Nicole Brown Simpson’s family recalls the ‘nightmare’ aftermath of her murder in Part 2 of the docuseries

Nicole Brown Simpson’s family recalls the ‘nightmare we lived’ in the aftermath of the double slayings.

In the final two episodes of the Lifetime docuseries The life and murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, which aired on June 2, featured the family and friends of OJ Simpson’s murdered ex-wife discussing her funeral and his infamous pursuit and arrest. Nicole’s sister Denise Brown said it was a real “nightmare”, including handing over the couple’s two children, Sydney and Justin, to OJ Simpson after he was acquitted.

In episodes 3 and 4, there were never-before-heard details about the investigation into the murder of Nicole and her boyfriend Ron Goldman on June 12, 1994 – including how a set of keys to Nicole’s LA home, which had gone missing, was found in a bag in OJ’s Bronco.

Here’s what we learned from episodes 3 and 4.

The wake and the funeral

• Denise called it a “nightmare” to bury her sister while her former brother-in-law was under investigation but had not yet been arrested. He also attended the wake.

• She cried as she said she had to find a turtleneck to bury Nicole in because she was “almost decapitated.”

• Nicole’s friend Robin Greer recalled OJ standing by the casket and saying, “Nicole, I’m so sorry,” over and over again, feeling like it was a confession.

• OJ asked Nicole’s sister Dominique to walk him to the casket (“Why me?” she remembered thinking). As they knelt together, she said he was consumed with questions about a ring he gave to Nicole, wanting to know where it was.

• Denise recalled that OJ attorney Robert Shapiro asked, “Can we exhume the body?” at the wake before Nicole was even buried.

• OJ left the wake in the same car as Nicole’s mother, Juditha Brown.

• D’Anne Purcilly said: ‘Dita’ asked him: ‘Did you do this?’ And OJ leaned over and looked down and said, “I loved her too much.” He didn’t tell her he did it, but kept saying he loved her too much.”

• At the private funeral the next day, Purcilly asked OJ friend Al Cowlings if OJ did it and said he replied, “I don’t know.” I just do not know.’ She said Cowlings, one of OJ’s biggest supporters, later denied saying that.

The Bronco Chase

• OJ did not surrender to the police as planned and the infamous Bronco chase ensued on June 17, 1994. From his car, OJ – who wrote a suicide note, read on TV by his lawyer Robert Kardashian – called Juditha and said he was driving home . Orange County, where the Browns lived and Nicole was buried, to go to the grave.

• Dominique recalled OJ saying, “I’m going to be with Nicole” and Denise said the family assumed he was suicidal. Their father, Lou Brown, collapsed under the stress.

• Purcilly, who was at the Browns’ house, knew the police were looking for OJ and convinced Nicole’s youngest sister Tanya that they should call 911. ”We know where he is,” Purcilly recalled telling police. “He’s driving on the 405 freeway and coming here to us.”

• Denise and Dominique said they got into a car to “catch” OJ during the slow highway chase. They soon realized that this was not a good plan and gave up.

What the police discovered

• Former Los Angeles Police Department Detective Tom Lange was also on the phone with OJ during the Bronco chase and recalled keeping him talking in hopes of keeping him alive. Cowlings, who was driving, told police that OJ had a gun to his head.

• Lange noted that OJ seemed tired or under the influence. He said OJ told him he had already said goodbye to his children.

• The two-county chase – watched by 95 million people – ended at OJ’s Los Angeles estate. Lange explained what was discovered in the duffel bag OJ had with him in the Bronco: a gun, disguise kit, his passport, his NFL Hall of Fame ring and a set of keys on a teddy bear chain.

• Just before Nicole’s death, she had told her mother that a set of keys to her new house – purchased in the aftermath of their divorce in 1992 – had gone missing and she wondered if OJ had taken them. Lange said tests were conducted and determined the keys were to Nicole’s house, but they were never introduced as evidence in the criminal trial. OJ denied taking the keys in a deposition for the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the Browns and Goldmans, which found him liable in 1997.

