DAMNED DYNASTY
Curse of OJ Simpson’s kids from tragic tot death to daughter who drank ‘vodka for breakfast’ and ‘killer suspect’ son
Conspiracy theory said one son "should have been a suspect" in the double killings.
It’s never easy growing up in the shadow of a superstar parent but OJ Simpson’s kids had more to cope with than most.
The Naked Gun actor's family were thrust into the spotlight during his famous double murder trial in which he was accused of killing ex wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman.
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His youngest children Sydney and Justin were upstairs asleep at their mother Nicole’s condo in Brentwood, California, when she was brutally murdered. They were just eight and five at the time.
OJ was sensationally acquitted after a 10-month ‘trial of the century’ in 1994 despite overwhelming DNA evidence against the ex-Buffalo Bills footballer.
His eldest daughter Arnelle, from his first marriage to Marguerite, who he wed in 1967, gave evidence in support of her dad but the pair are said to have several fall-outs over her drinking.
His firstborn son Jason was accused of being involved in the murders of Nicole, 35, and Ron, 25, by a private investigator who claimed he had serious drink and mental health issues - although he was never named as a suspect by police.
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Simpson and wife Marguerite also suffered heartbreak when their baby daughter died in a swimming pool accident at their home long before he became infamous.
While OJ, nicknamed The Juice, was cleared of double murder, he later served a nine-year sentence for his part in an attempted armed robbery in a Las Vegas hotel, and was freed in 2017.
As Simpson took his last breath this week, at the age of 76, it was revealed he was surrounded by his children and grandchildren at the £1.4 million mansion where he was living in Las Vegas.
Here we take a look at his children’s lives and examine the impact of his tainted legacy.
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Arnelle Simpson
Arnelle was probably the closest to OJ but had a rocky relationship with her dad.
Born to The Juice’s first wife Marguerite Whitely, who he divorced in 1979 after 12 years of marriage, she was the first to take the stand at her dad’s trial.
She described him as being “emotional”, “distraught” and “out of control” when he learned of Nicole’s death.
She consistently defended Simpson and managed his finances until his death this week from prostate cancer.
But the pair were said to be at loggerheads over her drinking “vodka for breakfast” which resulted in her allegedly failing to pay the mortgage on his Miami home. It was later repossessed.
When Simpson was released from jail in 2017 - where he served nine years for robbery - Arnelle was by his side within hours. They were pictured relaxing by the pool of the luxury Las Vegas mansion where OJ spent his last years.
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Arnelle also spoke out during her dad’s robbery parole hearing, pleading for him to be released so her family could “move forward.”
The 55-year-old, said to have dated the late rapper Tupac, described the Towering Inferno actor as being her “best friend.”
She said: “As a family we recognise he’s not the perfect man, but as a man and a father he has done his best to behave in a way that speaks to his overall nature and character.”
Arnelle has appeared in several documentaries about the murders of Ron and Nicole and encouraged her dad to contribute to an infamous book called If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer in 2007.
The book put forward a hypothetical version of how Simpson would have murdered the victims and author Author Pablo Fenjves said it was based on extensive discussions with the former footballer - although OJ later denied it.
Arnelle, who lives in Fresno, California, has previously said she worked for a rapper called Hash before producing fashion shows.
While her dad was cleared of killing Nicole and Ron, he was later found responsible in a civil suit and ordered to pay £26million to the victim’s families.
In 2014 she said the family were skint after their former £1million Miami home was repossessed to pay legal fees.
She said: “The home is gone! All the money went to attorneys anyway.”
Sources later claimed Arnelle failed to pay the mortgage on the Miami house for two years as she struggled with a drinking problem and shopping addiction.
A source said at the time: “OJ fought with Arnelle all the time about her drinking, and he tried for years to get her married to get her out of her house.
“All she would do is sit around and drink vodka, even for breakfast.
“Arnelle is a shopaholic. She loved her trips to Saks and Victoria’s Secret and paid for them with her father’s money.”
Arnelle was rumoured to have dated the late rapper Tupac Shakur, who was shot dead aged 25 in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996.
American R&B singer Daniel Steward, known as Danny Boy, claimed the pair seemed to have sexual relations when she worked with Tupac on the video for California Love.
Jason Simpson
OJ Simpson led cops on a 60-mile car chase when they demanded he hand himself in after the murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman.
DNA evidence against the shamed star was so strong that forensic scientists said the chances of blood on his sock not being from Nicole was one in 21 billion.
When Simpson was cleared in a trial, conspiracy theories started to circle - and OJ’s son Jason found himself in the firing line.
Private investigator William Dear wrote a book about the killings and suggested Jason, 53, was a strong suspect.
He alleged that Jason, now a chef in Atlanta, had abused drink and drugs from the age of 14 and was on medication to prevent "Jekyll and Hyde” type rages.
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Dear said Jason stopped taking his tablets, which stopped him hearing voices, two months before the murders and had no firm alibi for the time of the killings.
He also pointed out that OJ hired a top criminal lawyer to represent his son the day after the deaths - despite the fact he wasn’t a suspect.
