When O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, Denise Brown, Nicole’s sister, was shocked.
“I thought the jury wouldn’t agree,” she told ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer.
“The judge told us to be quiet,” Denise Brown said. “I heard Kim Goldman scream and thought, ‘Oh my God.’ But I was too shocked to scream. I just felt numb.”
Next month marks 30 years since Brown Simpson, 35, and Goldman, 25, were murdered. They were stabbed to death outside Brown Simpson’s home in Los Angeles on June 12, 1994, while her two young children slept inside.
Simpson was arrested for the double murder, and his trial, called the “trial of the century,” fascinated the country. In 1995, people across America watched on TV as the former NFL star was found not guilty of all charges.
For Brown Simpson’s sisters, being in the courtroom during the verdict was very personal. After the acquittal, they went home to Nicole Brown Simpson and O.J. Simpson’s two young children, Sydney and Justin.
Their mother told them not to show their sadness to the kids.
“She said, ‘Smile when we walk in the door,'” Denise Brown remembered. “‘Whatever is best for them,’ she always said.”
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Today, Sydney and Justin are in their 30s and have their own families.
The sisters said they don’t talk to Sydney and Justin about their father.
“I don’t know what kind of relationship they had with him,” Dominique Brown said. “I’m here to love them and their children.”
Simpson always said he was innocent, but in 1997 a civil jury found him responsible for wrongful death and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to the Goldman and Brown families. Simpson died of cancer last month at 76 without paying most of the money.
“We didn’t get any of it,” Denise Brown said. “It was for Nicole Brown Simpson’s estate for Sydney and Justin. It’s always been about the kids and it will continue to be about the kids.”
As the 30th anniversary of the murders approaches, a new Lifetime documentary has revealed pictures and videos of the sister the Browns loved so much.
“I love the videos,” Denise Brown said. “Even though it’s hard to hear her voice and see her moving, I love it because she was so graceful, elegant, and sweet.”
“We wanted to hear Nicole’s voice. We want people to hear it, to get to know her,” Denise Brown said. “Many people said, ‘We don’t even know what she sounds like… who is Nicole?’
“So, I hope they truly understand who Nicole is in this documentary,” Denise Brown said.
The new Lifetime documentary, “The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson,” airs on June 1 and 2.
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