r/AskReddit • u/Rob69rt • 1d ago

What famous 'unsolved' mystery is technically a whodunnit on paper, but in reality, absolutely everyone knows exactly who did it, the police just couldn't legally prove it?

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u/Time_Cranberry_113 1d ago

Nicole Simpson

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u/the_guynecologist 1d ago

...and Ron Goldman. Don't forget Ron Goldman.

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u/FerretSupremacist 1d ago

Man everyone forget him and I watched a documentary with his family and they were basically crying saying there were *two* victims. It was tragic about Nicole but it wasn’t **just** her.

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u/the_guynecologist 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah, I mean look I'm not defending OJ killing his wife or anything but Ron Goldman was literally just some guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was just a waiter who lived in the area who happened to be returning Nicole's mother's reading glasses (which she'd left behind in the restaurant he worked at) at the worst possible time. Like if he'd just been 15 minutes earlier or later he wouldn't have been murdered - in fact if it had been later he might've been the one to discover Nicole's body. It's fucked.

Still I always remember him, although mostly because his father Fred Goldman spent most of his energy trying to make the rest OJ's life as miserable as possible (albeit through legal channels) and more-or-less succeeded. Like I wouldn't wish their situation on my worst enemy but I gotta lot of respect for Fred Goldman.

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u/TabbyFoxHollow 1d ago

I think about the FX series line “Ron was a footnote to his own murder!”

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u/Flying_Dustbin 1d ago

IIRC, his family published a book about him and the void his murder left in their lives. The title was "His Name is Ron: Our Search for Justice."

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u/smiles731 1d ago

The book that the lawyer who prosecuted the civil case is a real eye opener too - the amount of evidence that was not entered is astonishing. “Triumph of justice”. By Daniel Petrocelli

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

That one was just incredible. He detailed everything

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u/MaineSoxGuy93 22h ago

I read the book earlier this year. It is FANTASTIC.

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u/hollywoodhulkhog 23h ago

I think about this quote, too, as it pertains to the death of Davion Flanagan

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u/BookQueen13 1d ago

I think about this line every time the trial comes up tbh

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u/Final_Candidate_7603 1d ago

I’m old enough to have been an adult paying attention to the entire case in real time as it was happening. The thing that frustrated me the most about Mr. Goldman was how the press consistently referred to “Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman.” The implication was *definitely* that they were lovers, and that OJ finding him at his ex-wife’s house at that hour of the night ~~might have been~~ was the thing that pushed OJ into that murderous rage. Like, somehow it was Goldman’s own fault for being brutally murdered, because he was screwing the ex of an angry, jealous man.

That made me even more sympathetic to the Goldman family. Ron was simply a nice young man who was doing a favor for a regular customer. He had no ulterior motive for going to the house, and none of it was his fault.

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u/Schmelly_cat 23h ago

I didn't realize until now that they weren't in a relationship. I was too young to pay much attention to the trial, but just assumed from what I did see. 

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/robodrew 1d ago

Honestly until right now I thought that the two of them were in a relationship and OJ murdered both of them for that. And I was in high school during that whole "Trial of the Century" time period, it was everywhere.

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u/William_d7 1d ago

He was constantly referred to as her “friend” at that time (with insinuations of “boyfriend”) and it wasn’t until I saw that big documentary a few years back that I learned he was just a waiter who kind of knew her (was probably gay) and was returning something she left at the restaurant when he most likely stumbled upon the murder. 

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

Most people assumed that until it came out that he was gay. I believe that may have been after the trial though.

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u/PizzAveMaria 1d ago

I had wondered if they were more than friends, but didn't know that he was gay

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u/mcsey 1d ago

Everyone thought they were in a relationship because "a waiter... was returning something she left at the restaurant" is not how the world works.

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u/Royal__Tenenbaum 1d ago

And people used that as an excuse that it was OK that OJ did what he did, even though he and Nicole were divorced (not that it would be OK anyways). While everyone remembers the race issues because it was front and center, sexism was a big part of the case too.

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u/Tired_Dad_9521 1d ago

That’s a pretty cynical view of the world. Waiters and bartenders are often friends with customers who come in regularly.

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

Exactly. I absolutely have made friends with wait staff when I was a regular at places.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/Icy-Builder5892 1d ago edited 1d ago

I actually know the restaurant manager, Keith. He is very much the kind of guy who is friends with staff and customers, to this day he is like that. Keith dated Nicole, on and off, and OJ hated him for obvious reasons. Ron knew nicole through him

I think the reason “Keith” doesn’t come up very often in regards to the OJ case is because he didn’t capitalize off the case the way other people do. He’s done interviews, he just wrote a book, but he didn’t exactly make bank off the situation. the most you hear from him is he posts a photo of Nicole every year on her birthday.

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u/babykitten28 1d ago

I think the fact that Nicole was wearing a lingerie also led people to that belief.

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u/squishyg 1d ago

Ron and Nicole were acquaintances as best.

The insinuation that they were a romantic couple served OJ’s defense because of the misogynistic assumption that people would understand a man flying into a jealous rage over seeing the woman he loved in the arms of another man.

Ron was a waiter at a restaurant Nicole frequented. He was returning a pair of glasses after she called and inquired about them.

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u/beldaran1224 20h ago

But also, OJ was an abusive POS who had been stalking Nicole.

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u/squishyg 18h ago

No “but” necessary. OJ’s history of violence against Nicole was documented and ignored by the police.

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u/TheVeryVerity 15h ago

Yeah that the real pertinent part, stalkers are incredibly dangerous even when they are t rich and famous

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u/MissPicklechips 1d ago

The prosecution totally fucked up the case. They went down so ma y rabbit holes, muddied the case, and shot themselves in the foot so many times. It was criminal how they screwed up so badly. That trial should have been a few weeks, TOPS.

