The People V . . . Fred Goldman

One of the interesting people involved in OJ's case is the father of Ron Goldman, one of the victims of the June 12, 1994, murders.

Those watching the series on OJ's trial, but are unaware of Ron's father, are likely to see a lot of him in the final episode.  He has been in the front row of the courtroom.  He is the one reacting in the background to what is happening in the trial.  In Episode Nine, he was also seen doing a televised news conference in reaction to the defense bringing Detective Fuhrman to the witness stand.

Yes, the tall man with the dramatic mustache.

Let me tell you a little of what he writes about in his book HIS NAME IS RON.

He wrote the book as a way to distinguish his son from the Simpsons.  Their celebrity put Ron in the shadow and he wanted people to know Ron was more than some vague friend of Nicole's.   The young man was much more.  He helped coach his younger brother's high school tennis team, though Fred did not mention Ron's status as a semi-pro tennis player in California.  Perhaps Fred's effort was a typical grief reaction where he idolized his dead son.  Ron comes off in the book as a saint.

Fred also could have been writing an "apologia," which is actually a kind of tract to support a position about the person.  In this case, it was to try to block out the noise about drugs, sex, and mob connections that drifted into the media after the murders.  Ron was not the only waiter from Mezzaluna and other nearby restaurants who was murdered around that time.  The others were apparently drug-related crimes and Fred could not allow speculation that his son might have been the actual target in the murders, making Nicole the innocent one caught up in the tragedy.  On this I am willing to give Fred the benefit of the doubt.

But he never talks of Ron's black belt in karate. nor of what a fine athlete Ron was.  Going to a woman's defense, that he could write about.  Being any kind of competition with an older, overweight arthritic former athlete, that he could not do.

One of grief's characteristics is anger.  Some people weep.  Some people become deeply depressed.  And some people turn all the anger in their being upon some target.  In this case, OJ became Fred's emotional outlet.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Fred could only use words like "killer" in place of OJ's name.  The book is a very angry one with Fred's anger including Judge Ito and Johnny Cochran.  

Fred tells of his family, of his first wife, of Ron's good nature and good deeds, and then of the shock of the murders.  He goes into detail about the trial from his point of view.  And he talks openly about the feelings he and his family members have throughout. 

He also mentions something in passing, that he struggled with taking time from his job as a salesman to be at the trial and to administer the Ron Goldman Justice Fund, Fred's effort to have resources for the wrongful death civil suit against OJ he filed in May, 1995.  Right after the Fuhrman court appearance, Fred was approached by an executive who wanted to be supportive because the executive's boss was sympathetic with the Goldmans.  The man offered Fred the services of a better lawyer from a major LA law firm and office space at corporate headquarters for the Justice Fund.  

Fred wrote that he did not want to name the corporation or the man behind the help for fear there would be boycotts against the company.  But in his acknowledgments, Fred thanks Paul Marciano of Guess, Inc. for finding the lawyer and providing "overwhelming support."

Fred Goldman is a sales representative.  He is assertive, articulate, emotional, and committed to punishing the killer of his son Ron.  He is a perfect foil to OJ.  Fred is a gifted antagonist who pursued the law suit against OJ, and then fought for the rights to a book OJ wrote to try to earn some money.  Fred won that fight and not only got the proceeds from its sale but got to change the title.  OJ had used IF I DID IT.  Fred had the publishers make the word "If" very small and of a different color than the other three words, and added several more words, so that someone picking up the book would easily see I DID IT, CONFESSIONS OF THE KILLER.  (Reports conflict as to whether the proceeds were split with the Browns.)     

Someone who wanted a person capable of reminding the public about OJ as the killer could not have found anyone better than Fred Goldman.  He channels anger more exquisitely than Donald Trump and his constituency of believers that OJ did it is larger than Trump's.  His anger has been an effective deterrent to explorations of alternative solutions to the crime for over twenty years.  Is it possible that Fred's passion was bought to distract responsible people from pursuing leads in other directions?

When word comes out that Martin Sheen is producing a TV series that shows OJ is innocent and that someone else did it, I would expect something from Fred, if he is still well and active.