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OJ Simpson died owing $100MILLION to double murder victims' families

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Ron Goldman
Ron Goldman's dad Fred, 83, didn't hold back with his reaction to the disgraced NFL star's death

OJ Simpson died owing more than $100million to the families of murder victims Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown, an attorney has claimed.

Simpson, 76, died at his home in Las Vegas on Wednesday following a short battle with prostate cancer.

OJ Simpson, pictured in 2008, died at the age of 76 qhiddkihqiqhxprw
OJ Simpson, pictured in 2008, died at the age of 76Credit: EPA
OJ Simpson and his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in 1993 - a year before she was killed
OJ Simpson and his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in 1993 - a year before she was killedCredit: AP
Ron Goldman, who was murdered alongside Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson
Ron Goldman, who was murdered alongside Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown SimpsonCredit: Getty
The $1.5million Las Vegas home overlooking a golf course where OJ Simpson lived after his release from prison in 2017
The $1.5million Las Vegas home overlooking a golf course where OJ Simpson lived after his release from prison in 2017Credit: BackGrid

A once beloved NFL star, Simpson was arrested in 1994 for the murders of his ex-wife and her friend Goldman after they were found stabbed to death at Brown's home.

The former Buffalo Bills footballer denied wrongdoing - and was later sensationally cleared of murder in a lengthy televised court case that became known as the "trial of the century".

Although he was spared jail, a separate civil trial jury found Simpson liable for the deaths of Brown and Goldman in 1997 and ordered him to pay $33.5million to their families.

R&B star Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies aged 74R&B star Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies aged 74

The Goldman family has been pursuing the money ever since - and reportedly only received $123,000.

A debt collection attorney for Goldman's dad said the debt with interest has now grown to more than $100million - and vowed to pursue his estate.

Attorney David Cook said: "He died without penance. We don't know what he has, where it is or who is in control.

"We will pick up where we are and keep going with it."

He added: "Is there money to be had? Hopefully. Do I know exactly what it is? No, but we'll figure that out soon. Ron Goldman is gone, murdered. We have to fight on for him."

Cook told the Daily Mail: "We've had this problem for a long long time. It could be in a trust, it could be probate. It could be all gone."

As he succumbed to cancer, Simpson was holed up in a £1.4million luxury five-bedroom house where has lived since being released from prison in 2017.

He is thought to have largely been able to avoid paying the damages by keeping much of his money in pensions and other accounts.

In 2017, it was alleged that Simpson had transferred money to his kids - Sydney and Justin Simpson - to avoid payment off the debt. They both deny the claim.

At the time, Cook said he would "unearth the records and testimony of the family members to ensure that the source of the equity to acquire the real property is free of any taint".

Celtic icon Frank McGarvey dies aged 66 as tributes paid to hero after cancer fightCeltic icon Frank McGarvey dies aged 66 as tributes paid to hero after cancer fight

Speaking after Simpson's death, Goldman's dad, Fred, said the news brought up tragic memories of his son's killing.

Fred and Kim Goldman, father and sister of Ron Goldman
Fred and Kim Goldman, father and sister of Ron GoldmanCredit: Getty

The 83-year-old slammed Simpson's death as "no great loss to the world".

"The only thing I have to say is it’s just further reminder of Ron being gone all these years," Fred told NBC News.

"It’s no great loss to the world. It’s a further reminder of Ron’s being gone."

He died without penance. We don't know what he has, where it is or who is in control

David CookGoldman family attorney

Simpson - nicknamed The Juice - was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and was living in a hospice.

Announcing his death, his family said: "On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer.

"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."

Caitlyn Jenner, whose ex-wife Kris Jenner was previously married to Simpson's former friend and attorney Robert Kardashian, spoke out following news of the death.

It’s no great loss to the world. It’s a further reminder of Ron’s being gone

Fred GoldmanRon Goldman's father

In a two-word tweet, Jenner wrote simply: "Good riddance."

Kardashian, father to Kris, Kourtney, Kim, Khole, and Rob, was Simpson's defense attorney during his murder trial.

But in a 1996 interview with Barbara Walters, Kardashian admitted to having "doubts" about Simpson's innocence and said he "struggled" with the blood evidence from the crime scene.

The pair ultimately stopped speaking to each other, and Kardashian died of cancer in 2003 aged just 59.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Simpson spent 11 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Buffalo Bills.

Regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time, Simpson retired in 1979, becoming an actor best known for his appearances as Detective Nordberg in The Naked Gun trilogy.

He met Nicole Brown in 1977 while married to his first wife Marguerite L. Whitley, and the two began dating.

In 1985, the two tied the knot, but they divorced in 1992 following a tumultuous marriage during which Simpson was found to have physically abused Brown.

On June 12, 1994, cops were called to Nicole Brown Simpson's condo in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, where they found her body and that of Ron Goldman, a friend of Nicole's.

They had been savagely killed as OJ’s two children slept upstairs.

Their bodies lay in a narrow passageway next to the property and Nicole had been stabbed 12 times, with the fatal wound almost severing her neck.

Goldman had met Brown just six weeks before the pair were killed, the Los Angeles Times reported shortly after their deaths.

He died 20 days before his 26th birthday.

Life after 'trial of the century'

Simpson wrote a book - If I Did It - in 2007, a first-person account detailing how he would have carried out the two murders if he had committed them.

The rights to the book were awarded to the Goldman family that same year.

Simpson was later jailed for an unrelated robbery at a Las Vegas hotel in 2008 following a trial that Fred attended.

After the conviction, Fred described it as a "bittersweet" moment.

When he was released early for good behaviour in 2017, pals said he enjoyed dinners of steak and seafish and he was pictured lounging by the pool and enjoying the odd night out in Las Vegas.

Shunned by celebrity pals after being cleared of double murder, he had found solace in the home of close friend James Barnett.

The guarded property near the Las Vegas strip lies inside a gated community with its own pool and golf course where Simpson regularly played a round.

Far from keeping a low profile, OJ was spotted at hotels and even a Vegas Golden Knights hockey game.

He lived on an £8,000-a-month pension from the NFL and was said to be making cash signing sports memorabilia at around £350 a pop.

One of the last photographs of Simpson was taken last month and showed him using a cane to walk after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The home of OJ Simpson in Las Vegas
The home of OJ Simpson in Las VegasCredit: AP
Ron Goldman's dad Fred Goldman and his wife Patti Glass Goldman in 1994
Ron Goldman's dad Fred Goldman and his wife Patti Glass Goldman in 1994Credit: Getty
Simpson pictured during a parole hearing in Lovelock, Nevada in 2017
Simpson pictured during a parole hearing in Lovelock, Nevada in 2017Credit: Getty
OJ Simpson seen out and about in Las Vegas in 2022
OJ Simpson seen out and about in Las Vegas in 2022Credit: BackGrid

Imogen Braddick

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