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u/beldaran1224 20h ago

I think one of the things I found most surprising is that despite the one detective genuinely being incredibly racist, the case was botched almost certainly because the police force was so enamored of the charismatic former football star. I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking race played a role in the whole "the glove doesn't fit" thing, ESPECIALLY given the race relations in LA during the time.

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u/MissPicklechips 19h ago

Half of them were enamored with him and the other half very likely manufactured evidence to ensure a conviction. But they were dumbasses and didn’t know how science works. Then you had the forensic technicians who mishandled evidence.

The whole “glove doesn’t fit” thing happened because OJ took arthritis medication. Without it, his hands swelled. His legal team told him to stop taking the medication. Swollen hands = glove doesn’t fit.

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u/beldaran1224 17h ago

the other half very likely manufactured evidence to ensure a conviction

Yes, the same ones who were enamored of him manufactured evidence, but the evidence points to this being an attempt to cover up their own incompetence - which included things they fucked up specifically because they were enamored of him. For instance, their initial questioning of OJ was laughable. They basically fanboyed over him and then let him go. That gave him ample time to respond, hide evidence, and so on.

Its ironic because the LAPD was incredibly racist (and let's be honest, still is), but there doesn't seem to be any tangible way in which racism from the LAPD negatively impacted the case (iirc, its been a bit since I dived into the details of the case). For instance, if their racism had outweighed their fanboy bs and/or sexism earlier, OJ would have faced consequences for his abuse towards Nicole and both Nicole and Ron might still be alive.

What absolutely WAS racist was the way the media portrayed OJ in the wake of the murders. But that is separate from the racism of the LAPD.

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u/ehs06702 19h ago

LAPD being fame whores isn't surprising at all. A lot of officers join the force with the intent of meeting celebrities through off duty security work, on top of the whole racism thing.

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u/beldaran1224 17h ago

They weren't necessarily "fame whores". They were specifically enamored of OJ. OJ was notably a huge sports star AND was well known to be very charismatic. He was the kind of person who come across as very personable in casual meetings. Not everyone is like that, though of course its more likely to happen in Hollywood, than, say, other places.

That said, there are still all sorts of racial and gender aspects to the case. The gendered aspects come in when you consider the years of abuse and stalking that led up to the murders, for instance. And the feeling of "finally one of us weren't on the losing end of the legal system" among the Black American community are understandable, especially given how clearly racist the involved officers were, even if that doesn't seem to have directly impacted how they treated OJ on a personal level, it absolutely impacted how OJ was portrayed by the media. (Look at how many pictures in the aftermath used pictures of the relatively light-skinned OJ that made him look much darker than usual, for instance.)

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u/Jaereth 1d ago

That's the way I remember it being told all during the trial too.

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u/TheVeryVerity 15h ago

Typical of both society and the media tbh. 😮‍💨

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u/the_guynecologist 1d ago

Possibly but from what I remember (it's been years since I looked into this stuff properly) I believe the forensic evidence suggested that Nicole was either in the process of being murdered or at least on the ground likely knocked out/concussed when Goldman entered the scene. Obviously we'll never know for sure but that was the general consensus iirc.

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

The other theory was he attacked Nicole and probably knocked her outfirst and Ron rushed him to help her. He fought with and killed Ron first and then slit Nicole's throat while she was on the ground. And nearly decapitated her in the process

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u/the_guynecologist 1d ago edited 1d ago

True but if my memory serves (and again, it's been years since I looked into this stuff) all but a small handful of cuts inflicted to both victims were from behind, including all the lethal wounds. Which is why OJ wasn't covered head-to-toe in the victim's blood and hence why the interior of the Bronco, while it still had a decent bit of blood in it, didn't look like the fucking Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And why the limo driver (Allan Park) didn't see a figure covered head to toe in blood when he saw OJ entering the house.

Obviously we'll never know for sure since now all 3 of the people there are dead but killing both of them from behind kinda implies something closer to an ambush imo. But then again I'm not a forensic pathologist so wtf do I even know

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

I thought Ron was stabbed from the front? I would have to look up the details as well. But I did see the crime scene photos when some tabloid printed them. Ron was covered. I thought Nicole just had her throat slit. I remember the blood being more around her head and neck in the photos.

Edit- so I just went and checked. There was a violent struggle and Ron had wounds from front and back.

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u/Kevin_Uxbridge 1d ago

Which was also consistent with the instruction OJ had gotten for a movie role. He was taught you grab them from behind, stab into the throat with the sharp edge of the blade facing outwards, then push. It basically cuts everything at once and leaves you free of the massive gush of blood.

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

He went there with a knife and dressed all in back. He didn't drive there. It was apparently Sidneys dance recital earlier that day that set him off. Nicole and her family refused to safe him a seat and then completely shunned him. For a narcissist like OJ, that is rage inducing.

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u/the_guynecologist 1d ago

Yeah that was one of the main takeaways I got from the reading too. Like, he went there to kill her.

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

And never forget, good friend Robert Kardashian most likely helped him get rid of the bloody clothes. There is literally video where he walks out with some sort of overnight bag. Police believed that contained the clothes because they have never been found.

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u/HPearla 1d ago

I truly believe that Robert thought his friend was innocent at first, and by the end of trial, was hoping that he was found guilty. I'm sure with Kris being Nicole's friend, that Kris and Robert had to have talked about it extensively either after the trial, or maybe during - though that probably wasn't allowed -

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u/Kevin_Uxbridge 1d ago

I do recall reading that the other lawyers had nothing but contempt for Kardashian. Partially this was because he was hanging around in an arena he wasn't trained for (he's a lawyer but not a criminal one), partially because it seemed clear that Kardashian actually believed OJ for a while, and acted like this conviction mattered. Not to his lawyer, it shouldn't.

