OJ Simpson was chilling with a beer on a sofa earlier than Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was lifeless
LAS VEGAS — O.J. Simpson’s final strong dialogue along with his longtime lawyer was simply earlier than Easter, on the nation membership dwelling Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip.
“He was awake, alert and chilling,” lawyer Malcom LaVergne recalled Tuesday. “He’s on the sofa … consuming a beer and watching TV. And in order that was the final time we had efficient back-and-forth conversations. He’s often the one who retains me up on the information … so we had been simply catching up on the information then.”
A few week later, on April 5, a health care provider mentioned Simpson was “transitioning,” as LaVergne described it. The final time LaVergne visited, final week, Simpson solely had power to ask for water and to decide on to look at a TV golf match as a substitute of a tennis match.
“In fact he selected golf,” LaVergne advised The Related Press in an interview. “He was an absolute golf fanatic.”
Simpson died April 10, after being identified final yr with prostate most cancers. He was 76.
A publish the next day from Simpson’s household on X, previously Twitter, mentioned Simpson “succumbed to his battle with most cancers” whereas “surrounded by his kids and grandchildren.” Nonetheless, LaVergne mentioned Tuesday only one particular person was with Simpson when he died, recognized by the lawyer solely as “an in depth member of the family.” He declined to say who it was.
“It’s important to keep in mind that they’ve shared O.J. with the world their complete lives,” the lawyer mentioned of Simpson’s surviving grownup kids of his first marriage — Arnelle Simpson, now 55, and Jason Simpson, 53 — and the kids Simpson had with ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson earlier than she was killed in 1994: Sydney Simpson, 38, and Justin Simpson, 35. The household social media publish requested “throughout this time of transition” for “privateness and beauty.”
“At first they shared good O.J. However nonetheless he was well-known,” LaVergne mentioned. “After which, in 1994 on, they form of needed to share unhealthy boy O.J. with the world. However on the finish of the day, these kids simply misplaced a father. They usually have the added burden that he is without doubt one of the most well-known individuals on the planet, and who’s polarizing and who’s surrounded by controversy.”
LaVergne, who’s dealing with Simpson’s property, shared particulars of his closing conferences with the previous hero, film actor, sportscaster, tv pitchman and superstar homicide defendant who he has represented since 2009.
He deflected a query about any potential deathbed confession by Simpson as an try and steer “from somber to the sensationalism and the amusement.” He mentioned Simpson’s physique will not be studied for the consequences of power mind trauma from potential results of blows to the pinnacle throughout his 11 years as a working again within the NFL.
“Mr. Simpson, to my understanding, had expressed his needs to his kids,” LaVergne mentioned. “And so they’re going to act upon these needs.”
Simpson wished to be cremated, the lawyer mentioned, and — pending a call from his household — there was no fast plan for a public memorial.
“There’s solely been tentative discussions of a celebration of life (or) ceremony,” LaVergne mentioned.
The lawyer filed Simpson’s final will and testomony in Nevada state courtroom two days after his dying, naming Simpson’s 4 kids as the one beneficiaries of his property. He mentioned particulars of a household belief are but to be filed.
The lawyer wouldn’t put a price on the property, however mentioned Simpson didn’t personal a house in states the place he had lived — together with Nevada, California and Florida. He mentioned accounts had been nonetheless being tallied.
Simpson famously was acquitted of legal prices alleging he stabbed his ex-wife and her good friend, Ronald Goldman, to dying in 1994 in Los Angeles. These proceedings in California in 1996 grew to become often known as the “trial of the century.” Simpson was discovered accountable for the deaths in 1997 by a California civil courtroom jury.
In Las Vegas, Simpson went to jail in 2008 for 9 years after being discovered responsible of armed theft in a 2007 encounter at a casino-hotel with two collectibles sellers.
He lived a golf-and-country membership life-style since his launch from jail in October 2017, typically providing social media posts about sports activities and golf. His final message was Feb. 11: sporting a San Francisco 49ers jersey and predicting his previous crew would defeat the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in Tremendous Bowl LVIII. The Chiefs gained.
LaVergne acknowledged that Simpson died with out paying the households of Simpson’s slain ex-wife and Goldman the majority of a $33.5 million judgment they had been awarded within the 1997 civil legal responsibility case.
Legal professional David Cook dinner, representing the Goldman household, mentioned Tuesday that he thought the judgment owed right this moment, together with unpaid curiosity, is greater than $114 million.
LaVergne mentioned final week the Goldmans would not get a penny of Simpson’s belongings, after which backtracked. He mentioned Tuesday he believed the quantity owed was greater than $200 million. He mentioned Simpson’s belongings will not quantity to that.
“They’re going to be invited to view my homework,” he mentioned of the Goldman and Brown households. “I need to present them what I’ve with the caveat that in the event that they consider one thing else is on the market … they’re going to have to make use of their very own attorneys, their very own sources, to attempt to chase down that pot of gold.”
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Related Press author Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M., contributed to this report.
