When it became clear that we were going to get the book, the Goldmans received inquiries from Oprah Winfrey’s producers about doing a show featuring Kim Goldman and Denise Brown. As everyone knows, Oprah Winfrey’s show is the ultimate platform for promoting a book. There was never any real question about whether the Goldmans would do the show: of course they would. Not only were Kim and Fred compelled by their own immense emotions toward this final resolution with Denise and the world regarding the book, but they were also obligated to do it. Fred had promised the bankruptcy court that he would “maximize” the asset. They were going to do the show in mid-September 2007, and we were going to time the book’s release with the airing of the show.
Denise publicly criticized the Goldmans and everyone else involved with the book. But nearly all of Denise’s criticisms ultimately rang hollow. She told us to enforce the judgment some other way. There was no other way. She told us that publishing the book would hurt Sydney and Justin. Maybe there was some truth to that, but the real truth was that the book and the story behind it were never going to go away, and the children would always have to live with that.
During the last bankruptcy hearing, Judge Cristol remarked that it was “sad” that two families who had endured the same tragedy seemed at odds with each other over the book. It was a theme we had heard before. But the unfortunate truth was that the conflict over the book merely reflected a much deeper divide. Denise said that Fred and Kim were hypocrites, having flip-flopped against the book and then for it. It is true that Fred and Kim did an about-face on the book. But the motivation for everything they did was always the same. They were always opposing the killer any way they could, and they were always trying to enforce their own sense of justice any way they could. That never changed. By taking the book away from the killer, Fred and Kim were empowered to use the book against him. It was the only thing we could give them, and it was the only thing they could do. They had to enforce the judgment any way they could, or they had to simply walk away and let it all go. As you can imagine, for Fred and Kim Goldman, the latter choice was never really an option. The decision to pursue a judgment like this is a very personal choice, and no one should be faulted for choosing to pursue that fight. For all practical intents and purposes, the Browns have not pursued that fight, and I suspect they have had very little choice. Are the Browns supposed to enforce the children’s judgment against their own father? After the murders that forever united them, the Browns and the Goldmans have both had grim and difficult choices to make. I am sure that Lou Brown had to do what he felt was best for his family and for his grandchildren. Fred also has to do what he feels is best for his family.
Many things during the week of the Oprah show and the publication of If I Did It seemed a little surreal. On Tuesday, September 11, 2007, we were at Los Angeles International airport ready to fly to Chicago, and the entire airport stopped for several minutes of silence in observance of the 9–11 attacks. We stopped and stood at the x-ray machines, while people were told not to move or speak. When we arrived in Chicago that night, we had telephone discussions with Oprah’s producers. Denise had previously committed to the show, and then she had backed out of it. Oprah’s people somehow got Denise to come back on, but Denise would not take the same stage with the Goldmans. So they were going to do a taped interview with her, and then they were going to play the taped interview after Kim and Fred did a live interview with Oprah. In theory, neither side would know in advance what the others were going to be asked, or what they would say. I remember discussions with the producers over timing, and who would have the last word. Deep down, I was just concerned about whether we were walking into some type of ambush. I remember telling them that I just wanted the format to be fair. They said they were committed to making it fair. They told us that Oprah would open the show by saying that she would not read the book or endorse the book, but she would let her audience decide for themselves. That sounded fair to me.
In the week preceding the taping, I had to supply the show’s producers with countless documents and requests for information to support all of our facts and legal positions: the judgment itself, statutes to support the current value of the judgment, the various court orders and agreements regarding the book, transcripts of hearings and deposition testimony, etc. It was exhaustive, but I answered every question. I wanted to spend time trying to help Kim and Fred prepare. Of course, there was not a single question that anyone could ask them that we had not already discussed and agonized over ourselves countless times.
We walked into the great chamber of the Oprah Show. The audience was buzzing and the air felt electric. When Kim and Fred walked on and took their seats, waiting for Oprah to appear, the entire audience fell silent. And when Oprah walked on, the audience erupted. The show began with a very well done videotape depicting the history of the whole affair. There were bloody images from the murder, a scene of Simpson in a golf cart bragging about how he would not pay the judgment, and an image of Fred telling everyone when the book first came out that it was trash and no one should buy it or read it. Oprah’s people were tough, but they were fair. Oprah began by telling everyone that she would not buy the book, or read the book, but that everyone should decide for themselves. And through it all, Fred and Kim were nearly flawless. Kim was fearless and never backed down (she seldom does), and Fred choked back tears when he talked about how one person might read the book and avoid a similar fate as Ron and Nicole. Many audience members clearly sympathized with the great difficulties that Fred and Kim had to bear. All things considered, the Oprah appearance was as successful as we could have hoped.