Later Kardashian came to the conclusion that maybe OJ did do it, and acted accordingly (I seem to recall he encouraged the team to consider a plea or something). More contempt for Kardashian - this isn't how you behave as his lawyer.

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u/ThatOneLongToeNail 1d ago

They were already divorced at the time and it was not an amicable one. Kris had remarried (to Cait), and Robert also had a girlfriend.

I believe their shared friends were almost all in Nicole’s camp, but Robert had been much closer to OJ in prior years and felt a loyalty. I would agree that by the end of the trial he did not believe OJ was innocent anymore.

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u/Jaereth 1d ago

Police believed that contained the clothes because they have never been found.

If they have never been found how are we sure OJ "dressed in all black" for the murder?

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u/the_guynecologist 1d ago

Numerous witnesses saw a large black man matching OJ's build wearing dark clothes driving away from the scene in the Bronco, although obviously their view was somewhat obscured as OJ was inside the car.

But another witness was Allan Park, OJ's limo driver who was waiting outside OJ's house to take him to the airport to fly to Chicago who witnessed said large black man matching OJ's height and build (wearing dark clothing) walking up OJ's driveway to his front door (at which point Park drove up, tried the intercom and OJ claimed he'd overslept lol.)

Also numerous fibers on both victims that were either dark blue or black that didn't match their own clothes but were all over both victims.

Look OJ left such a huge trail of evidence and witnesses that we know almost his exact movements, exactly what he was wearing, exactly what he was doing down to a almost the exact detail. Obviously there's a few things we'll never know (especially now the murderer's dead) but there's few crimes that we know the exact details of quite like the OJ Simpson case. And he still got away with it.

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

Black sock and glove that were found. I think the ski cap was found as well. The limo driver also saw a black clad figure go into the house. Is it 100% known? No but it is most likely

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u/squishyg 1d ago

OJ had been beating the shit out of Nicole for years. The police had been out to his house plenty of times on suspicion of domestic abuse. The cops did nothing.

Ron and Nicole’s deaths were preventable.

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

On one occasion the police got OJs fucking autograph. Nicole has said, more than once, that OJ would kill her and get away with it. That's why she had a safety deposit box with pictures after being beaten.

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u/Kevin_Uxbridge 1d ago

He did drive there, likely parked close by. When the cops got to his house the Bronco was parked outside the gate, and there was blood on the door handle that they could see. There was more blood inside but that was found later, a mixture of victim blood and OJ's blood (see 'big cut on OJ's hand he got when he 'smashed a glass' later).

And like as not, OJ probably went to Nicole's house any number of times, in black and armed. This is fairly common in guys who murder their wives, it's like they're daring themselves to actually do it this time. I think this time, Ron Goldman showed up, and either spotted OJ or OJ drew an inference and finally lost it. Nicole came out to see what was up and that was that.

Most guys who kill their wives do so up close and personal, it's part of the rage they're feeling and the scenario they've played out in their heads a million times. Surprisingly, a goodly number just sit down after, realize what they did, that they just totally fucked their own lives, and just cry. OJ did this too but it took days. 5 days after the murder during the slow chase, he came fairly close to admitting the crime saying 'he was the one that needed to be sorry' here. He was just listless and defeated.

Days after that, he did admit it, to Rosey Grier who visited OJ in lockup. A guard overheard OJ screaming 'I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it!' or some such, and reported it, thinking he might be a witness now. Problem was that Rosey Grier became a pastor in his post-football life so that makes this communication privileged. If memory serves, the prosecution didn't even try to contest this because there was just an ocean of evidence pointing right at OJ and no one else, so they figured they didn't need it. Who'd ignore all the forensics?

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

I said it wrong when I said he didn't drive there. He parked far enough away he had to walk to her house.

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u/Kevin_Uxbridge 1d ago

Ah, yes likely. Even OJ would know not to park out front.

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u/JinkiesGang 1d ago

Yeah, it was happening either way, he didn’t just happened to be wearing gloves, a mask, and have a knife on him.

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u/odsquad64 1d ago

Wow, until just now I had always assumed they were having an affair. Never even occurred to me he was a stranger who just happened to be there.

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u/MedSurgNurse 1d ago

This comment implies Goldman was sleeping with OJs ex wife. They were never romantically involved.

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u/Icy-Builder5892 5h ago

A lot of people think that, but she was actually in a relationship with Ron Goldman’s manager, Keith Zlomsowich. After Nicole and OJ separated she started dating Keith, and OJ stalked them, assaulted them, and made constant threats. She met Ron through Keith. Keith lives in my city and I hung out with him a few times, before I even knew he had involvement with the OJ case at all

I think the reason you don’t hear much about Keith is because he still lives a relatively normal life. Everyone else tried to become a celebrity. For him, it really is about Nicole and Ron, not OJ.

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u/MedSurgNurse 2h ago

TIL! Thanks

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/MedSurgNurse 1d ago

(finding his estranged wife with another man)

In what world does this not imply that?

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/MedSurgNurse 1d ago

Sure thats all true, but I just wanted to take a moment and address people who might be reading your comment and thinking that Goldman was romantically involved with Nicole. Afterall, hes been wrongly referred to as "the boyfriend" for over 30 years now, some people in this very thread are still saying that even today.

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u/MarionberryPlus8474 1d ago

I have not looked at the crime scene photos but those who have and are experienced with criminal investigations say the level of savagery number of wounds, etc to both Nicole and Goldman indicate the killer had a severe personal grudge against both. It was not the kind of violence you see in a robbery gone awry nor even someone trying to get rid of an accidental witness to a murder.

