If
you would have asked 19 year old Nicole Brown Simpson if she
ever thought that her future husband would kill her, her answer
would have been a flat out no. All that changed within months
of their marriage. Nicole Brown Simpson lived a life such
as hundreds of thousands of other wives do, as a battered
wife.
Over time OJ not only beat her physically, but he would mentally
brow beat her as well. There came a time in Nicole's life
where she had no sense of self worth, she couldn't be happy
looking in the mirror at her own reflection. Some of you may
say, well why not? She had everything, a famous husband, plenty
of money, she didn't want for anything, but that last sentence
is not true. She did want for something, something she knew
in her heart she could never have, she wanted her husband
to love her enough to NOT beat her.
Ever heard the saying "Judge not least you walk in the
others shoes"? These are the steps that Nicole Brown
Smith had to walk. Let's see if you can walk a few feet, let
alone the mile. |
Nicole
Brown Simpson
1959-1994
May You Rest In Peace
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People
like her school teacher Bill Prestidge have nothing but fond
memories of Nicole Brown. He said, "She wasn't your average
high school girl. I think she wanted to make a name for herself.
She wanted to go somewhere in life." To the left is Nicole's
High School picture, the picture of an innocent young woman
who had no idea what path her life was going to take and where
it would end. One friend reminisced, "She had such life
and such energy for everything: for her children, for herself,
and for her friends. She was a very vivacious kind of woman.
She was so much fun." |
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Nicole
Brown Simpson met Orenthal James Simpson, or OJ, when she was
19 years old working as a waitress. She was literally swept
off her feet, as would any young adult at that age. It's not
clear when the abuse first began, at least I haven't found mention
of it anywhere, but clearly dates back to before 1989. Nicole
Simpson states in a letter she wrote to OJ that " There
was also that time you beat the holy hell out of me," Ms.
Simpson wrote. "You told the X-ray lab I fell off a bike."
Simpson later testified that that is what his wife told him
had happened. She also referred to "the New Year's Eve
beat-up," a reference to a 1989 fight that brought police
to Simpson's estate and led to him pleading no-contest to spousal
battery. "I called the cops to save my life, whether you
believe it or not," she wrote. The letter concluded, "I've
never loved you since or been the same." (The
complete letter is posted here.) |
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Friends
said they didn't know bad it was until they heard the 911 tapes,
tapes that were played after her death. The marriage had been
but worse than just "bad", in fact sometimes it was
downright dangerous. "It broke my heart." commented
Donna Estes, a friend of Nicole and OJ's. There was however,
one person who knew of the abuse Nicole was suffering, that
was Dr. Susan Forward, Nicole's therapist. Forward said, "She
was battered incessantly, regularly, all the time. I'm not saying
24 hours a day, but the incidents of battering were extraordinarily
high." |
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Nicole
finally divorced OJ. There were a couple of reconciliation attempts,
but in the end Nicole just wanted to live her own life on her
own terms, with her children. Most of Nicole's friends admired
her for her compassionate and caring personality. Another friend
commented that Nicole was nothing but a woman who put people
in front of herself. "She was such a warm person."
A person entirely too good for OJ Simpson. |
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