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Victim's family speaks 20 years after OJ trial

Posted at 9:55 PM, Oct 03, 2015
and last updated 2015-10-04 00:55:54-04

Twenty years ago today, on October 3, 1995, was the end of what so many people have called "The Trial of the Century".

But for the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, it was only the beginning.

It's been two decades since OJ Simpson's not-guilty verdict came down. Twenty years later, we sit down with Ron Goldman's father, Fred.

"It's just a different normal."

Different and painful.

That has been the reality for Fred Goldman, who lost his son Ron more than 20 years ago. 

The world knows Ron as one of the victims in the OJ Simpson case. But to Fred, Ron is, and will always be, his little boy.

"It's wonderful to know sometimes that someone will come up to me and say, 'Aren't you Ron's dad?' The fact they remember Ron's name is important to me," Fred explains.

The agony of having Ron's life taken so suddenly and so violently has never gone away for Fred and the rest of his family. It's a pain made even more unbearable twenty years ago today on October 3, 1995 with the bombshell verdict that sent shock waves around the world.

"In spite of the literally tons of evidence, they let him off. They acquitted him. Wrong. He was guilty as hell."

"He" is OJ Simpson. To this day, Fred refused to say his name. "He is simply 'the killer.'"

In June of 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman's bodies were found outside Nicole's Brentwood home. A blood scene, a brutal double murder -- all signs pointing toward Simpson.

"It was the worst moment of my life. It was devastating."

But for the Goldman's, it was just the start. There was the Bronco chase, the trial that captivated the nation, and the allegations of evidence tampering, lying under oath and racism.

"It was a circus. Every day was more insane than the next."

After a nine-month trial, the jury came back with its landmark decision -- not guilty. It's a verdict that 20 years later, Fred still doesn't understand.

"To see that monster, that S.O.B. told he was not guilty...not guilty? Really? He was guilty as sin and he walked out of that courtroom a free man just as he had walked away dozens of times before."

Today, Ron's family has found ways to have his memory live on, like in the face of his young nephew, Sam -- a nephew Ron never got the chance to know.

"There's times when I look at Sam and I think, 'Oh my God.' I see a real similarity...it's wonderful."

In the years since Simpson was acquitted, the Goldman's haven't given up on their fight for justice.

In 1997, a jury found Simpson civilly liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. To this day, the Goldman's have yet to receive one cent directly from Simpson. Instead, they've been forced to go after different items when Simpson would go to sell them, like his memorabilia, according to Fred Goldman.

In 2007, the Goldman family won the rights to a book Simpson was going to publish about the murders.

On October 3, 2008, exactly 13 years after he was found not guilty in the murder trial, Simpson was found guilty on robbery charges in Nevada stemming from an incident where he tried to get some of his memorabilia back.

He's currently serving a 9-33 year prison sentence.

The Goldman's have fought tirelessly for Ron and other murder victims, publishing several books, and speaking out on the behalf of families.

Fred Goldman now lives in Peoria where he and his wife are realtors. He continues speaking out on behalf of his son and the victims of other tragedies.

Kim Goldman, Ron's sister, is out with a new book called Media Circus where she interviews the victims and families of several high profile crimes.