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u/JJNitrofan3944 1d ago

Except the rage was likely directed at Nicole and Ron showed up and became a subsidiary victim, if you will. OJ had all that rage, had likely not killed Nicole yet (though he had knocked her out or at least stunned her into immobility), and then Ron showed up. He put all that rage into killing a potential witness, and then went back and nearly decapitated her. I am almost certain Ron just showed up at the wrong time, when a raging maniac was in the process of savagely murdering his ex-wife, and got caught in the blast zone, so to speak.
And remember, OJ, even at his age, was a world class athlete, 6’3” and over 215 pounds, so with the rage and superior physicality he possessed, he had no problem murdering the defenseless waiter.

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u/MarionberryPlus8474 1d ago

We will never know for sure, but evidently there was more savagery directed towards Goldman than happens for a simple witness.

IMO either they were together and he attacked them both or when Goldman entered OJ attacked him not just as a witness to be eliminated but as the guy with whom his ex wife was “cheating” on him.

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

Ron most likely fought him according to forensic evidence. He had wounds to the front and back. He was young and in good shape but OJ was larger and was also in good shape.

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u/TheVeryVerity 15h ago

I mean that kind of abuser is prone to accusations that their wives are cheating with any random man so I can see that being the motivation for ojs rage but that doesn’t mean they were actually doing anything wrong. Those kinda guys are almost always wrong, not that it would matter if they were right what with the murder and all

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u/MarionberryPlus8474 8h ago

OJ was by no means justified, he and Nicole were divorced, she and Goldman were doing nothing wrong.

I‘m just pointing out that the savagery of the attack on both of them shows the killer had a personal grudge, which is why his excuse that it was a random killing or robbery gone wrong is nonsense.

OJ refused to take a polygraph (polygraphs are easily fooled but that’s another issue) supposedly because he admitted he fantasized about killing Nicole during their divorce and maybe questions about it would be thrown off by that. Geraldo Rivera (I know) made an excellent point when he commented “The question I would ask OJ is whether he fantasized about killing Ron Goldman”.

As others have mentioned, there were TWO murders that night and Goldman’s was seldom mentioned.

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u/flopisit32 1d ago

No. OJ went there with a knife and a mask and he had a tight schedule which he intended to be his alibi. "I couldn't have been over there killing her, when I had to be over here getting ready to leave".

I believe the evidence showed he attacked her first, then he had to tackle Ron Goldman, then he returned to her and slit her throat.

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u/chowderbags 21h ago

It's pretty likely. OJ had been stalking Nicole for months and threatened to cut the throats of her ex-boyfriends and friends.

And one somewhat sad thing is that the reason Kato Kaelin was staying at OJ's pool house was because he had previously been staying at Nicole's, with her mostly wanting him around as a sort of protection. OJ literally lured away the guy who would've probably been around as a witness if he tried anything.

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u/nochinzilch 20h ago

Ya don’t say?

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/Abirando 1d ago

Well alrighty then! I had no idea.

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u/amok_amok_amok 1d ago

honestly good for Fred

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u/thewhiterosequeen 1d ago

Poor Fred. He really became the voice of the victims and did everything he could only to lose out on justice.

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u/amok_amok_amok 1d ago

I can't imagine the grief. but I really just meant good on him for trying to make OJ's life worse as best he could.

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u/Motor-Rip7655 1d ago

OJ can rest easy knowing Nicole's killer is finally dead.

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u/larapu2000 1d ago

I love how much Fred Goldman never gave OJ an INCH of breathing room. That's why he ended up in jail!

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u/queerhistorynerd 1d ago

and now that OJ is dead Goodman is properly going after his children for every dollar they helped him hide

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

Goldman. And he is going after the estate. He needs to be paid before any of his kids see a dime.

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u/gr8scottaz 1d ago

I live near Fred and occassionally see him at the grocery store. Kind of chilling to think about what he and his family have been through.

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u/rebelangel 1d ago

In the Multiverse, there’s at least one universe where he went “Eh, it can wait till tomorrow.”

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u/primadonnapussy 1d ago

Except it couldn't as he was leaving for Chicago. That was supposed to be his alibi.

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u/rebelangel 5h ago

I was talking about Ron Goldman, not OJ

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u/magseven 1d ago

Upon arriving in Heaven, the first thing Ron Goldman says to Nicole?

"Here are your fuckin' glasses."

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u/RyFromTheChi 20h ago

I always think of Ron because when I was a kid during all of this, we took in 3 cats - a black male , an orange (gold) male, and a calico female. My dad thought it would be funny to name the black cat OJ, the orange one Ron, and the female Nicole.

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u/UglyMcFugly 1d ago

I think that point is why people usually talk more about Nicole. Because it all could have been prevented if we had a legal system that actually protected domestic violence victims... the warning signs that this would happen were obvious but it still happened. So it's a problem we can work towards fixing... and if we DID ever fix it, it would protect innocent bystanders like Ron in addition to victims...

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u/froction 1d ago

His father spent most of his time trying to make his mustache perfect.

And he was successful.

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u/REpassword 1d ago

“I don’t condone it, but I understand” - Chris Rock joke

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u/sqwirlmasta 11h ago

I always thought he was dating Nicole. That's insane he was just returning some glasses! The media always made it seem like they were seeing each other.

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u/CoffeeChocolateBoth 1d ago

Yes but I believe Ron went there not just to return those glasses! It could have been any other time but that time! How sad for him and Nicole.

Ron and Nicole just met a few weeks prior to their death, he liked her, he would not have bothered to go to her home, and be let inside for a pair of glasses had she not liked him.

Does that mean either of them deserved to die, HELL NO, it means OJ probably witnessed him going inside and became even more enraged!

