OJ Simpson: "Life is beautiful" after prison



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LOS ANGELES (AP) – After 25 years spent in the shadow of one of the country's most notorious murder cases, OJ Simpson says his life has entered a phase that he calls the "non-negative zone".

<p class = "canvas-atom web-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "In a telephone interview, the 71 The old Simpson said to the Associated Press that he lived in good health and was happy in Las Vegas.No he or his children would want to look back when talking about June 12, 1994 when his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman data-reaid = "17"> In a phone interview, Simpson, 71, told The Associated Press that he was healthy and happy to live in the neighborhood. Las Vegas. And neither his children nor he want to look back on June 12, 1994, when his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and his friend Ronald Goldman were stabbed to death and Simpson went from football hero status to the Temple of fame to murder. suspect.

"We do not need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives," he said. "The subject of the moment is the one I will never come back to." My family and I moved on to what we call the "non-negative zone." We focus on the positives. "

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Simpson lives a relatively unobtrusive life nowadays golf almost every day and his knees helped him run to soccer glory at the University of Southern California and with the NFL Buffalo Bills have been replaced and he recently underwent Lasik surgery. He said that he stayed close to his children and loved ones. "Data-reactid =" 19 "> Simpson lives a relatively unobtrusive life these days.He plays golf almost every day.Her knees that have helped him run towards the glory of football at The University of Southern California and the NFL Buffalo Bills have been replaced, and he recently underwent surgery at the Lasik He said he stayed close to his children and other family members.

The parents of the ex-wife of Simpson and Goldman are disgusted. Simpson is able to live as he lives while their loved ones had such a tragic life.

"I'm not suffocating in my grief," said Goldman's sister, Kim, at the AP during an interview last week. "But every step my child goes through, every step that I go through, these are just reminders of what I can not share with my brother and what's missing."

She wonders if Simpson respects the conditions of his parole.

"Yeah, I hear that he's living Riley's life in Las Vegas and that he's being treated like a king," Goldman said sarcastically. But she added that she rarely thinks about it unless someone else talks about her name.

Ron Goldman, then 25, was bringing back a pair of sunglasses that Nicole Brown's mother had left in a restaurant where he worked, while Simpson's ex-wife and he had been stabbed and cut dozens of times.

O.J. "Simpson's televised" century trial "lasted nearly a year and became a national obsession, strewn with pitfalls related to racism, police misconduct, celebrities and domestic violence.

Represented by a legal "dream team" including Johnnie Cochran Jr. and F. Lee Bailey, he was acquitted by a jury in 1995 in a verdict that divided the country on racial grounds, many Caucasian Americans thinking that He had escaped from the murder many blacks considering him innocent.

He continued to declare his innocence. The murder case is officially classified as unresolved.

The families of the victims subsequently lodged a civil case against him. In 1997, he was sentenced to pay $ 33.5 million for the wrongful death of his ex-wife and Goldman. Some of his property was seized and auctioned, but most of the judgment was not paid.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "For a man who once lived in the spotlight Simpson has generally been low-profile since his release from prison in October 2017, after serving nine years in prison for robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas. He insisted that his conviction and sentence for trying to steal his memories were unfair, but he said, "I believe in the justice system and I honored him. . "Data-reactid =" 29 "> For a man who once lived in the limelight, Simpson has generally been low-profile since his release from prison in October 2017, after nine years in jail for robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas. He insisted that his conviction and conviction for attempting to steal his memories unfairly but said: "I believe in the legal system and I have honored it. I have served my time. "

After his release from Nevada prison, many expected him to return to Florida, where he had lived for several years. But friends in Las Vegas have persuaded him to stay there.

"The city has been good for me," Simpson said. "Everyone I meet seems to apologize for what happened here."

His stay in the city was not without controversy. A month after his release, an outing to a steakhouse and lounge off the Las Vegas Strip ended with a dispute. Simpson was ordered to leave the property and prevent his return.

Since then, no such problem has occurred and Simpson is one of the most sought after personalities in town for selfies with those who meet him at restaurants or at sporting events in which he occasionally participates.

His parole officer gave him permission to make short trips, including to Florida, where his two youngest children, Justin and Sydney, had a career in real estate. His eldest daughter, Arnelle, lives with him most of the time.

"I went to Florida two or three times to see the kids and my old friends in Miami, and I even managed to play golf with them," he said. "But I live in a city that I've come to love, life is good."

He also visited relatives in Louisiana, he said, and spoke with a group of black judges and prosecutors in New Orleans.

Simpson said the glamor of his early days was only a memory.

After his career as a footballer, Simpson became an advertising pitch, an actor and a football commentator. Once a multimillionaire, he said the bulk of his fortune was spent on defending murder charges.

Simpson refused to discuss his finances other than to say that he is living on a pension.

On the occasion of Wednesday's birthday, Kim Goldman will launch a 10-week podcast entitled "Confronting: OJ Simpson", in which she will interview her brother's friends, the detective who investigated the murders, the defense and prosecution lawyers, and two of the 12 jurors who acquitted Simpson.

She will continue to argue that Simpson was guilty.

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Linda Deutsch is a retired special correspondent of the Associated Press. She has covered all Simpson's court cases over her 48-year career as a Los Angeles-based trial reporter.

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