Nicole Brown Simpson

Nicole Brown Simpson
Brown in 1993
Born Nicole Brown
(1959-05-19)May 19, 1959
Frankfurt, West Germany
Died June 12, 1994(1994-06-12) (aged 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death Murder by stabbing and slashing[1]
Resting place Ascension Cemetery
Lake Forest, California, U.S.
33°39′04″N 117°41′37″W / 33.6512°N 117.6935°W / 33.6512; -117.6935
Education Rancho Alamitos High School
Dana Hills High School
Home town Frankfurt, West Germany
Spouse(s)
O. J. Simpson
(m. 1985; div. 1992)
Children 2

Nicole Brown Simpson (May 19, 1959 – June 12, 1994) was the German-American wife of retired professional football player and actor O. J. Simpson and the mother of their two children, Sydney and Justin. She was found murdered at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA on June 13, 1994, along with her friend, 25-year-old American restaurant waiter Ron Goldman. Simpson was charged with both murders; after a controversial and highly-publicized criminal trial, Simpson was acquitted in 1995, but found liable for both deaths in a civil suit in 1997 and ordered to pay $33.5 million in punitive damages to the Brown and Goldman families.

Early life

Brown was born on May 19, 1959, in Frankfurt, West Germany, to Juditha Anne Brown (née Baur; 1931) and Louis Hezekiel Brown (1923–2014).[2][3][4] Her mother was German, and her father was American.[2] She attended Rancho Alamitos High School in Garden Grove, California, and later Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, California.[2]

Relationship with O. J. Simpson

Brown met Simpson in 1977[5], when she was eighteen years old and working as a waitress at a Beverly Hills private club called The Daisy.[6][7] Although Simpson was still married to his first wife, Marguerite, the two began dating. Simpson and Marguerite divorced in March 1979.[8]

Simpson and Brown were married on February 2, 1985, five years after his retirement from professional football.[8] The marriage lasted seven years, during which they had two children, Sydney and Justin. Simpson pleaded no contest to spousal abuse in 1989.[9] Brown filed for divorce on February 25, 1992, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason.[10] Still, the abuse continued; Brown called 9-1-1 on 25 October 1993, crying and saying that "[Simpson] is going to beat the shit out of me".[11]

Other alleged relationships

Brown is alleged to have had an affair with Simpson's friend, fellow football player and football analyst Marcus Allen, during her separation from Simpson.[12][13] Allen denies the allegation, though it is backed by multiple members of his and Brown's inner circle, such as Simpson,[12] Faye Resnick,[14] confidants to Sheila Weller,[15] and Simpson's defense attorneys, who claimed Allen confessed the affair to Simpson. Simpson nonetheless let his friend get married at Simpson's North Rockingham Avenue estate.[15][16][17]

Death

Brown lived at 875 South Bundy Drive, in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, with her two children.[18][19][20] Early on the morning of June 13, 1994, Brown, aged 35, was found dead outside her home along with restaurant waiter Ron Goldman, lying in the fetal position in a pool of blood.[21] An autopsy determined that Brown had been stabbed seven times in the neck and scalp, and had a 5.5 inches (140 mm)-long gash across her throat, which had severed both her left and right carotid arteries and breached her right and left jugular veins.[21] The wound on Brown's neck was so severe it had penetrated a depth of .75 inches (19 mm) into her cervical vertebrae,[21] nearly decapitating her.[22] She also had defensive wounds on her hands.[21].

Aftermath

Brown's funeral, which was covered by reporters, was held on June 16 at the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Brentwood, with mourners including Simpson and their children, members of Brown's family, family friend Al Cowlings, house guest Kato Kaelin, Steve Garvey, Bruce Jenner and the Kardashians.

Brown is buried in Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest, California.[23][24]

Simpson, Brown's ex-husband, was arrested and prosecuted for her murder, but he was found not guilty in a controversial criminal trial that received international publicity.[25] He was later found liable for the deaths in a civil suit brought by the two victims' families.[26][27]

A foundation, Nicole Simpson Foundation, was established in 1994 in her memory.[28] Later renamed the Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation, it reportedly cut back on grantmaking in 1999 due to a drop in donations and questionable management practices.[29][30] Her sister, Denise Brown, has been at the center of controversy surrounding the foundation,[31] but maintains its "purpose is to bring awareness, education, and inspiration to our communities".[32]

In 1995, Brown's close friend Kris Jenner named her daughter Kendall Nicole Jenner in memory of Brown.[33]

In 1996, after the conclusion of the trial, a judge granted Simpson's petition to give him full custody of Sydney and Justin.[34] Brown's parents continued unsuccessfully to fight for custody.[35][36]

Following the deaths of Brown and Goldman, the townhouse at the site of their killing, 875 South Bundy Drive,[18][37][20] sat empty for two years, until the next owner extensively remodeled it and had the address changed.[38]

Portrayals

Brown was portrayed by Jessica Tuck in the TV movie The O. J. Simpson Story. She was portrayed by Sandra Olson in Reenactment of the Century. She will be portrayed by Charlotte Kirk in Joshua Newton’s upcoming 2019 film Nicole & O.J. and by Mena Suvari in The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson.

