from cancer on April 10at the age of 76, his family confirmed in a statement. Once known as a celebrated football star, the notorious trial far overshadowed the former athlete’s contributions on the field, becoming the defining factor in his legacy.

Look back at the key players in the trial of the century and the legacies they each left behind after the final gavel.

Who was O.J. Simpson?

O.J. Simpson #32 Buffalo Bills.Robert Riger/Getty

Simpson enrolled in the City College of San Francisco, and his record as defensive and running back garnered attention from other schools, and he eventually transferred to the University of Southern California. In 1967, while at USC, Simpson married Whitley, with whom he shared three children.

He went pro in the 1968 draft, commanding $650,000 from the Buffalo Bills, which was then thehighest salary in NFL player history. Nicknamed “The Juice,” Simpson was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1978 and retired from professional football in December 1979. Simpson still holds the record as the only player in history to rush more than 2,000 yards within a 14-game NFL season.

Simpson met his second wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in 1977 when she was 18, and they married in 1985.

In addition to his football career, Simpson was also an actor, appearing inThe Klansman,RootsandThe Naked Gunfilms.Arnold SchwarzeneggertoldThe Independentin 2019 thatJames Cameronalmost cast Simpson as the eponymousTerminator, but Cameronlater denied the claim in an interview withThe Los Angeles Times, saying it was a studio executive’s idea that he shot down. The then-highly marketable Simpsonwas also the face of several brands, including Hertz (for which he owned his own franchise), TreeSweet Orange Juice, Wilson footballs and more.

Who was Nicole Brown Simpson?

O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson.Robin Platzer/Twin Images/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty

Nicole Brown Simpson was born in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 19, 1959, to German mother Juditha and American father Lou Brown, who met Juditha when he was stationed in Germany while serving in the Air Force. The family moved to the United States when Nicole and her siblings were toddlers, eventually settling in Southern California.

Nicole began working at a Beverly Hills nightclub called The Daisy when she was 18. It was there she met Simpson, then 30, andshe didn’t know who he was at first. Simpson was still married to his first wife Whitley at the time, but reportedly courted Nicole immediately. Classmates recalled Nicole bringing Simpson to school, where he would sign autographs. She moved in with Simpson within months.

They married in 1985 after dating for seven years and shared daughter Sydney and son Justin. Those close to Nicole recalled her relationship with Simpson as tempestuous even in the beginning, with frequent fights and Simpson sometimes throwing her out of their shared home,The Los Angeles Timesreported, with Nicole accusing Simpson of cheating. Some close to Nicole said that she would sometimes not go out for days and that Simpson would blame it on menstrual cramps.

On New Year’s Day in 1989, Simpson was arrested and later pleaded no contest to spousal battery after police responded to a call from Nicole, who authorities noted had a black eye, a split lip and Simpson’s handprint still on her neck. At the time, Nicole told police she feared that Simpson would kill her and begged them to arrest him, saying they’d been to her home eight times for domestic violence calls and never took action against him.

Nicole filed for divorce in 1992 and moved into a condominium of her own, reportedly after finding out Simpson had a year-long affair with model Tawny Kitaen. They reconciled briefly in 1993, and that October, Nicole called the police to report Simpson being violent after he found a photo of another man she dated while they were broken up. In May 1994, shortly after her 35th birthday, Nicole ended the relationship, seemingly for good.

On June 12, 1994, Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death in the courtyard of Nicole’s Brentwood, California, condo. Hours earlier, Nicole and Simpson had attended their daughter Sydney’s dance recital separately, according toThe Los Angeles Times.

Her sister, Tanya Brown, previously told PEOPLE that Nicole was most proud of being a mother.

“Everybody equates Nicole with being a domestic violence victim, which she was, beyond belief,” Tanya said. “Her death doesn’t define who she was. Nicole was a mom, first and foremost. Her kids were her life. She always wanted to make sure they were having fun and being kids.”

Who was Ron Goldman?

A family photo of Ronald Goldman.Lee Celano/WireImage

Lee Celano/WireImage

Born July 12, 1968, and raised in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Ronald “Ron” Goldman was a camp counselor and volunteered with children with cerebral palsy,according toThe Los Angeles Times. He enrolled for one semester at Illinois State University before moving to southern California with his family when he was 18 years old.

Friends recalled Goldman as funny and personable. After relocating, he took some courses at Pierce College in Los Angeles and worked as a tennis instructor and headhunter, then as a waiter at several restaurants. In his free time, he played beach volleyball and went dancing at nightclubs. While working at the Italian eatery Mezzaluna in Brentwood, California, he was also an aspiring model and actor.

