Ronald Goldman

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For the psychologist, see Ronald Goldman (psychologist).
Ronald Lyle Goldman

Ron Goldman, early 1990s
Born July 2, 1968
Cook County, Illinois
Died June 12, 1994(1994-06-12) (aged 25)
Los Angeles, California
Cause of death
 Fatal stab wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen[1]
Resting place
 Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park
Residence Los Angeles, California
Nationality American
Other names Ron Goldman (commonly known as)
Education Adlai E. Stevenson High School
Alma mater Illinois State University, Los Angeles Pierce College
Occupation Waiter
Known for O. J. Simpson murder trial (victim)
Home town Buffalo Grove, Illinois
Religion Jewish
Parents Fred Goldman,
Sharon (née Rufo) Goldman

Ronald Lyle "Ron" Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994) was an American waiter who was killed along with Nicole Brown Simpson in 1994 at her Brentwood, Los Angeles home which subsequently lead to the criminal investigation and arrest of former American NFL player turned actor, Orenthal James "O. J. Simpson" often described as the "trial of the century." Although O. J. Simpson was acquitted of the murder(s), he was later found liable for Goldman's death in a civil trial.

Early life

Goldman grew up in an affluent community in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. His parents divorced in 1974 when he was six and, after spending a brief time in the custody of his mother (Sharon Goldman, née Rufo), he was raised by his father (Fred Goldman), and lived with him and his younger sister, Kim Goldman.[2]

Goldman grew up Jewish.[3][4] He attended high school at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He was a student at Illinois State University for one semester (where he planned to major in psychology) and a pledge to Sigma Nu fraternity before he followed his family to southern California at age 18.[5]

When younger, Goldman had worked as a camp counselor and had volunteered to help disabled children.[6][7]

In California

While living in Los Angeles, Goldman took some classes at Pierce College.[6] He learned to surf and enjoyed playing beach volleyball, rollerblading, nightclubbing,[8] and working out at a trendy gym.[6] He was also an avid Karate practitioner, achieving a 3rd degree black belt in the discipline.[citation needed] He neither drank nor took drugs, and adhered to a low-fat diet.[6]

Upon arriving in California (where he lived independently from his family), Goldman first supported himself by working as an employment headhunter and tennis instructor, and then worked a string of waiter jobs.[6] He also occasionally did work as a model for Barry Zeldes, owner of Z90049 (the store next to the California Pizza Kitchen in Brentwood Gardens where Goldman had worked before Mezzaluna).[9] Not long before his death, he had earned an Emergency Medical Technician's license but decided not to pursue that career.[6]

Instead, he told friends that he wanted to open a bar or restaurant in the Brentwood area.[6] He had shared with friends his vision of opening a future restaurant or bar characterized not by a name, but by the Ankh (an Egyptian religious symbol of life that matched the tattoo on his shoulder).[10] According to his friend Jeff Keller, Goldman wanted to learn all facets of the restaurant-bar business, and occasionally worked as a promoter,[10] at a Century City dance club called Tripps[6] and for Memorial Day, participated with a group of event promoters in organizing a party at Renaissance, a club and restaurant on the Santa Monica Promenade.[10]

Goldman had also expressed aspirations to act and to be on a show, and he appeared as a contestant on the short-lived game show Studs in 1992.[11]

Death

At the time of his murder, Goldman had a job as a waiter at Mezzaluna Trattoria, a restaurant located at 11750 San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles. Nicole Brown Simpson, a friend of Goldman's and the ex-wife of O. J. Simpson, had called there to report that her mother Juditha Brown had accidentally left her eyeglasses on the restaurant table. After a quick search, they were discovered in the gutter outside the restaurant. Although Goldman had not served Nicole's table, he agreed to take them to her home after work. Some authors, including attorney-author Gerry Spence[12] and the LAPD detective, Mark Fuhrman,[13] have cited this fact as evidence that Nicole and Goldman were lovers. Goldman had previously told friends he and Nicole were just friends.[10][14]

Before returning the eyeglasses, Goldman stopped at his apartment located at 11663 Gorham Avenue in Brentwood to change clothes and possibly take a shower. He had made after-work plans with his friend Stewart Tanner, Mezzaluna's bartender, who said: "He was going to go home and change and then we were going to go out". The Los Angeles Times reports,[10] "Goldman punched out at 9:33 p.m. and stayed another 15 minutes to have a bottled water at the bar. Then he left, still in his uniform, black pants and white shirt, his tie shed. He carried the glasses that Simpson wanted returned to her. 'I'll see you later,' he called to Tanner as he walked out."