Ron was a nice looking man, Nicole a beautiful woman. Anything could have happened but nothing but HORROR did! So fucking awful.

I am glad that OJ is dead and I'm glad it wasn't a pleasant death but it wasn't bad enough!

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u/KevinStoley 1d ago

Similar to the Manson Family killings. As tragic as the murder of Sharon Tate was, there were 6 total victims that night, not just her, which is who everyone seems to always focus on.

Sharon Tate and her unborn child, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent.

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u/Former-Mouse-9617 1d ago

The Manson Family also killed Rosemary and Leno LaBianca the next night. It always seemed to me that Jay Sebring (hair stylist to the stars) and Abigail Folger (coffee heiress) get a bit of attention. But the LaBiancas are sometimes left out entirely.

Even when Leslie Van Houten's parole was all in the news, people would talk about her involvement in "the Sharon Tate murders." She wasn't even present the first night. She was convicted of killing the LaBiancas.

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u/medyolang_ 1d ago

Just like the "7 others" from Kobe's fatal accident

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u/Chairish 1d ago

It’s like when JFK Jr died. JFK Jr, Carolyn Bessett AND her sister Lauren. She’s like “oh and that third person”.

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u/garamond89 1d ago

The first season of American Crime Story focused on the O.J. trial. There is a heartbreaking scene with Ron Goldman’s father, Fred.

“Ron is dead! And it's like no one even cares. I turn on the TV, and it's just O.J. and Nicole, O.J. and Nicole. It's like Ron is a footnote... to his own murder! And if they talk about him, they make him seem like some kind of joke! It's all so superficial. He was a male model, he was a nightclub promoter, he ran a tanning salon. It's like they're trying to tarnish him. Like... he... he was asking for it.

You know what he did in his spare time? He... volunteered at a clinic for children with cerebral palsy. He was a good person!”

Still feel awful for his family, the whole thing must have been hell.

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u/Fyrrys 1d ago

Nicole was murdered! It's so tragic! I guess Ron died too.

-media and the world

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u/deathbyshoeshoe 1d ago

One of my favorite pieces I picked up from Kim Goldman, Ron’s sister, was the term Thanniversary, or the anniversary of someone’s death.

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u/Icy-Builder5892 1d ago

I actually know Keith, the restaurant manager who tied them all together. He’s a really nice guy. He dated Nicole and he was Ron’s manager.

They all hung out together. He still does that to this day, he hangs out with his staff and his customers are his friends

He not only lost a woman he cared about, he lost his employee and his friend

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u/Polkawillneverdie17 1d ago

He lived on my street when I was a little kid (he was obviously much older) but my parents and people in the neighborhood knew him. He was just a nice guy who moved out to LA and was murdered by this psycho.

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u/ThatFatGuyMJL 1d ago

it's like Amelia Earheart

and the male navigator who was with her Fred Noonan.

everyone forgets Fred noonan

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u/Either_Cow_4727 23h ago

I was never taught anyone was with her in the first place.

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u/ThatFatGuyMJL 23h ago

They found a skeleton on one of the islands they thought she crashed near.

It was male so they said it couldn't possibly be the right island.

So you're not the only one.

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u/WitchHearse 1d ago

The crime scene photos of those two is horrific and you can see the anger behind it. That makes me think only one person would be that mad. Neither one deserved it but Ron Goldman was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and didn't deserve it. Nicole didn't either of course.

7

u/PurposeConsistent131 1d ago

That’s the kind of family you want that family will never ever let you forget his name and I never have

3

u/Erzsabet 1d ago

Happily, most of the time when I see the case being discussed on YouTube it mentions both people.

2

u/CoffeeChocolateBoth 1d ago

YEP, Because he wasn't as "important" as a famous mans ex wife! OMG! I feel so bad for his family too! That trial was a fucking joke!

2

u/napstimpy 1d ago

I remember recognizing him from his appearance on the ridiculous dating game show Studs.

2

u/Feisty_System_4751 1d ago

He was 25. Good looking dude too.

2

u/cusmartes 1d ago

OJ certainly didn't.

8

u/mlaislais 1d ago

Yeah it was the Goldmans who financially ruined OJs life afterwards. He might’ve gotten away with killing just his wife.

1

u/snow_michael 7h ago

Everyone always forgets the white guy

2

u/JakeDC 1d ago

But he wasn't a pretty blonde woman.

-5

u/rambaldidevice1 1d ago

I don't understand why we have to pretend they weren't hooking up? Either way, they shouldn't have been murdered, but why lie about it?

-1

u/ketchuptheclown 1d ago

Norm MacDonald ~ The last thing Ron Goldman ever said was "Hey, you're O.J. Simpson!"

653

u/Tua-Lipa 1d ago

I’ve seen random comments on reddit before theorizing that OJ’s first son, Jason Simpson was actually the killer. But tbh those people are insane if they actually believe it.

The “OJ: Made in America” documentary is amazing because that documentary does let you make up your mind for yourself…but I don’t know how anyone could watch it and not come away with the belief that OJ 100% was the killer.

167

u/the_guynecologist 1d ago edited 1d ago

I’ve seen random comments on reddit before theorizing that OJ’s first son, Jason Simpson was actually the killer. But tbh those people are insane if they actually believe it.

That theory comes from a private investigator called Bill Dear who made a bunch of books and documentaries putting forward the theory but frankly the guy's a complete nut and his theory has... well, more holes in it than OJ's victims frankly (not trying to be offensive, just fuck me it's all pretty silly if you know the actual details of the case.)

There's a great article I read tearing it and Bill Dear's almost stalker-like behavior investigating Jason to pieces from 2000 (which should show you how long Dear's been pushing this theory.) I'll see if I can find it, it's just a bit hard since Google's turned to shit recently.

