A quarter of a century ago, OJ Simpson was involved in a low-speed chase as he was a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
This month, he joined Twitter to "get even," putting him back in the headlines.
Considering Simpson's past -- which includes a 2008 conviction and 9-year prison sentence for armed robbery -- it's not entirely clear what he means by that. He's spent his first few days on the platform responding to rumors about Khloe Kardashian's paternity. Simpson joined Twitter days before the 25th anniversary of the day he was charged with two counts of murder in Goldman and Brown Simpson's deaths.
The timing hasn't gone unnoticed on the social media site, but Kim Goldman, Ron Goldman's sister, says she doesn't think of Simpson much unless someone brings him up. Still, it's not something she can simply forget.
“Because our case is so high-profile, I don’t get to choose to just ‘move on,’” Goldman told The Associated Press. “So the criticism I get that I’m not moving on, I sort of feel like that’s the criticism that everybody else should be having. The rest of the world, they’re always revisiting this. Twenty years later, 25 years later, and I’m just living my life.”
At 6.45 p.m. on that day 25 years ago, Simpson’s white Ford Bronco was being driven at 60 mph through Southern California. Al Cowlings, Simpson’s best friend and former teammate, was driving. After two hours of helicopter and police car chasing, live coverage and crowds of people cheering, the chase was over.
About 95 million people watched it on TV screens in homes, bars and other public places. As NBC aired Game 5 of the NBA finals, a split screen showed the chase.
Cowlings eventually drove back to Simpson’s Los Angeles mansion and Simpson surrendered around 9 p.m. with a family photo in his arms.
"We don't need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives," Simpson told The Associated Press in a Wednesday phone interview. "The subject of the moment is the subject I will never revisit again. My family and I have moved on to what we call the 'no negative zone.' We focus on the positives."
But Simpson's presence on social media may only serve as a reminder of his past. Although Simpson was acquitted on two counts of murder on Oct. 3, 1995, he was ordered to pay $33.5 million for the wrongful deaths in 1997. Most of that has not been paid, the AP reported, and the court of public opinion continues to judge him.
Look no further than Twitter.
About the Author