After the show, we flew to New York for more media appearances over the next two days. We got into our hotel rooms very late that night. The next day, Thursday, September 13, started off quietly and peacefully enough, and it seemed to end that way, but ultimately that would not be the case. That was the day the Oprah show actually aired nationwide (it had been taped the day before). Fred and Kim got up early, and they did television and radio interviews throughout the day. But for me, it was mostly a day of rest, and there was not much to do. In the afternoon, I met up with Kim and our publicist, Michael Wright, for lunch. I enjoyed being in New York, and I was scheduled to do one television interview with Star Jones later that afternoon. In the early evening, we were all supposed to get together to watch the Oprah show with the publisher, Eric Kampmann, and all of the other people at Beaufort Books who had helped with the book. It was our little gathering to enjoy the culmination of all our hard work and sacrifice. Little did we know that, at almost the exact same time that we were gathered together in New York to watch the Oprah show, there was a very different gathering and operation unfolding in Las Vegas. Indeed, we did not even hear about it until the next day, which proved to be a truly memorable one.
We began very early on Friday, September 14, with Fred and Kim doing a live interview on the Today Show. After the Goldmans finished the show, we headed to other television studios, including Fox News. And then we started to get reports of amazing events that had occurred in Las Vegas the night before. As Fred and Kim were on television talking about the book, we began receiving news that Simpson had been arrested. Allegedly, Simpson, leading some sort of posse, had broken into a Las Vegas hotel room at gunpoint to take back certain sports memorabilia items that allegedly belonged to Simpson. Every time we heard another report, it sounded worse and worse.
I do not believe that it was a coincidence that Simpson and his crew went into that Vegas hotel room on the same day that the Goldmans were appearing nationwide on the Oprah show (which had been advertised for some time), and on the same day that the book (“his” book) was being released to book stores nationwide. Simpson appears to have a recurring pattern of behavior.
After the murders, Simpson was supposed to appear at a criminal hearing, but he did not want to go, so he hopped into a white Bronco and led everyone on a police chase. After the Las Vegas incident, it is my understanding that he was
instructed by a judge, as a condition of his bail, not to communicate with any of his co-defendants. But apparently he wanted to communicate with one of those co-defendants, and so he tried to communicate with one of them, in blatant violation of the Court order. He owes a lot of money to quite a few people, including the Goldmans, the State of California (taxes), various attorneys, and even the bail bondsman who sprung him out of jail in Vegas. But he does not want to pay them, so he does not pay them. One cannot predict exactly how he is going to act, but if something is really important to him, and he does not get it, then the pattern of behavior speaks for itself: he will try to find a way to retake control.
Simpson fought us tooth and nail every step of the way as we tried to get the rights to If I Did It. On the very same day that our victory over his book was complete, the day that the Goldmans were on national television to talk about the book, which is now their book, he busted into a Las Vegas hotel room. I later heard that Simpson actually contacted the FBI three weeks before the break in, and he indicated to them that he wanted to televise the “sting operation.” Who knows precisely what was going through Simpson’s mind? But I do not think the timing of his “sting operation” and the Goldmans’ book release and television appearance were a mere coincidence. If you recall his Vegas mug shot, Simpson actually had a little smile on his face.
Thomas Riccio was one of the people who helped Simpson conduct the sting operation, and apparently Riccio was wired and made the tape recording. I spoke with Riccio, and he took credit for the timing, explaining that he wanted to get paid for the operation by having Simpson sign copies of the book, and he could not get that payment until the book actually came out. I believed him, but I also think there is a little bit more to the timing issue than all of that. Why, after all these years, did Simpson suddenly feel compelled to go after long-lost memorabilia items? And why did he want it televised? Maybe losing the book and feeling economically and legally vulnerable for the very first time caused him to feel like he had lost control, and he was determined to get it back somehow.
Regardless, another chapter of the story is yet to be played out in Vegas, and who knows if it will be a final chapter or not? The wheels of justice sometimes turn in slow and strange ways. Maybe Simpson will get a long-term jail sentence as a result of the Vegas incident, or maybe he will not be convicted of anything at all, or maybe something else will happen.
It has been said that evil triumphs when good people do nothing. We did all that we could, and we did it to the best of our abilities. We achieved what nearly everyone thought was impossible, and I am proud of our efforts. We had a very good team.
You can make up your own mind about the book. In Simpson’s hands, this book was his attempt to try to explain, on his own perceived stage, why he supposedly should not be blamed for committing the murders. But in Fred’s and Kim’s hands, this futile explanation is revealed for what it really is: an interrogation-room confession with all of us standing on the other side of the one-way mirror. You can decide for yourself which aspects of his confession are true or false. But it is his confession. I think that Simpson hates it when people try to put words in his mouth. Now, he cannot escape it. Whenever he sees the cover of this book, he will see his own words shouting back at him in bright red ink from a black page, just like that dark and bloody night—“I Did It.” There is no “if.”
