The Murder Trial of O.J. Simpson
Ten Years Later
June 6, 2004
As the 10-year anniversary approaches of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman that occurred on June 12, 1994, the case is once again emerging in the news.
On May 16, 2004, the Associated Press reported that Nicole's sister, Denise Brown, accused Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, of "trashing" her family in her book. Brown says that Clark unfairly accused her family of helping her get out of the relationship with Simpson earlier.
Brown told The Daily News for Sunday editions that Clark was rude to her from the first time they met until the end of the trial. "The very first time I went to Marcia Clark's office, she had a huge poster-board picture of my sister with her head almost cut off propped up right near her desk. I told Marcia I couldn't look at that and she told me it was like 'part of the furniture' to her. How insensitive can you be? ...As if the murders and the trial weren't bad enough, after the trial she goes and writes her $4.2 million book and she trashed my family"
Then on June 4, the New York Daily News reported that O.J. Simpson "marked the tenth anniversary of his ex-wife's death with a series of crass comments about Nicole Brown Simpson and her family His outbursts ranged from anger at his slain ex-wife for not being around to help with the kids to a flippant remark that Fred Goldman — whose only son died next to Nicole — 'got such opportunity from this with TV exposure.'"
In a long interview to the Associated Press, Simpson complained that he is bitter at Nicole at times: "There are times I am angry at her... There are things that she could" have been "doing with the kids better than I, you know?"
About his former sister-in-law Denise Brown, he said, "I don't think anyone's bills have been paid more than Denise's from what came from that trial."
And of Marcia Clark and Fred Goldman, Ron's father, he made these comments:
"People like Marcia and Fred Goldman got such opportunity from this. People signed them to contracts."
"I don't think Marcia was a nice person... I was there in the court when she told Johnnie [Cochran] she wasn't wearing any panties... It typifies Marcia Clark."
He also complained that the media was responsible for making the public believe that he murdered his wife. He hopes that the real killer is found some day so he can prove people wrong.
Denise Brown was infuriated by Simpson's remarks: "He's evil. I think he's the devil walking around on Earth."
Then in a taped interview with Fox News's Greta Van Susteren, Simpson claims that he will star in a reality program that he will produce. His role will be as a practical joker. Somehow, considering the events of the past ten years, it seems like an odd role.