When Goldman arrived at Nicole's residence, located at 875 South Bundy Drive, he was murdered along with her on the walkway leading to the residence. He was just a few weeks shy of his 26th birthday.[10] During a reconstruction of the events, the police came to believe he had arrived during or shortly after Nicole's murder and was stabbed to death.[citation needed] His dead body was found the next morning.

Goldman is buried at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California.[15]

Trials

O.J. Simpson was tried for the murders of both his ex-wife and Goldman. In October 1995, after a public trial that lasted nearly nine months, Simpson was acquitted of both murders. In a 1997 civil trial, a jury found Simpson liable for the wrongful death of Goldman and awarded $33 million (USD) in damages to the Goldman family.

Simpson book

The rights to O. J. Simpson's book, If I Did It, a first-person account of how he would have committed the murders, had he committed them, were awarded to the Goldman family in August 2007. The family was granted the proceeds from the book in 2007 as part of the $33.5 million civil jury award against the ex-football star they had been trying to collect for over a decade. The Goldmans own the copyright, media rights and movie rights.[16]

They also acquired Simpson's name, likeness, life story and right of publicity in connection with the book, according to court documents, ensuring Simpson would not be able to profit from the book. After renaming the book If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer, the Goldmans published it in September 2007 through Beaufort Books.[17]

Foundation

The Goldman family contributed a portion of proceeds from the If I Did It book sale to the newly founded Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice.[18] The foundation provides grants for multiple organizations and programs that provide resources to victims and survivors of violent crimes.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Turvey, Brent E., "An Overview of the Medicolegal Evidence Regarding: The State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson, Case: BA097211". Knowledge Solutions, LLC, February 1995.
  2. ↑ CARLA HALL and GREG KRIKORIAN, TIMES STAFF WRITERS (February 2013). "Dreams of Better Days Died That Night : Ronald Goldman: A young man was finding his way through the maze of L.A.". Los Angeles Times. p. 2. 
  3. ↑ May, Tim (May 29, 1995). "A Year of Mourning : Gravestone for Ron Goldman Unveiled". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2012. 
  4. ↑ Tugend, Tom (October 6, 1995). "After O.J. acquittal, rabbi urges Jews to look within". jweekly.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013. 
  5. ↑ CARLA HALL and GREG KRIKORIAN, TIMES STAFF WRITERS (February 2013). "Dreams of Better Days Died That Night : Ronald Goldman: A young man was finding his way through the maze of L.A.". Los Angeles Times. p. 2. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Matthew Mosk and Carla Hall (June 15, 1994). "Victim Thrived on Life in Fast Lane, His Friends Recall". The Los Angeles Times. 
  7. ↑ Family of Ron Goldman, with William Hoffer and Marilyn Hoffer (1997). His Name is Ron: Our Search for Justice. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-688-15117-1. 
  8. ↑ CARLA HALL and GREG KRIKORIAN, TIMES STAFF WRITERS (July 3, 1994). "Dreams of Better Days Died That Night : Ronald Goldman: A young man was finding his way through the maze of L.A.". Los Angeles Times. p. 4. Retrieved February 2013. 
  9. ↑ CARLA HALL and GREG KRIKORIAN, TIMES STAFF WRITERS (July 3, 1994). "Dreams of Better Days Died That Night : Ronald Goldman: A young man was finding his way through the maze of L.A.". Los Angeles Times. p. 1. Retrieved February 2013. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 CARLA HALL and GREG KRIKORIAN, TIMES STAFF WRITERS (July 3, 1994). "Dreams of Better Days Died That Night : Ronald Goldman: A young man was finding his way through the maze of L.A.". Los Angeles Times. p. 3. Retrieved February 2013. 
  11. ↑ "Ronald Goldman". cnn.com. Retrieved 2008-10-18. 
  12. ↑ Spence, Gerry (1997). O.J.: The Last Word. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312180096. 
  13. ↑ Fuhrman, Mark (February 1, 1997). Murder in Brentwood. ISBN 0-89526-421-8. 
  14. ↑ Mosk, Matthew; Hall, Carla (June 15, 1994). "Victim Thrived on Life in Fast Lane, His Friends Recall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 30, 2013. 
  15. ↑ "Ronald Goldman". findagrave.com. Retrieved 9 August 2013. 
  16. ↑ Timothy Noah (November 22, 2006). "Defending If I Did It". slate.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013. 
  17. ↑ The Goldman Family (Author), Dominick Dunne (Afterword), Pablo F. Fenjves (Foreword) (September 13, 2007). If I Did It Confessions of the Killer (1 ed.). Beaufort Books. ISBN 0825305888. 
  18. ↑ "Denise Brown wants O. J. book boycott", USA Today. August 14, 2007
  19. ↑ The Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice 2007:The Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice

External links

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