See also

References

  1. Turvey, Brent E. (February 1995). "An Overview of the Medicolegal Evidence Regarding: The State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson, Case: BA097211". Knowledge Solutions, LLC.
  2. 1 2 3 Shawn Hubler; Rebecca Trounson (October 4, 2008). "Nicole Brown Simpson, July 3, 1994: Dreams of Better Days Died That Night". Los Angeles Times blogs: The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  3. "Juditha Brown Recounts Daughter's Last Day – Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. December 7, 1996. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  4. Schindehette, Susan. "To Live and Die in L.A. – Murder, Nicole Brown Simpson". People.com. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  5. Bugliosi 1997, p. 175.
  6. "CNN O.J. Simpson Trial News: The Victims". CNN. February 2, 1985. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  7. Shahian, Cici (July 6, 1994). "Nicole Simpson was dominated by her husband since she was a teenager". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Taylor Gibbs, Jewelle (1996). Race and Justice: Rodney King and O. J. Simpson in a House Divided. Jossey-Bass. pp. 126–28. ISBN 0-7879-0264-0.
  9. "Judge Allow Evidence of Domestic Violence In O. J. Simpson Murder Case". Jet. 87 (13): 51. February 6, 1995. ISSN 0021-5996.
  10. Taylor Gibbs 1996, p. 136.
  11. Anolik, Lili (June 2014). "How O. J. Simpson Killed Popular Culture". Vanity Fair.
  12. 1 2 Simpson, O.J. & Fenjves, Pablo (2006). If I Did It (Cancelled ed.). ReganBooks.
  13. Bacchiocchi, Gina (February 19, 2016). "Simpson's Lesbian Fling Exposed: She Was 'Falling In Love' With Female BFF, Tell-All Reveals: The beauty and Faye Resnick hooked up just one month before her murder". Radar Online.
  14. Frammolino, Ralph; Hubler, Shawn (October 20, 1994). "'Diary' Opens a New, Lurid Chapter : Author: Faye Resnick's bumps in the fast lane would be unremarkable except that she shared some of them with Nicole Simpson". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Weller, Sheila (June 12, 2014). "How O.J. and Nicole Brown's Friends Coped with Murder in Their Midst". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  16. Harris, Art (September 24, 1995). "What the jury didn't see". CNN. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  17. Cronin, Lindsay (January 21, 2016). "Faye Resnick, Kathryn Edwards: Nicole Brown Simpson Affair, Marcus Allen On 'RHOBH' [VIDEO] (Things get tense when Faye Resnick is confronted by Kathryn Edwards on next week's 'RHOBH')". Enstars.
  18. 1 2 Margolick, David (July 25, 1995). "Simpson Expert Supports Conspiracy-Theory Defense". The New York Times. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  19. Siegel, Jessica (June 13, 1995). "Gawkers Flock To Crime Scene On Bundy Avenue 1 Year Later". Chicago Tribune. Brentwood, CA.
  20. 1 2 Simpson, O.J. & Fenjves, Pablo (2006). If I Did It (Cancelled ed.).
  21. 1 2 3 4 Bugliosi 1997, p. 19.
  22. Guerrasio, Jason (June 16, 2016). "O.J. Simpson never-before-seen crime-scene photos". Business Insider. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  23. Hernandez, Greg (October 4, 1995). "Emotions Draw Crowd of 100 to Nicole Simpson's Grave Site : Mourners: Flowers, notes are left by visitors to Orange County cemetery. 'Justice was not served, I'm sorry,' says one card". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  24. Hardesty, Greg (September 29, 2008). "Nicole Brown Simpson's little sister grows up". Orange County Register. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  25. Aamir, Sumayah (July 7, 2014). "Nicole Brown Simpson's Father Dies 20 Years After Her Murder~". i4u News. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  26. Author, Jennifer (Correspondent) & Feldman, Charles (Contributor) & LaMotte, Greg (Contributor) (February 4, 1997). "Jury unanimous: Simpson is liable". CNN. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
  27. The Associated Press (February 21, 2008). "Court: Simpson Still Liable For $33.5M Judgment". NBC5. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
  28. Reyes, David (July 19, 1995). "THE O.J. SIMPSON MURDER TRIAL : Nicole Simpson Foundation Gives Shelter $10,000". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  29. Reza, H. G. (January 4, 1999). "The Brown Foundation Cuts Back on Giving". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  30. "Nicole Brown Simpson Charit Foundation - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  31. "Why NOT To Donate To The Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation". Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  32. LaScala, Marisa. "Where Is Denise Brown Today? Nicole's Sister Has Worked Hard To Move Forward". Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  33. Jones, Jaleesa (April 11, 2016). "Kendall Jenner opens up about her 'mom's best friend,' Nicole Brown Simpson". USA Today. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  34. Goldberg, Carey (December 26, 1996). "Simpson Wins Custody Fight For 2 Children by Slain Wife". The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  35. Morello, Caro (December 21, 1996). "Judge Awards O.J. Simpson Custody Of His Children They Had Lived With Louis And Juditha Brown For 2 1/2 Years. The Couple Said They Feared For The Safety Of Their Grandchildren". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  36. "World: Americas OJ faces further battle over child custody". BBC News. November 11, 1998. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  37. Siegel, Jessica (June 13, 1995). "Gawkers Flock To Crime Scene On Bundy Avenue 1 Year Later". Chicago Tribune. Brentwood, CA.
  38. "Lingering questions from the O.J. Simpson chase". Orange County Register. June 16, 2014.

Works cited

  • Bugliosi, Vincent (1997) [1996]. Outrage: The Five Reasons Why O.J. Simpson Got Away with Murder. New York: Dell Publishing. ISBN 978-0-440-22382-5.
  • "Case Files: Simpson". Court TV. Archived from the original on 2004-02-03. Court TV's complete coverage of the O. J. Simpson murder case.
  • "Nicole Brown Foundation". nicolebrown.org.
  • Nicole Brown Simpson at Find a Grave
  • Nicole Brown Simpson on IMDb
  • "Nicole Brown Simpson's Death". Famously Dead.
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