Dear claimed Jason had attempted suicide three times, according to medical records, and also had a history of attacking an ex partner with a knife.
At the time of the double murder he was on probation after attacking a former boss with a knife, according to the Dallas Observer.
Aaren Simpson
OJ’s last child with Marguerite tragically died as a toddler in a pool accident.
Aaren, born in 1977, died aged 23 months after drowning in the family swimming pool at their home in California.
Her family performed CPR and she was rushed to hospital but passed away of respiratory failure eight days later.
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OJ said he and wife Marguerite, who divorced the year their daughter died, “never discussed” the death.
He said: “I mean, I never have. You know I don’t want to discuss it.
“It’s sad that it happened. It was a tremendous loss. We dealt with it. We moved on.”
OJ Simpson's trial timeline
A look at why The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson is regarded as the murder trial of the century.
Their bodies were found two days later.
On June 12, 1994, OJ Simpson's estranged wife Nicole Brown Simpson, 35, and her friend Ronald Goldman, 25, were stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles condo.
On June 17, Simpson was charged with their murders and arrested following a livestreamed car chase.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges on July 22.
By November 3, an initial jury of twelve was selected.
They would be sequestered for 265 days throughout the proceedings.
Simpson wished for a speedy trial, and his team worked tirelessly on their defense before opening statements began on January 24.
Prosecutors painted Simpson as a savage killer who lashed out at
his wife in a murderous rage because he couldn't control her.
They said a bloody glove was recovered at the crime scene, and that blood spatters were seen on Simpson's white Ford Bronco.
Meanwhile, the defense accused Mark Fuhrman, a Los Angeles Police Department detective who was working the case, of racism.
They claimed Fuhrman used racist language to describe Black people and tried to paint him as an illegitimate witness.
Three days after the opening statements, Simpson released his tell-all book I Want to Tell You where he spoke out about the deaths and accusations.
On February 3, Nicole's sister Denise Brown testified that Simpson was abusive, claiming he called Nicole a "fat pig" when she was pregnant.
On June 15, Simpson tried on bloody gloves that were found at the scene of the crime and demonstrated that they did not seem to fit in a dramatic court scene.
On October 3, the jury found Simpson not guilty of two counts of murder.
In 1997, Simpson was found liable for Nicole and Goldman's deaths in a civil suit filed by the victims' families.
Sydney Simpson
OJ was already married when he met Nicole working as a waitress at the private Beverly Hills club, the Daisy.
She was 18 and he was 30 when they first clapped eyes on each other in 1977.
They tied the knot in February 1985 and welcomed daughter Sydney eight months after the Los Angeles ceremony.
She was just eight years old and sleeping upstairs in her bedroom, along with younger brother Justin, when her mum was brutally killed outside their home.
The siblings were taken under the wing of their grandparents, Louis and Juditha Brown and later raised by Nicole’s sister Tanya.
Sydney, 35, now lives an almost reclusive life in St Petersburg, Florida, where she co-owns a restaurant with Justin and manages multiple properties.
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Sydney, who has a sociology degree from Boston University, is said to have maintained a relationship with her father despite being confused about her mother’s death.
Sydney’s ex boyfriend Stuart Alexander-Lee, who she dated from 2007 to 2012, said she was “scared” to tell her side of the story but didn’t believe that her father committed murder.
Justin is the finest kid I've ever known
OJ Simpson
He said: “They speculate that it was a drug deal gone bad. Sydney doesn't believe OJ did it, but she doesn't know what to believe. The media changes, and how the police changed the whole situation…either way, her mother died.”
Stuart, talking in 2019, said Sydney was an “inspiration” but found “fame scary” and was frightened to talk about Nicole’s murder.
Justin Simpson
Justin is the youngest of OJ’s children and was five when he lost his mum.
He and sister Sydney were pictured with their dad at Nicole's private funeral ceremony.
Justin appears to be the most balanced of the ex-actor’s children and is likely to have fewer memories of the murders or subsequent trial.
Justin, now 35, works in real estate in St Petersburg, Florida, and is close with his older sister. They are said to co-own a restaurant in the town.
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In February 2022 Justin announced on Instagram he was to become a dad with partner Alycia Browne - as they were expecting a baby girl they named Lana.
He confirmed his daughter’s arrival in October 2023 by sharing an Instagram picture of a mini chair which had the name Lana Nicole written on it - the middle name likely a tribute to his late mother.
Justin started his career in property when he joined estate company Muffley and Associates in 2013.
He left two years later and worked for a different estate agency for three years before founding his own company Bolder Property Management.
According to Tuko, he has an estimated net worth of around £2.3 million.
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OJ praised his then 14-year-old son Justin in a 2004 NBC interview, saying: “I’ve often said he’s the finest kid I’ve ever known. He really is.
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"He is well-liked. He participates at his school in all sports: lacrosse, basketball, football.
“He’s a remarkable kid in that even when he’s got other things on his mind, he has a tendency to turn it inward. And he’ll go to his room and do what he has to do. "