Nicole and her family, including her mother, dined at Mezzaluna on June 12, 1994, just hours before he and Nicole were murdered. He visited Nicole’s condo to return a pair of prescription glasses Nicole’s mother had left at the eatery.

His father, Fred Goldman, told PEOPLE in 2016 that the gesture was “one of those acts of decency and kindness that ultimately cost him his life.”

According to authorities, Ron likely arrived at the scene during or immediately after Nicole was killed, and his family believes he tried to save his friend.

“He could have run. He didn’t,” Fred told PEOPLE. “I’d like to say I wish he did but that wouldn’t have been Ron. I think he attempted to help — and it cost him his life.”

Ron was 25 when he was stabbed to death.

Was O.J. Simpson accused of Nicole Brown’s murder?

California Highway Patrol chase Al Cowlings, driving, and O.J. Simpson, hiding in rear of white Bronco on the 91 Freeway.Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/Getty

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/Getty

Simpson was released after voluntarily submitting blood samples, and hired lawyer Robert Shapiro two days later, who began building out Simpson’s legal “Dream Team.” After DNA testing confirmed the blood matched what was found in the car, Simpson was ordered to turn himself in to the police on the morning of June 17. After he failed to show up, he was declared a fugitive; hours later, Simpson’s friend and lawyer Robert Kardashian read a statement from Simpson to the media, which largely sounded like asuicide note.

What was O.J. Simpson charged with in 1994?

O.J. Simpson.Mug Shot

Simpson wascharged with double homicidein 1994 for the stabbing deaths of Nicole and Goldman. He was acquitted on Oct. 3, 1995, with about 100 million people tuning in to see the verdict announced live on television.

Prosecutors provided DNA evidence during the trial, including traces of Goldman and Nicole’s blood in his car and Nicole’s blood on a pair of Simpson’s socks, and a glove with DNA from both victims and Simpson’s at the scene of the murders.

However, the defense alleged that the crime scene had been compromised and played an audio recording of Mark Fuhrman, a police officer collecting evidence from the scene of the murders, repeatedly using a racial slur. Fuhrman was later charged with perjury for lying about not saying the slur within 10 years of Simpson’s criminal trial. The defense also insisted that the blood-soaked glove found at the scene didn’t fit Simpson’s hand.

What was the verdict of the O.J. Simpson trial?

O.J. Simpson with attorneys, F. Lee Bailey and Johnnie Cochran Jr., reacts as he is found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman on October 3, 1995.Myung J. Chun/Daily News/AP

Myung J. Chun/Daily News/AP

Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of Nicole and Goldman in the criminal case, but was found liable for their deaths in a civil trial and ordered to pay the victims' families $33.5 million.

In 2006, Simpson wrote a book calledO.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here’s How I Did It, a hypothetical examination of Nicole and Goldman’s murders. Publisher Judith Regan said that while in the book Simpson does not say he’s guilty of the slayings, “In my view, this is his confession.” Due to backlash, including from Goldman’s family, the book’s publication was canceled before its release.

In an interview recorded in 2006 and airing 12 years later, Simpson said, “Ron and Nicole were physically dead andit was almost like they killed me. Who I was was attacked and murdered also in that short period time.”

Who was on O.J.’s legal team?

F. Lee Bailey, Johnnie Cochran Jr., Robert Kardashian, and Robert Shapiro hold a joint press conference on September 6, 1995.POOL/AFP/Getty

POOL/AFP/Getty

Robert Kardashian Sr. — father ofKourtney,Kim,KhloéandRob Kardashian— was one of Simpson’s close friends and a member of his “dream team” of defense attorneys alongside Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro and F. Lee Bailey.

Simpson was an usher in Robert Kardashian’s wedding toKris Jenner,The Los Angeles Timesreported, and the night before his Bronco chase, he visited the Kardashians' home. Simpson reportedly was in Khloé’s room and considered ending his life when Robert urged him not to do so and brought him outside. Robert was also reportedly on the phone with Simpson during the car chase and kept a Louis Vuitton garment bag from Simpson. (Kim latertoldGQshe looked through the bag as a child and that it contained clothes and toiletries.)

Robert also read what seemed to be a suicide note from Simpson to the media the night of the Bronco chase. He toldThe Los Angeles Timesthat he hadn’t practiced law in 20 years before reactivating his law license to help Simpson, and that he frequently visited Simpson in prison.