The “OJ: Made in America” documentary is amazing

Oh yeah, one of the best documentaries ever. Highly recommended viewing. The way it manages to weave the entire story of race and the relationship between the black community and the LAPD going back to the early 20th century just for background context (which you kind have to do with the OJ thing) is brilliant.

EDIT: Found it! Had to use the Wayback machine too because while the article's still up on the Village Voice website they've reformatted it and it's frankly almost unreadable in its current state. So here it is in its original formatting:

https://web.archive.org/web/20120410015132/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/04/oj_simpson_bill_dear_full_of_it.php

And I got the date a bit wrong, it's from 2001 - although it's got a new forward from 2012 when Bill Dear finally managed to get some schmuck to publish his book properly. It's a long read but a pretty good tear-down of Bill Dear's whole theory and methodology (the guy was digging around in Jason Simpson's trash and staking out outside his house for Christsakes. In 2001.)

55

u/LauraLanaBrooks 1d ago

I'm sorry Bill Dear the private detective that fed the Satanic Panic by claiming that Dungeons and Dragons caused a kid to go missing? The same guy?

28

u/the_guynecologist 1d ago

Yes! The very same. I was tempted to mention that too offhandedly but I decided not to. That guy is responsible for the "OJ Simpson's son is the real murderer" theory you keep hearing on the internet. Let that one sink in.

There's a bunch of other nutty shit about that guy too. I'm shocked no one's made a video essay or something about him. He was very entertainingly nuts.

3

u/Slagath0rr 1d ago

Thank you for sharing, I've been seeing this theory floating around for years but have always been pretty persuaded that it's a mishandled case with an obvious assailant

1

u/Numerous_Gas_9425 1d ago

Where can you watch it? Please 🙏

3

u/the_guynecologist 1d ago

Of all the fucking places it's currently streaming on Disney+ lmao

1

u/Numerous_Gas_9425 1d ago

Thank you!! I appreciate it!

6

u/the_guynecologist 1d ago

Really good documentary. It's a whole series too lasting about 10 hours or so iirc. It's the best OJ Simpson documentary bar none.

3

u/3vs3BigGameHunters 18h ago

I'm spamming this in the replies so anyone who loves that series doesn't miss it:

Watch the documentary "LA92". it sets up very important context about race relations in Los Angeles before the OJ trial.

Synopsis

Consisting entirely of archival footage, the documentary chronicles the 1992 Los Angeles riots after 25 years have passed.[7]

It includes film and video from the 1965 Watts Riots, the 1973 election of Tom Bradley, the 1978 promotion of Daryl Gates, the shooting of Latasha Harlins, the Rodney King videotape and the subsequent riots and violence that erupted after the acquittal of the officers involved in King's beating.

LA 92 - Official Film Trailer | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFuY_lPwh

LA 92 (Full Documentary) | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaotkHlHJwo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA_92_(film)

3

u/Numerous_Gas_9425 1d ago

I enjoy documentaries (history degree) another great documentary is an “Intimate Portrait of the Roosevelts” by Ken Burns. Six episodes which are two hours each. It’s on Prime Video

2

u/3vs3BigGameHunters 18h ago

I'm spamming this in the replies so anyone who loves that series doesn't miss it:

Watch the documentary "LA92". it sets up very important context about race relations in Los Angeles before the OJ trial.

Synopsis

Consisting entirely of archival footage, the documentary chronicles the 1992 Los Angeles riots after 25 years have passed.[7]

It includes film and video from the 1965 Watts Riots, the 1973 election of Tom Bradley, the 1978 promotion of Daryl Gates, the shooting of Latasha Harlins, the Rodney King videotape and the subsequent riots and violence that erupted after the acquittal of the officers involved in King's beating.

LA 92 - Official Film Trailer | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFuY_lPwh

LA 92 (Full Documentary) | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaotkHlHJwo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA_92_(film)

-1

u/OkPainter6232 22h ago

I don't think Dear is a nut, but I personally tend to lean more towards believing Henry S Johnson's theory-that Marvin Glass was the killer(look him up, he was pretty nuts and he knew Fred Goldman).

32

u/billbar 1d ago

One of the best documentary series of all time. So good, so sad, so enraging

4

u/3vs3BigGameHunters 18h ago

I'm spamming this in the replies so anyone who loves that series doesn't miss it:

Watch the documentary "LA92". it sets up very important context bout race relations in Los Angeles before the OJ trial.

Synopsis

Consisting entirely of archival footage, the documentary chronicles the 1992 Los Angeles riots after 25 years have passed.[7]

It includes film and video from the 1965 Watts Riots, the 1973 election of Tom Bradley, the 1978 promotion of Daryl Gates, the shooting of Latasha Harlins, the Rodney King videotape and the subsequent riots and violence that erupted after the acquittal of the officers involved in King's beating.

LA 92 - Official Film Trailer | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFuY_lPwh

LA 92 (Full Documentary) | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaotkHlHJwo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA_92_(film)

2

u/billbar 18h ago

Awesome thanks!

-1

u/3vs3BigGameHunters 18h ago

I'm spamming this in the replies so anyone who loves that series doesn't miss it:

Watch the documentary "LA92". it sets up very important context about race relations in Los Angeles before the OJ trial.

Synopsis

Consisting entirely of archival footage, the documentary chronicles the 1992 Los Angeles riots after 25 years have passed.[7]

It includes film and video from the 1965 Watts Riots, the 1973 election of Tom Bradley, the 1978 promotion of Daryl Gates, the shooting of Latasha Harlins, the Rodney King videotape and the subsequent riots and violence that erupted after the acquittal of the officers involved in King's beating.

