Fred Goldman

Fred Goldman Today: A Reaction to O.J. Simpson’s Death

Almost three decades after the tragic murder of his son, Ron Goldman, Fred Goldman expressed a profound sense of closure with the passing of O.J. Simpson. In a joint statement released on social media with his daughter, Kim, on April 11, following news of Simpson’s death from cancer, Fred articulated, “the hope for true accountability has ended.”

Simpson, who was infamously tried for the June 1994 murders of Ron Goldman and his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, was acquitted in October 1995 in what became known as the “Trial of the Century.” However, Fred Goldman pursued justice through a civil lawsuit, resulting in a jury finding Simpson liable for the wrongful deaths of both victims two years later. Despite being ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages, Simpson passed away without fulfilling his financial obligations to the victims’ families.

In an interview with NBC News, Fred Goldman reflected on the situation, stating, “The only thing I have to say is it’s just further reminder of Ron being gone all these years. It’s no great loss to the world. It’s a further reminder of Ron’s being gone.”

Who Is Fred Goldman?

Fred Goldman faced an unimaginable loss when his son, Ron, was murdered alongside Nicole Brown Simpson in 1994. Following the murder, former football star O.J. Simpson was charged, and although he was acquitted in a criminal trial, he was later found liable in a civil suit. Since then, Fred and his family have shared their journey through books and continued to seek justice for their loss.

A Dedicated Father

Born on December 6, 1940, in Chicago, Fred Goldman became a businessman and a devoted father. After his divorce from Sharon, Ron and Kim’s mother, in 1974, he raised his children on his own. He remarried in 1987 and relocated to Southern California with his new wife, Patti, and her three children. Eventually, Ron joined them after spending a semester at Illinois State University.

Tragic Death of His Son

On June 12, 1994, Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson were brutally murdered outside her home in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Ron had gone to return a pair of eyeglasses left at the Mezzaluna restaurant, where he worked as a waiter. The family learned of his death the following day, shattering their lives. Shortly after, O.J. Simpson was arrested following a highly publicized car chase and charged with the murders. During the ensuing criminal trial, Fred Goldman held several press conferences, advocating for justice for his son and his friend. Following Simpson’s acquittal, Fred expressed his heartbreak, stating, “I deeply believe that this country lost today. Justice was not served. I and my family will do everything in our power to bring about the kind of change that won’t allow what happened today to ever happen to another family again.”

A Fight for Justice

Following the trial, Fred Goldman dedicated himself to improving the criminal justice system and became a director with the nonprofit organization Safe Streets. In February 1997, the Goldmans won their civil suit against Simpson, being awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages and an additional $25 million to be split with the Brown family. Despite the ruling, collecting the awarded damages proved difficult. They managed to seize Simpson’s Heisman Trophy, selling it for approximately $250,000 in 1999.

Fred shared his family’s struggles in the 1997 book His Name Is Ron: Our Search for Justice, emphasizing that their motivations were not financial. He stated, “Doing this book will give us the vehicle to spend more time pressing for judicial reform in this country and to speak out on behalf of all victims’ rights.”

By 1999, Fred Goldman had become president of GlobalTrak International and later pursued careers in real estate and retail sales after moving to Arizona. Throughout the years, he remained steadfast in his pursuit of justice for his son, filing a lawsuit against Simpson over his plans to publish a hypothetical account of the murders titled If I Did It in 2007. The Goldmans ultimately won the rights to the work, which they published under the title If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.

Fred believed that releasing the book served as a means to clarify Simpson’s responsibility for the murders of Ron and Nicole. The following year, Fred was present in a Nevada courtroom when Simpson was convicted for armed robbery and kidnapping after attempting to retrieve personal items from two sports memorabilia dealers. Fred remarked to reporters, “If our efforts for all these years of pushing him drove him to commit armed robbery in Vegas, great! This monster is where he belongs—behind bars.”

Recent Developments

In 2014, as the 20th anniversary of the murders approached, Fred Goldman expressed his belief in an interview with the Daily Mail that Robert Kardashian, a lawyer for O.J. Simpson, had removed critical evidence from the former football star’s residence and concealed it. Goldman stated, “That evidence would have convicted the killer.” Later that year, it was announced that an anthology series titled American Crime Story would commence production, with the infamous Simpson murder case and trial featured in its inaugural season. The series premiered in February 2016, featuring Joseph Siravo, known for his role in The Sopranos, as Fred Goldman.

However, Fred, along with Kim Kardashian and Tanya Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, voiced significant concerns regarding the series. They claimed they were not consulted during its creation and production, fearing that the portrayal might take creative liberties that could misrepresent the case and diminish the profound grief they experienced. Fred Goldman articulated his apprehension in an interview with Dr. Phil McGraw, stating, “A whole new generation who never saw this take place is going to see this series and assume that everything is fact. That’s going to become the new reality, and that’s very troubling to me.”