The so-called “Trial of the Century” — when OJ Simpson was acquitted for the brutal June 12, 1994, murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman — tore our polite society apart at the seams, exacerbating race relations and questions of justice.
But it also launched a real-life soap opera with jaw-dropping plot twists and a cast of characters more colorful than any Hollywood screenwriter could imagine. After Simpson’s death from cancer on April 11, 2024, at age 76, here are the main players in his trial universe:
Marcia Clark
Lead prosecutor
Then: Clark was the case’s lead prosecutor, and she underwent a makeover to soften her image for jurors — perming her hair in a look that became a focal point of coverage.
She also became a target, the woman people seemingly loved to hate, and the National Enquirer published a topless photo of Clark during the trial. She simultaneously was locked in a custody battle with her ex-husband over their two young children and the media piled on, to the point that Clark had to release a public statement about being committed to her kids.
In 2016, Clark was portrayed by Sarah Paulson in the mini-series “American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson,” which she said was difficult to watch: “It’s killing me all over again.”
Now: Clark, 70, took a leave of absence after losing the trial. She has written a series of crime novels and become a legal pundit and lecturer.
Robert Kardashian
Simpson’s attorney and friend
Then: Kardashian and Simpsons became friends while students at the University of Southern California, and the football star even served as best man at Kardashian’s wedding to Kris Jenner Houghton (later Jenner).
Kardashian joined his friend’s legal team but, after the verdict, told Barbara Walters that he had “doubts” about Simpson’s innocence.
Now: He died of esophageal cancer at age 59 in 2003, four years before his children — Kim, Kourtney, Khloé and Robert — as well his ex-wife Kris rocketed to fame on TV’s “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
Johnnie Cochran
Lead attorney on Simpson’s legal ‘dream team‘
Then: Besides leading a team responsible for Simpson’s acquittal, Cochran was famous for cementing the line “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” in popular culture. (It was a reference to Simpson being unable to fit into gloves, splattered with both victims’ blood, that were part of evidence.)
The lawyer gained a reputation for representing both the powerful and the underdog — saying he worked for “not only for the OJs, but also the No Js.” Cochran’s signature courtroom flamboyance and rhythmic cadence inspired a legendary “Seinfeld” character in attorney Jackie Chiles.
Now: Cochran died of brain cancer in 2005, at 68.
Denise Brown
Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister
Then: Denise, a former model, testified at the criminal trial that Simpson verbally and physically abused Nicole, calling her a “fat pig” when she was pregnant. A visibly emotional Brown also said Simpson behaved strangely, glaring at Nicole during their daughter Sydney’s recital, on the day of the murders.
Now: Brown became an advocate for domestic abuse awareness and, in 2016, signed a deal with Peacock to develop a true crime series, which doesn’t seem to have come to fruition.
Fred Goldman
Father of murder victim Ronald Goldman
Then: After his son, a waiter and tennis instructor, was brutally murdered alongside Nicole, the grieving father — with his signature handlebar mustache — became a steely and somber TV presence during the 1995 trial. He and his daughter Kim also spoke out in frustration about the case, and were reminders that Goldman was almost a forgotten victim in the tragic slayings.
In 1997, a civil lawsuit awarded the Goldman family millions of dollars; as late as 2022, Fred said Simpson hadn’t paid a dime.
Now: Goldman, 83, now lives in Arizona and has been critical of the true-crime genre boom, telling the Hollywood Reporter in 2022 that “People seem to forget that everybody that’s harmed has a family, has close people that are revictimized.” After Simpson’s death, he said in a statement: “It’s no great loss to the world. It’s a further reminder of Ron’s being gone.”
Sydney and Justin Simpson
Simpson’s children with Nicole
Then: Eight-year-old Sydney and Justin, 5, were asleep in their mother’s condo as she was murdered outside. After their mother’s death, they were raised by her sister Tanya and remained out of the spotlight, moving to Florida in 2000.
Now: Sydney, who graduated Boston University in 2010, is now 38. Both she and Justin, 35, live in St. Petersburg, Florida and reportedly work in real estate. In February 2022, Justin announced on instagram that he was expecting a daughter named Lana with his girlfriend.
Faye Resnick
Friend of Nicole Brown Simpson
Then: Resnick received a $60,000 advance for the book “Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted” — published just four months after the June 12, 1994, death of her friend. In it, she detailed allegations of domestic violence, saying “kicking was OJ’s favorite” method of abusing his wife and claiming he would lock Nicole in a closet after beating her. Resnick also detailed Nicole’s sex life, alleging hook-ups with NFL player Marcus Allen and even Resnick herself, as well as the “Brentwood hello”: a nickname for oral sex.