OJ’s defense team expressed doubt about his story

• Limousine driver Allan Park, who took OJ to the airport the night of the murders, recalled sharing what he had observed with OJ’s attorneys, Skip Taft and Shapiro, before the preliminary trial.

• Park told them that he had been ringing the doorbell at OJ’s estate for a while before OJ replied that he had overslept. Just before that he saw a figure enter the house. He also remembered that OJ was very sweaty even though he had just gotten out of the shower.

• Park did not realize his conversation with OJ’s legal team had been recorded. The recording was later turned over to prosecutor Marcia Clark. When she and Park listened to it together, they realized that OJ’s lawyers continued recording after Park hung up.

• Park heard them say, “That’s funny, that’s not what OJ is telling us,” seemingly doubting OJ’s alibi. “Our jaws dropped.”

Investigator said finding Nicole’s safe ‘gave me chills’

• Michael Stevens, a former senior investigator for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, was tasked with finding evidence of OJ’s abuse of Nicole before the trial. OJ had previously pleaded no contest to the spousal relationship, and Denise had taken photos of Nicole’s injuries but was unsure what happened to the photos.

• Another tip led to Stevens learning that Nicole had a secret safe where she did her banking. When he opened it, the first thing he saw was a Polaroid photo of her with a black eye. There were many more photos.

• There was also a diary that was “essentially a list of abuses committed by Simpson,” incident by incident, along with the location. “It gave me chills knowing she was the last person to put those photos in,” Stevens said.

• Nicole’s journals, notes and journal were not allowed into evidence in the criminal trial, Denise recalled, but she was able to testify about photographing Nicole’s bruises and witnessing abuse.

• Denise and Dominique talked about the defense that falsely portrayed Nicole as a party girl, out all night, having relationships with other men.

• Denise recalled that Judge Lance Ito told everyone in the courtroom to remain silent during the sentencing, which was tuned in by 151 million people on October 3, 1995. She remembered Ron’s sister, Kim Goldman, screaming when she learned she was innocent.

When OJ got out of prison, he took his kids to Neverland Ranch

• Sydney and Justin had been living with the Browns while OJ was in jail (OJ had been denied bail). When he got out, he picked them up for Sydney’s birthday and took them to Michael Jackson’s house. (In 2018, OJ spoke about Jackson’s support during his trial and spending long weekends at Jackson’s Neverland theme park.)

• The Browns fought for custody of the children but ultimately lost in 1996.

• Denise said that Juditha was very good at compartmentalizing what was happening so that she could communicate with OJ to arrange seeing the children.

• The children continued to visit the Browns until OJ decided to move them from California to Miami. Denise said Sydney told her grandmother she wanted to move and Juditha didn’t want to fight that. She said Juditha cried at night because she felt like she had lost another “piece of Nicole.”

Problems after moving to Florida

• After OJ moved the children to Florida in 2000, the problems continued. In the docuseries, Denise is told by an off-camera producer that “almost 17 police reports” have been filed. There was also “a series of 911 calls regarding domestic violence,” but because they were anonymous calls, police were unable to determine their validity.

• Sydney called Miami-Dade police in 2003 after allegedly getting into an argument with OJ, but his lawyer denied the incident as nothing more than a fight between parents and teenagers.

• In 2001, OJ’s house was raided by the FBI in connection with drug smuggling and money laundering. Former FBI agents Gary Loeffert and Chris Piersza detailed their investigation into suspected dealer Andrew Anderson, who was friends with OJ and often stayed at his home.

• The officers alleged that OJ had received ecstasy and other narcotics from Anderson. When they went to search OJ’s house, they said someone tipped him off, noting that a reporter was already on the scene when they got there. They found only traces of marijuana.

• OJ later served nine years in prison in Nevada for armed robbery related to sports memorabilia he claimed had previously been taken from him; he was released on parole in 2017. He died of cancer in April.

For anyone affected by abuse and in need of support, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or if you are unable to speak safely, you can log on to thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 22522.