Ron Goldman
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Ronald Lyle Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994) was murdered in Los Angeles, California, along with Nicole Brown Simpson, ex-wife of O.J. Simpson, the actor and retired American football player. The subsequent criminal investigation and trial against Simpson was described by some the "trial of the century". Simpson was acquitted during the criminal trial, but later held liable for Goldman's death and that of his ex-wife in a 1997 civil trial.
Early Days
Goldman grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, and was raised by his father, Fred Goldman. His mother is an Italian American named Sharon Rufo.
He attended high school at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He was a student at Illinois State University for one semester before he moved with his family to California. While living in Los Angeles, he attended Pierce College. He had been supporting himself as a waiter and tennis instructor. According to a book authored by some of his family members, titled His Name is Ron, prior to working at the restaurant Mezzaluna, Goldman worked with cerebral palsy patients. Goldman was a contestant on the short lived game show Studs in 1992. Goldman had also doodled plans for a bar and restaurant to be named ANKH, after the Egyptian religious symbol, although he had done nothing more concrete than some drawings on notebook paper.
Death
At the time of his murder, Goldman was working as a waiter at Mezzaluna Trattoria, a restaurant located at 11750 San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles. Nicole Brown Simpson, a friend and the ex-wife of O.J. Simpson, had called to report that her mother Juditha Brown had accidentally left her eyeglasses on the table. After a quick search, they were discovered in the gutter outside the restaurant. Some authors, including Gerry Spence and Mark Fuhrman have cited this fact as evidence that Simpson and Goldman were lovers. Goldman, who had not served Nicole's table, had agreed to bring them to her home after work. Before returning the eyeglasses, he stopped at his apartment located at 11663 Gorham Avenue in Brentwood to change clothes and possibly take a shower. When he arrived at Nicole Brown Simpson's condominium located at 875 South Bundy Drive, he was murdered along with Nicole Brown Simpson on the walkway leading to the residence.
During a reconstruction of the events, police believe he had arrived during or shortly after the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and attempted to protect her, but was stabbed to death in the process. The autopsy lists several fatal wounds, including many stabs to the torso, one superficial slit of the throat, and one deep gash of the throat, indicating Goldman struggled for his life. [citation needed]
The book If I Did It stated that OJ looked through the window and noticed that there were candles lit and there was music to set a mood. She was expecting company. At that time Ron Goldman showed up, and started arguing with OJ that he was not Nicole's lover but just dropping off her mother's glasses. Nicole came outside and started hitting OJ. Then they were both lying in big puddles of blood.
The former professional football player O.J. Simpson was eventually charged and tried for Goldman's murder and for the murder of his ex-wife. Simpson was acquitted in October 1995 of Goldman's murder in the criminal trial. A later civil trial found Simpson liable for Goldman's wrongful death. $33 million (USD) in damages were awarded to the Goldman family.
During the trial of OJ Simpson, Fred Goldman lashed out at defense attorney Johnnie Cochran's courtroom rhetoric such as the labelling of Mark Fuhrman as a Hitler, and his use of bodyguards from the black nationalist group Nation of Islam. Simpson's family, in turn, verbally attacked Goldman, who was supported outside the court by chanting members of the Jewish Defence League[1]
Simpson book
The rights to OJ Simpson's book, If I Did It, a first-person account of how he would have committed the murders, were awarded to the Goldman family in August 2007. The family was granted the proceeds from the book in 2007 as part of a $33.5 million civil jury award against the ex-football star they have been trying to collect for over a decade. The Goldmans own the copyright, media rights and movie rights.[2] They also acquired Simpson's name, likeness, life story and right of publicity in connection with the book, according to court documents. After renaming the book to If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer, the Goldmans published it in September 2007 through Beaufort Books. Within days it became a bestseller.[3]
References
- ^ Maclean's October 16, 1995 http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0010495
- ^
Celizic, Mike (2007-09-14). "Goldman family defends publication of 'If I Did It'". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
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CBS News (2007-09-18). ""If I Did It" Ghost Writer: O.J.'s Guilty". CBS News. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
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