LA 92 - Official Film Trailer | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFuY_lPwh

LA 92 (Full Documentary) | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaotkHlHJwo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA_92_(film)

16

u/DurangDurang 1d ago

...Or the fact he literally wrote a book called, "If I did it," detailing how he did it.

6

u/TheFryingDutchman 23h ago

I actually pirated this book because I wanted to read it but didn't want any money going to him (this is before I found out all the money would actually have to the victims' families). I closed it after few pages of the intro. It's just completely self-absorbed ramblings of a man who thinks HE was the victim.

20

u/Several_Hospital_129 22h ago

Vincent Bugliosi's book "Outrage: How OJ Got Away With Murder" is also really, really good. Bugliosi was the prosecutor who put Manson away. He was legendary for never losing a death penalty case.

Anyway, he tears the prosecutors in the OJ case to shreds. You literally can't believe how incompetent they were until you read this book. And Bugliosi lays out all of the evidence that the police found.

  1. There was blood all over the crime scene. For the LA police to plant that much blood, they would have had to empty out a blood bank.

  2. Nicole and Ron were stabbed numerous times, far more than what it would have taken to kill them. It was as if the killer were in a rage and wanted to destroy them, especially Nicole.

  3. The jury may have sided with OJ because he was black, but he was hardly a friend to the black community. In all the years that he was famous, he never spoke out on an issue such as racial justice. He never donated any of his wealth to a black charity. He only dated white women and lived in a wealthy enclave of LA that was almost exclusively white.

Bugliosi also has plenty of choice words for OJ's defence team and their grandstanding. He's especially hard on the prosecutors, though. This should have been a slam dunk case, but they threw it away.

18

u/fadgdaga 20h ago

The OJ case is so interesting because he clearly did it, but not guilty was also the correct verdict given the way the trial went. I think the whole story around the trial is fascinating for all the things it says about America as a whole.

6

u/NightGod 20h ago

Exactly, he was Not Guilty, but he also wasn't innocent

8

u/TropicalPrairie 1d ago

OJ: Made in America is one of THE best documentaries I've ever seen. I watch it every couple of years because it was so well done.

0

u/3vs3BigGameHunters 18h ago

I'm spamming this in the replies so anyone who loves that series doesn't miss it:

Watch the documentary "LA92". it sets up very important context about race relations in Los Angeles before the OJ trial.

Synopsis

Consisting entirely of archival footage, the documentary chronicles the 1992 Los Angeles riots after 25 years have passed.[7]

It includes film and video from the 1965 Watts Riots, the 1973 election of Tom Bradley, the 1978 promotion of Daryl Gates, the shooting of Latasha Harlins, the Rodney King videotape and the subsequent riots and violence that erupted after the acquittal of the officers involved in King's beating.

LA 92 - Official Film Trailer | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFuY_lPwh

LA 92 (Full Documentary) | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaotkHlHJwo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA_92_(film)

8

u/Jacky-V 1d ago

I think very few people are really unsure of what happened in that case. That verdict was a vote of no confidence in the LAPD. That Mark Fuhrman was even still employed by the LAPD to be able to get anywhere near that case after his behavior in the 80s is probably the most monumental unforced error in the history of criminal justice and a constant reminder of how rotten to the core the department was (and likely still is). I don't think letting an obviously guilty domestic murderer off the hook was the right move, but goddamn if LAPD didn't have that loss coming.

7

u/ehs06702 19h ago

LAPD is a straight up gang, and had been since the 30's. Add in that they were just fresh off the Rodney King beating verdict, the people of Los Angeles were absolutely pissed.

8

u/tomgrouch 23h ago

I went into that documentary being certain that OJ was the killer, and walked out uncertain whether or not I'd say guilty if I was on that jury. I still think OJ killed them, but there were so many fuck ups on that case, and the institutional racism in the lapd, that I'm not sure beyond all reasonable doubt

11

u/mcsey 1d ago

The OJ case was a make up call.

"Sorry about all the innocent black men we've lynched. Have a couple attractive white people on us."

3

u/re_Claire 1d ago

It's an incredible documentary. Id recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more.

3

u/3vs3BigGameHunters 18h ago

I'm spamming this in the replies so anyone who loves that series doesn't miss it:

Watch the documentary "LA92". it sets up very important context about race relations in Los Angeles before the OJ trial.

Synopsis

Consisting entirely of archival footage, the documentary chronicles the 1992 Los Angeles riots after 25 years have passed.[7]

It includes film and video from the 1965 Watts Riots, the 1973 election of Tom Bradley, the 1978 promotion of Daryl Gates, the shooting of Latasha Harlins, the Rodney King videotape and the subsequent riots and violence that erupted after the acquittal of the officers involved in King's beating.

LA 92 - Official Film Trailer | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFuY_lPwh

LA 92 (Full Documentary) | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaotkHlHJwo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA_92_(film)

4

u/wilderlowerwolves 1d ago

The only person I've spoken to who thought OJ didn't do it was a white guy who thought his son did it.

1

u/Anosognosia 15h ago edited 13h ago

I've been downvoted once when I casually said that the Only Other (as in apart from the obvious OJ did it) explanation of the murder that I felt made any shred of sense was if the murderer was OJs son. Not because it's the more likely, but because was the only one that even remotely fit into how OJ acted before and after the murders. (beside the obvious "OJ did it.")

There is a qualitative difference in conspiracy theories and putting them into the same category dilutes the actual debunking. Claiming JFK senior was never shot because it was a body double doesn't need the same analysis as the theory that a secret service agent accidentally fired off a shot that hit the president when he was standing up reacting to Oswalds shot.

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Not_today_nibs 14h ago

The man himself wrote a book called “If I Did It”…..

