Ron Goldman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ron Goldman
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Goldman in 1991
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| Born | July 2, 1968 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | June 12, 1994 (aged 25) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Homicide |
| Resting place | Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park |
| Education | Adlai E. Stevenson High School |
| Alma mater | Illinois State University Los Angeles Pierce College |
| Occupation | Waiter |
Ronald Lyle Goldman (born July 2, 1968 – died June 12, 1994) was an American waiter. He was a friend of Nicole Brown Simpson. She was the ex-wife of famous football player O.J. Simpson. Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson were both murdered at her home in Los Angeles, California, on June 12, 1994. O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of their murders in 1995. However, a civil court later found him responsible for their deaths in 1997.
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Ron Goldman's Early Life
Ron Goldman was born on July 2, 1968. He grew up in a town called Buffalo Grove, Illinois, near Chicago. His parents divorced when he was six years old. After a short time with his mother, he was raised by his father, Frederic Goldman. Ron lived with his father and his younger sister.
Ron was raised in the Jewish faith. He went to high school at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He studied at Illinois State University for one semester. He planned to study psychology there. When he was 18, his family moved to Southern California. Ron then stopped his studies and moved with them.
Before moving, Ron worked as a camp counselor. He also volunteered with children who had cerebral palsy.
Life in California
When Ron moved to Los Angeles, he took some classes at Pierce College. He learned to surf and loved playing beach volleyball. He also enjoyed rollerblading and going to nightclubs.
Ron lived on his own in California. He supported himself by working as a headhunter, which means he helped people find jobs. He also worked as a tennis instructor. Later, he had several jobs as a waiter. He also sometimes worked as a model. Before he died, he got a license to be an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). This means he could help people in medical emergencies. However, he did not work in that field.
Ron told his friends he wanted to open his own bar or restaurant. He wanted it to be known by the ankh symbol. This is an ancient Egyptian symbol for life. He even had an ankh tattoo on his shoulder. His friend, Jeff Keller, said Ron wanted to learn everything about the restaurant business. He also worked as a promoter for a dance club.
Ron also wanted to become an actor. He appeared on a game show called Studs in 1992. He had a girlfriend named Jacqui Bell for almost two years. They broke up three months before his death.
Friendship with Nicole Brown Simpson
Ron Goldman met Nicole Brown Simpson just six weeks before they were murdered. He had borrowed her Ferrari car. They became good friends. They would sometimes meet for coffee and dinner. Police and friends said their relationship was just a friendship. One friend said Ron told him Nicole was a friend, not his girlfriend.
Ron Goldman's Death
On Sunday, June 12, 1994, Ron was working as a waiter. He was at a restaurant called Mezzaluna Trattoria in Brentwood, California. Nicole Brown Simpson called the restaurant. Her mother had accidentally left her sunglasses there. Ron was not their waiter, but he found the glasses outside. He agreed to drop them off at Nicole's home after work.
Ron finished work at 9:33 pm. He stayed for about 15 more minutes. Before taking the sunglasses to Nicole's house, he stopped at his apartment. He spoke briefly with his roommate. Then he left.
Police found Ron and Nicole's bodies shortly after midnight. Police believe Ron arrived at Nicole's house during or soon after she was attacked. Ron's family believes he died trying to save Nicole from her attacker. They think he was the person witnesses heard shouting that night.
Ron Goldman was killed 20 days before his 26th birthday. He is buried at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California.
After the Murders
O.J. Simpson was put on trial for the murders of both Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. In October 1995, after a long trial, he was found not guilty.
In 1997, Fred Goldman, Ron's father, filed a civil lawsuit against O.J. Simpson. The jury in this civil case found Simpson responsible for Ron's wrongful death. They ordered Simpson to pay the Goldman family $33 million.
Later, O.J. Simpson was sent to jail for a different crime. This was an armed robbery at a Las Vegas hotel in 2008. Both Fred and Kim Goldman were at that trial. After Simpson was found guilty, Fred Goldman said he felt satisfied.
The rights to O.J. Simpson's book, If I Did It, were given to the Goldman family in 2007. This book was written as if Simpson was explaining how he *would* have committed the murders. The Goldman family received the money from the book sales. They also got the copyright and media rights to the book. This made sure Simpson could not make money from it. The Goldman family renamed the book If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer. They published it in September 2007.
Filmmaker Ezra Edelman made a documentary called O.J.: Made in America. He won an award for it and dedicated it to both Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. Fred Goldman was interviewed in this documentary.
Fred Goldman once told Barbara Walters that someone offered him a gun to kill Simpson. Or, they offered to hire someone to do it. But Fred Goldman refused.
Kim Goldman, Ron's sister, said she once saw O.J. Simpson in a parking lot. She thought about running him over with her car for revenge, but she did not do it.
Frederic Goldman has continued to seek payment from O.J. Simpson. He is trying to renew the court order that says Simpson owes him money. He claims Simpson now owes him $96 million for his son's death.
Ron Goldman Foundation
The Goldman family used some of the money from the If I Did It book sales to start a new group. It is called the Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice. This foundation gives money to organizations and programs. These groups help victims and survivors of violent crimes.
Portrayals in Media
Ron Goldman has been played by different actors in movies and TV shows:
- Paul Witten played him in the 1995 TV movie The O.J. Simpson Story.
- Russ Russo played him in Reenactment of the Century.
- Drew Roy played him in the 2019 film The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson.
See also
In Spanish: Ronald Goldman para niños
- Murder of Michael Nigg, unsolved killing (in 1995) of Goldman's friend and fellow Mezzaluna waiter
- O.J. Simpson robbery case