Although Resnick did not end up testifying in Simpson’s criminal trial, she took the stand during the subsequent civil trial and claimed that Simpson had threatened to kill Nicole.
Now: Resnick, now 66, has appeared on multiple episodes of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” as a friend of Kyle Richards and Kris Jenner, respectively.
Gil Garcetti
Los Angeles District Attorney, 1992-2000
Then: “It was never supposed to happen,” Gil Garcetti told “Good Morning America” in 2016. He was speaking of the blockbuster moment in the murder trial when Garcetti’s prosecutors asked Simpson to try on the bloody glove found at the scene of the crime, and the former athlete made a show of it being too small — leading lawyer Johnnie Cochran to crow, “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
“Chris Darden and Marcia Clarke were never supposed to ask OJ to try on the glove,” Garcetti said, speculating that Simpson “had probably been working out his hand, developing muscle in his hand” and that the leather glove had shrunk after being exposed to blood and freezing temperatures.
It was revealed in the ESPN documentary “OJ: Made in America” that Simpson’s hands were swollen during the trial because he had stopped taking arthritis medication
Now: After being voted out of office in 2000, Garcetti switched careers and became a professional art photographer. His son Eric served as the mayor of LA from 2013 to 2022.
Al ‘AC’ Cowlings
Simpson’s friend and driver of the infamous white Ford Bronco
Then: Cowlings, a pro football player turned actor, and Simpson were teammates during high school, college and even in the NFL. After the murders, when Simpson was supposed to turn himself in to police on June 17, 1994, for questioning, Cowling took a starring role in the sensational case — driving his pal, in a white Ford Bronco, on a slow speed freeway chase watched by 95 million Americans.
Cowlings told 911, via car phone, that Simpson had a gun and was threatening to kill himself.
Now: Cowlings, 76, reportedly still lives in Southern California. In 2018, Simpson said his old friend showed symptoms of CTE.
Kato Kaelin
Simpson’s houseguest
Then: On the night of the murders, the bit actor was staying in the guest house of Simpson’s Rockingham estate. He testified that he didn’t know of Simpson’s whereabouts that night, between 9:36 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., when prosecutors believe the murder occurred. The shaggy-haired Kaelin declared a hostile witness during the criminal trial because of his shifting description of Simpson’s demeanor on the day of the murders.
Now: Kaelin, 65, went on to be known as America’s most famous houseguest — starring in various reality shows including “Celebrity Big Brother” in 2019. Upon learning of Simpson’s death, Kaelin extended condolences to the Goldman family, the Browns and Sydney and Justin Simpson.
Mark Fuhrman
LAPD detective who found a bloody glove at the crime scene
Then: In 1995, the then Los Angeles detective became a central character in the murder trial, as the defense alleged that the police were racist and planted evidence against Simpson.
During the trial, witnesses said Fuhrman had referred to black people using the N-word, something he denied. Simpson’s defense team was able to provide recordings of him doing so.
The defense said Fuhrman, who was charged with perjury, was not a credible witness. In a 1996 interview with Diane Sawyer, the former cop insisted he did not plant the evidence and was not racist.
Now: Fuhrman retired from the LAPD in 1995 and has gone on to become a talk-radio host and pundit and has written several books on high-profile crimes, including the Simpson case and the murder of Martha Moxley.
Robert Shapiro
First lead defense attorney for OJ Simpson murder charge
Then: Shapiro was on the scene from nearly the beginning: The lawyer had told police Simpson would surrender for an arraignment on June 17, 1994 — only for the former athlete to take off with pal Al “A.C.” Cowlings on the now infamous two-hour Bronco chase across Los Angeles freeways.
Shapiro led the “Dream Team” defense when the criminal trial began, before handing the lead over to Cochran; he later criticized Cochran’s approach, telling Barbara Walters: “Not only did we play the race card, we dealt it from the bottom of the deck.” Cochran, he said, “believes that everything in America is related to race. I do not.”
Now: The 81-year-old attorney, who has also represented Erik Menendez, Christian Brando, Johnny Carson, Steve Wynn and others, is still practicing.
Lance Ito
Judge in the criminal trial
Then: It was Ito’s controversial decision to allow television cameras into the courtroom, turning the already sensational case into a media circus and helping usher in a new era of trials as entertainment. The judge faced calls for him to recuse himself after it was revealed that his wife, Margaret York, was the superior of LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman. (He did not.)
Now: Ito, who retired in 2015, has never given an interview about the OJ case.