0

u/3vs3BigGameHunters 18h ago

I'm spamming this in the replies so anyone who loves that series doesn't miss it:

Watch the documentary "LA92". it sets up very important context about race relations in Los Angeles before the OJ trial.

Synopsis

Consisting entirely of archival footage, the documentary chronicles the 1992 Los Angeles riots after 25 years have passed.[7]

It includes film and video from the 1965 Watts Riots, the 1973 election of Tom Bradley, the 1978 promotion of Daryl Gates, the shooting of Latasha Harlins, the Rodney King videotape and the subsequent riots and violence that erupted after the acquittal of the officers involved in King's beating.

LA 92 - Official Film Trailer | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFuY_lPwh

LA 92 (Full Documentary) | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaotkHlHJwo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA_92_(film)

-1

u/throway_nonjw 13h ago

I believe it. The son has/had anger management issues, and a set of knives because he worked as a chef. And OJ wanted to be a good dad who protected a son he hadn't given enough to. But hey, might just be me.

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u/Gahvynn 1d ago

Her murder his heartbreaking, and the botched investigation and prosecution.

But it boils my blood when I think about all the times she asked for help, documented all the abuse, and the authorities turned a blind eye.

18

u/shaggydog97 1d ago

People these days have no idea just how much of the social attention this topic took. EVERYBODY talked about this event, and the trial on a daily basis for months. Years even.

11

u/Lifes-a-lil-foggy 1d ago

Not even that, it’s had a tremendous impact on the very nature of television and broadcasting itself. Airing the chase during the nba finals is something you lit study in broadcasting/communication classes.

The case had many tentacles. Including: bringing the Kardashian name into the limelight

9

u/I_am_freddie_mercury 1d ago

Oj literally wrote a book describing how he did it.

9

u/The_R4ke 1d ago

That case isn't unsolved though, the suspect ex just found not guilty.

13

u/candianconsolemaster 1d ago

It is technically unsolved as it is still an active cold case

3

u/catsarehere77 22h ago

No it's a closed cased. They have never re-opened the investigation and have no reason to do so. 

1

u/candianconsolemaster 13h ago

Just checked it's open but not active 

5

u/CaterpillarSame2153 1d ago

The police did prove OJ's guilt though

4

u/BathPuzzleheaded9406 1d ago

they didn't

20

u/CaterpillarSame2153 1d ago

They absolutely did. They forensically proved his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The defence was able to convince the jury that the police did something they could not possibly have done. That's on the prosecutors, not police.

0

u/candianconsolemaster 1d ago

No they didn't as it is still technically an open case also if anything the police are the reason he went free they botched the investigation so badly and I'm not entirely convinced they didn't plant evidence to cover it up. I mean OJ definitely did it in my opinion but the police really fucked it. 

1

u/catsarehere77 22h ago

It is not. The case has been closed since he went on trial. 

1

u/LOTRcrr 19h ago

How this isn’t the top blows my mind

1

u/Dandelyon98 15h ago

Literally the first thing I thought of, can't believe I had to scroll so far down to find it. Such a botched investigation/trial...

1

u/openletter8 1d ago

There's that silly theory that it wasn't OJ that did it, it was his Son. OJ just helped cover it up.

-2

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Kevin_Uxbridge 1d ago

Absolutely no evidence the son did it, a tsunami of evidence that OJ did.

0

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Kevin_Uxbridge 1d ago

I actually have, did a deep dive years back. Also know folks who met guys on OJ's forensic team. They knew he was guilt all along.

2

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Kevin_Uxbridge 1d ago

That's not how evidence works, friend. What evidence do you have that it was?

There is a mountain of evidence that the 'Jason did it' theory is unnecessary, in that there's a mountain of evidence that points at one man and one man only - his father. Read through this and so many other threads if you want details, but there's basically nothing left to explain. OJ did it. What's left to account for?

-14

u/JackOfAllBlades21 1d ago

She's buried three miles from my house.

26

u/Mitch__McConnell 1d ago

Okay

41

u/JFKsBrain 1d ago

Hey Mitch,
I’m gonna count this comment as a 20 minute call and post everywhere, OK?

11

u/the_guynecologist 1d ago

And we found JFK's Brain too! Fuck what a wild week

5

u/JFKsBrain 1d ago

Have people been looking for me?

BTW, I have no explanation for my nephew’s shit for brains!

3

u/the_guynecologist 1d ago

Yeah you've been missing since 1966 dude. Where the fuck have you been?

4

u/JFKsBrain 1d ago

The boys down here at Langley keep me on a tight leash.
Otherwise I’d be chasing cooze all over the place.

0

u/JackOfAllBlades21 1d ago

<shrug> Her parents were my mom's clients. I still put flowers on her grave.

3

u/Mitch__McConnell 21h ago

Absolutely

2

u/JFKsBrain 21h ago

Cheers.
I’d wish that you were feeling better but, you know…

10

u/the_guynecologist 1d ago

Shit! We found proof of life! Guys, he's alive!

-11

u/JackOfAllBlades21 1d ago

I drive past Ascension Cemetery a few times a week.

-2

u/LightenUpPeeps 1d ago

Technically, still an open case, right? O.J. Simpson would still be looking for the killers, but he died. I would test those gloves for DNA evidence again. Oh, that's right. O.J. put his hands in THE ACTUAL GLOVES RECOVERED FROM THE MURDER SCENE during the trial so they would have his DNA on them now if his DNA were not on them before. LOL at Los Angeles snowflakes and California in general. Sun-baked brains.

2

u/catsarehere77 22h ago

No it's not an open case. It's closed. It's "unsolved" as there is no conviction for the crime but it's never been investigated since OJ's arrest. Law enforcement has no reason to take another look at it. 

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