Where are they now? Case brought fame for many characters in Simpson drama

Where are they now? Case brought fame for many characters in Simpson drama

The June 12 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman brought the Trial Of The Century that saw OJ Simpson acquitted of the murders.

The trial brought together a fascinating cast of characters and the drama also provided the first taste of fame for the Kardashian clan.

Here is a look at where they are now.

The defendant

OJ Simpson
OJ Simpson reacts after learning he was granted parole in an unrelated case in Nevada (Jason Bean/AP)

He got into a series of minor legal scrapes ranging from a 2001 Florida road-rage incident (he was acquitted) to racing his boat through a protected Florida manatee zone in 2002 (he was fined).

His most serious transgression came in 2007, however, when he and five others barged into a Las Vegas hotel room with guns and robbed memorabilia dealers of property that Simpson said was his.

OJ Simpson 25 Years AP Was There
OJ Simpson in a car after being questioned by Los Angeles police into the death of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman (Nick Ut/AP)

He also poses for selfies with the many people still enamoured with his celebrity.

Simpson said in a recent interview that he will never discuss the murders again.

The victims’ survivors

OJ Simpson 25 Years Where Are They Now
Ron Goldman’s sister Kim buries her face in her hands and weeps as her father Fred, centre, holds her in disbelief as the jury returns the not-guilty verdict (AP)

These days she counsels troubled teens as executive director of a Southern California-based non-profit organisation, The Youth Project, and is a speaker to victims’ rights group.

She has authored several books and on Wednesday, the 25th anniversary of her sister’s death, begins a 10-episode podcast titled Confronting: OJ Simpson, in which she says she will discuss all aspects of the trial.

Ms Goldman, now 47, lives in a Southern California suburb with her 15-year-old son.

OJ Simpson
Kim Goldman (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Mr Goldman’s family has seized some of Simpson’s memorabilia, including his 1968 Heisman Trophy as college American football’s best player that year.

The family has also taken the rights to Simpson’s movies, a book he wrote about the killings and other items to satisfy part of the 33.5 million dollar judgment that Simpson refuses to pay.

Mr Goldman, 78, lives with his wife, Patti, in Arizona, where both are property developers.

OJ Simpson
Fred Goldman in 2014 (Matt York/AP)

The former model has become a victims’ rights advocate and a speaker, urging both women and men to leave abusive relationships.

She said she has got over her anger with God for the killings but has never forgiven Simpson and will not watch any films or documentaries about the killings.

OJ Simpson
Denise Brown (Richard Drew/AP)

Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., Simpson’s flamboyant lead lawyer, died of brain cancer in 2005 at 68. His refrain to jurors that “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” sought to underscore that the bloody gloves found at Simpson’s home and the crime scene were too small for the football legend when he tried them on in court.

OJ Simpson 25 Years Where Are They Now
OJ Simpson flanked by lawyers F. Lee Bailey and Johnnie L. Cochran (blue tie) (Myung J. Chun/AP)

OJ Simpson
Robert Kardashian (Nick Ut/AP)

When Simpson fled authorities in a white Ford Bronco on June 17 1994, Mr Kardashian read to reporters a rambling message Simpson had left behind as a bizarre, nationally televised, slow-speed motorway chase unfolded.

Since his death, Mr Kardashian’s fame has been eclipsed by that of ex-wife, Kris, and children, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob, thanks to their reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

OJ Simpson 25 Years Where Are They Now
OJ Simpson, right, and defence lawyer Robert Shapiro (Nick Ut/AP)

In 2005 he founded the Brent Shapiro Foundation to help steer young people from drug and alcohol addiction after his 24-year-old son died of an overdose.

He also co-founded LegalZoom.com, a do-it-yourself service for people seeking to file legal documents without the help of lawyers, and RightCounsel.com for people searching for a lawyer.

OJ Simpson 25 Years Where Are They Now
Robert Shapiro pictured in 2017 (Willy Sanjuan/AP)

He and fellow Simpson lawyer Peter Neufeld co-founded The Innocence Project that uses DNA evidence to exonerate wrongly convicted prisoners.

The project has helped overturn hundreds of convictions.

OJ Simpson
Defence lawyer Barry Scheck reviews trial transcripts as prosecutor Marcia Clark looks on (Reed Saxon/PA)

When he joined the defence team, Mr Bailey already was famous for his role in some of the most high-profile cases of the 20th century, including that of heiress-turned-bank-robber Patricia Hearst.

OJ Simpson
F. Lee Bailey pictured in 2014 (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

His efforts to be reinstated have been unsuccessful.

The prosecutors

Marcia Clark, the trial’s lead prosecutor, gave up law after the case, although she has appeared frequently as a TV commentator on high-profile trials over the years and on numerous TV news shows.

OJ Simpson
Former O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark (Willy Sanjuan.AP)

Chris Darden, the co-prosecutor, was criticised for having Simpson try on the bloody gloves without first ensuring they would fit.

He is now a defence lawyer himself.

OJ Simpson 25 Years Where Are They Now
Chris Darden reacts during court proceedings in Los Angeles during the OJ Simpson double murder trial (Kevork Djansezian/AP)

Mr Darden has also taught law, appeared on television as a legal commentator and wrote of his Simpson trial experiences in the book, In Contempt.


The judge

Lance Ito, who retired in 2015, presided over approximately 500 trials after the one that made him such a household name that The Tonight Show briefly featured a comedy segment called The Dancing Itos, in which Ito lookalikes in judicial robes performed.

OJ Simpson 25 Years Where Are They Now
Judge Lance Ito (Reed Saxon/AP)

Mr Ito has never discussed the trial, citing judicial ethics.

The houseguest

Brian “Kato” Kaelin, a struggling actor living in a guest house on Simpson’s property, gave evidence that he heard a bump during the night of the murders and went outside to find Simpson in the yard, something prosecutors say showed Simpson was sneaking back home after the killings.

OJ Simpson 25 Years Where Are They Now
Brian “Kato” Kaelin gives evidence (John McCoy/AP)

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