PETER T. HAVEN, ESQ.
Los Angeles, California
RESOURCES
EVERY MINUTE OF every day, a violent crime occurs in this country. Over the past year, approximately 17,520 people were murdered. That’s two people every hour.
Last year, there were more than 300,000 rapes reported. That’s 34 rapes per hour. This past year, there were also more than 300,000 reported sexual assaults on children. Again, that’s more than 34 per hour. We can’t even begin to imagine how many are not reported.
Every year, there are millions of crimes committed against innocent, law-abiding citizens. Approximately 2% of our population commits 100% of the violent crimes, leaving the remaining 98% of us the potential victims. And our system seems to focus on and care more about the accused and the convicted than the rest of us. We need to band together and protect each other from these predators who seek to wreak havoc on our society.
We must arm ourselves with the knowledge and power that we can make a difference, confident that our voices matter and committed to not sit back and do nothing. Regardless of whether you have been directly impacted by crime or not, eventually we will all be touched by crime on some level. You cannot pretend it doesn’t exist just because it hasn’t happened to you. We wouldn’t wish this horrific pain on anyone, but we have to be prepared as best we can, and we need to be there for one another.
The following organizations have committed themselves to being a support system for people who have been traumatized and victimized. Each is dedicated to empowering victims to become survivors and to move through their tragedies with as much grace, dignity, and strength as possible.
These are resources the Goldman Family highly recommends. Their inclusion on this list does not necessarily represent support for this book.
The National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA)
NOVA is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) organization of victim and witness assistance programs and practitioners, criminal justice agencies and professionals, mental health professionals, researchers, former victims and survivors, and others committed to the recognition and implementation of victim rights and services.
Founded in 1975, NOVA is the oldest national group of its kind in the worldwide victims’ movement. NOVA’s mission is to promote rights and services for victims of crime and crisis everywhere.
Information and Referrals for Victims of Crime and Disaster 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Phone: 1-800-TRY-NOVA (6682)
(703) 535-NOVA (6682)
www.trynova.org
Parents of Murdered Children (POMC)
POMC makes a difference through ongoing emotional support, education, prevention, advocacy, and awareness. Their vision is to provide support and assistance to all survivors of homicide victims while working to create a world free of murder.
National POMC
100 East Eighth Street, Suite 202
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Toll Free: (888) 818-POMC (7662)
Phone: (513) 721-5683
Fax: (513) 345-4489
[email protected]
www.pomc.org
The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
OVC is committed to enhancing the nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and to providing leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime.
Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
P.O. Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849
Phone: 1-800-851-3420
TTY: 1-877-712-9279
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/
National Center for Victims of Crime
The mission of the National Center for Victims of Crime is to forge a national commitment to help victims of crime rebuild their lives. It is dedicated to serving individuals, families, and communities harmed by crime.
National Center for Victims of Crime
2000 M Street NW, Suite 480
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 467-8700
Fax: (202) 467-8701
www.ncvc.org
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
Phone: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
TTY: 1-800-787-3224
www.ndvh.org
Crime Survivors
Crime Survivors’ vision is for victims of crime to recover from their experience mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially by receiving respect, support, and protection from law enforcement, the judicial system, and the community.
Crime Survivors, Inc.
P
O Box 54552
Irvine, CA 92619
Phone: (949) 872-7895
Fax: (775) 245-4798
www.crimesurvivors.com
National Victims Constitutional Amendment Project (NVCAP)
NVCAP is a 501(c)(4) organization supporting the adoption of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution recognizing the fundamental rights of crime victims to be treated with dignity, fairness, and respect by the criminal justice system.
NVCAP
789 Sherman Street, Suite 670
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: (303) 832-1522
Toll-free: (800) 529-8226
Fax: (303) 861-1265
www.nvcap.org
The Nicole Brown Foundation
“We at the Nicole Brown Foundation pledge our time, our energy and our voices in an effort to educate the national and international communities to the dangers of domestic violence. We help organizations that shelter and protect families in crisis, support long term solutions, and work with educational programs specializing in rehabilitation and job training. We will continue our work until domestic violence is eradicated.”
Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation
P.O. Box 3777
Dana Point, CA 92629
Phone: (949) 283-5330
www.nbcf.org
The Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice
The Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice wishes to empower, inspire, motivate, and assist people who are victims of crime. Our mission is to positively impact the lives of survivors who start each day with pain, grief, trauma, and injustice.
We will strive to offer or connect survivors with all the resources needed to ensure that their path to justice will be more manageable. We will help bring them to a place of strength, courage, determination, and hope in order to better their lives.
The Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice
PO Box 1096
Canyon Country, CA 91386
www.RonGoldmanFoundation.org
Please note: This list is a very small percentage of the thousands of support systems in place to help. Please call or visit their websites to find resources in your neighborhood.
If I Did It Page 27
