OJ Simpson, a former NFL athlete who became infamous for the murders of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman back in 1994, has died at the age of 76 following his prolonged battle with prostate cancer. The family's official X (Twitter) account made the announcement.
"During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace," the statement read.
However, at the time of Simpson's death, he still owes around $96M to the Goldman estate. The debt stems from a $33.5M judgment payment the Superior Court of California ordered, an additional $8.5M in compensatory damages to the Goldman family, and $12.5M in damages to each family. The new figure also accounts to interest on the original compensatory damages, to which Simpson has failed to fully pay.
Despite these court orders, Simpson had only paid $132,849.53 towards the Goldman estate, as claimed by Fred Goldman following his court filings in the state of Nevada in 2021. At that time, Simpson's debt to the Goldmans amounted to US$70M.
On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer.
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) April 11, 2024
He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren.
During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.
-The Simpson Family
Simpson's trial was one of the most significant cases ever covered and watched in the 90s as millions tuned in to watch the court case on Nicole Brown-Ron Goldman murders. His trial was held in the Superior Court of California and the County of Los Angeles.
It became one of the country's most controversial cases, with many commentators at the time noting that Simpson's trial was visibly marred by anger towards the African-American community at that time.
Despite multiple forensic evidence that had implicated OJ Simpson in the Brown-Goldman murders, he was later acquitted in October 1995 and ordered to pay $33.5 million in judgment. He was, however, found liable for the murders in a civil case brought up by the victims' families in 1996. He was convicted and sentenced to 33 years imprisonment before being granted parole in 2017 and finally released in 2021.
Before the murder cases, OJ Simpson was a famous NFL player for the Buffalo Bills, playing as a running back player. Following his multiple court trials, his professional football career was shadowed by this court case, with some of his possessions–such as the Heisman Trophy under his care–being auctioned off to pay off the debts. The bereaved family also made multiple attempts to net Simpson's yearly pension from the NFL, to no avail.
Despite the heavy scrutiny he faced, OJ Simpson attempted to use this publicity for a book deal and a TV interview regarding the 1994 murders but was slapped with a restraining order back in 2007, blocking him from getting any compensation for said media deals.
He later wrote a book titled If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer alongside Pablo Fenjves, yet due to court orders, the book's rights were transferred to the Goldman family based on a decision by a Florida bankruptcy court.
