OJ Simpson verdict no easier for Ron Goldman’s sister, 30 years later

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Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of domestic violence. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or abuse, you can find resources and discreet ways to get help on the National Domestic Violence Hotline website or by calling 1-800-799-7233.

(NewsNation) — Not surprisingly, the calendar date of Oct. 3, 2025, did not go unnoticed by Kim Goldman on Friday. It was 30 years to the day that a jury in Los Angeles acquitted O.J. Simpson of murdering her brother, Ron Goldman, and Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson.

Kim Goldman joined “Banfield” on Friday to talk about how she copes with the loss of her sibling and what she considers to be the injustice of Simpson walking away a free man three decades ago.

“It’s hard watching that video,” she said after viewing a clip of the verdict being read in 1995. “My hands are sweating. I don’t know why I still anticipate that a different verdict is going to come, even though I watched it God knows how many times over the years.”

She says she has tried to work through her grief by being an advocate for victims and survivors and by leaning into her professional life.

“I do my very best that I can to be the best sister that I can for my brother, who was the most important person in my life,” Goldman said. “Every day’s a new day and a new challenge, and grief is a difficult process.”

Kim Goldman reacts Oct. 3, 1995, as O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murder of her brother, Ron Goldman. AFP via Getty Images
The New York Post displays a “Not Guilty!” headline October 3, 1995, in New York City. Orenthal James Simpson was on trial for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman but was later acquitted after a nationally televised trial. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Liaison)

How Ron Goldman became part of O.J. Simpson murder case

Ron Goldman went to Nicole Brown Simpson’s Brentwood residence June 12, 1994, to return a pair of eyeglasses that had been left at the restaurant where he worked. Authorities say he may have witnessed the deadly attack on Nicole Brown Simpson before he, too, was fatally stabbed. Prosecutors charged O.J. Simpson, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and actor who had been accused of domestic abuse during his marriage.

His subsequent televised trial, which was clouded by issues of race and celebrity, polarized the nation — as did the verdict.

Although Simpson was found not guilty, two years later a civil-court jury found him liable for wrongful death. He was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to the Brown and Goldman families but did not pay the debt.

In 2008, the former athlete was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping for attempting to take what he said was sports memorabilia that belonged to him at a Las Vegas hotel. He was paroled in 2017. He died of cancer in 2024 at the age of 76.

March 1991 file photo of Ronald Goldman, who was killed along with O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Simpson outside her Brentwood apartment in Los Angeles. (AFP via Getty Images)

Kim Goldman sees parallels between OJ Simpson, Diddy trials

Kim Goldman’s appearance on “Banfield” coincided with the sentencing of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in New York. Earlier this year, Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering but convicted of transporting prostitutes following a trial that aired allegations of domestic abuse.

Diddy’s 50-month sentence suggests the types of issues that overshadowed the O.J. Simpson trial may not be as prevalent today, Goldman said.

“Maybe this will shift the narrative slightly on how we talk about victims and survivors and abuse and take it seriously when people bring those allegations towards people in power,” she said.