“I’ve never been in a jail before. It’s extremely depressing,” he said in October 1994. “It makes me sick every time I go down there. We can’t have any physical contact. I want to hug him, I want to show him that I care. It’s very difficult.”

Cochran became a fixture in late-night media and was even spoofed onSeinfeldthanks to his refrain about the blood-soaked glove found at the murder scene: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” The prosecution said that they didn’t want Simpson to try on the glove because it had been soaked in blood and repeatedly frozen and thawed to preserve it for the trial. Cochran died from a brain tumor on March 29, 2005, at 67 years old.

Bailey, along with Cochran,brought the issue of raceto the forefront of the trial when he cross-examined Fuhrman about the officer’s past use of racial slurs. Baileydied at age 87in June 2021.

Shapiro was already somewhat famous in the legal realm for defendingErik Menéndezduring his first arraignment in theMenéndez brothers' murder trial. He joined the “Dream Team” after Howard L. Weitzman withdrew from the case,The New York Timesreported, and was considered the leader of the defense until ultimately deferring to Cochran. He has since transitioned his work into civil litigation andco-foundedLegalZoom, ShoeDazzle (with Kim Kardashian) and RightCounsel.

Marcia Clarkled the prosecution in the case along withChristopher Darden. ClarktoldVoguein 2016 that the trial made her “famous in a way that was kind of terrifying” because reporters were on her front lawn, but that she tuned out scrutiny of her appearance (including a now infamous perm.) In 2019, Darden told PEOPLE of Simpson, “I don’t hate him, but I hate what he stands for. I hate that his acquittal only added to the racial division in this country.I also hate that he is free.”

Which Hollywood figures were involved in the trial?

Nicole Brown Simpson attends the Fight Against Paralysis Benefit on September 26, 1989 in New York, New York. ; Kris Jenner attends the amfAR Cannes Gala 2019 on May 23, 2019 in Cap d’Antibes, France.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty ; Daniele Venturelli/Getty

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty ; Daniele Venturelli/Getty

“I have these vivid memories of an amazing friendship and a life that we all had together. She was funny, she wasbeautiful and loyal and passionate and the best momI had ever met,” Jenner said.

Jenner said she didn’t know that Nicole was a victim of domestic violence until Simpson’s murder trial.

Caitlyn Jenneralleged in an episode ofBig Brother VIPthat she and Kris were at the Simpsons' home the night before the slayings and that based on Kris and Nicole’s communications, Caitlyn believed Simpson was guilty.

“Obviously he did it, and he got away with it,” Caitlyn said. “And at one point he even told Nicole, ‘I’ll kill you and get away with it ‘cause I’m O.J. Simpson.’ "

What happened to O.J. Simpson after the trial?

O.J. Simpson attends his parole hearing at Lovelock Correctional Center July 20, 2017 in Lovelock, Nevada. Simpson is serving a nine to 33 year prison term for a 2007 armed robbery and kidnapping conviction,July 20, 2017 in Lovelock, Nevada.Jason Bean-Pool/Getty

Though Simpson was found not guilty in his criminal trial. He was, however,found liable for their deaths in a civil lawsuitfrom the victims’ families.

It wasn’t until 13 years to the day after he was acquitted of the murders that Simpson was actually convicted of a crime. On Sept. 16, 2007, Simpson and several associates were accused of setting up a meeting with memorabilia buyers in a Las Vegas casino hotel room, during which Simpson and his associates allegedly rushed into the room with guns, stole the memorabilia and fled the scene.

The New York Timesreportedthat at the time of his arrest, Simpson claimed that he didn’t commit any crimes and that he was merely getting back “stolen stuff” that belonged to him and that “nobody was roughed up.” Simpson was convicted of all 12 charges against him and was sentenced to 33 years in prison for the Las Vegas robbery, with parole eligibility after nine years. He wasgranted parolein July 2017, with the parole board citing his family support, good behavior behind bars and completion of anti-violence classes while incarcerated as reasons for his early release.

He wasreleased from prisonon Oct. 1, 2017, and remained under parole until Sept. 29, 2022.

“Life is fine,” Simpsontold the Associated Pressin 2019. He added that he and his children didn’t discuss the murders of Nicole and Goldman, explaining, “We don’t need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives.” He added, “My family and I have moved on to what we call the ‘no negative zone.’ We focus on the positives.”

source: people.com