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Here's How Nicole Brown's Sister Reacted To O.J. Simpson Being Granted Parole
On Thursday, four commissioners from the Nevada Board of Parole granted OJ Simpson's request for an early release, which means that Simpson could walk free as soon as Oct. 1. During Thursday's hearing, the commissioners reassured Simpson that his hearing would focus on the 2007 Las Vegas robbery for which he had been convicted, and they asked him questions to assess whether or not he would pose a risk to society upon his release. The board ultimately granted Simpson parole, and Nicole Brown Simpson's sister responded with scathing criticism of her former brother-in-law.
Referring to Simpson's claim at his hearing that he had led a "conflict-free life," Tanya Brown told TMZ Thursday his domestic battery of her sister said otherwise."I’m like, really, you beat my sister, regardless of . . . murdering her and Ron [Goldman],” Brown said. “The fact is that my sister has diary entries dating back to, what, 1978 about abuse that was inflicted.”
Brown Simpson was the former NFL player's ex-wife, and he was acquitted of her murder — along with the murder of her friend, Ron Goldman — during a high-profile trial back in 1995. Thursday morning's parole hearing didn't attract nearly the same amount of notoriety, but the Brown and Goldman families both believe that Simpson's early release is a sign that they will never have justice.
Brown also told E! News that day that the parole hearing — which she watched — brought her back "23 years ago when I was sitting in that courtroom. The sweaty hands, the anxiety, like going up that hill on a roller coaster and you don't know what's going to come on you or know what's going to happen on the other side.
The Brown family also noted in their own statement before the hearing that the commissioners did not address the domestic violence allegations made against Simpson while they were considering whether or not he would pose a risk to society. Although Simpson denied beating his wife, there are records of him beating her to the point that she required hospitalization. As a result, the Brown family believes that Simpson could continue to pose a danger, even though the domestic violence allegations did not surface during Thursday's parole hearing.
Goldman's family, on the other hand, spoke out ahead of Simpson's parole hearing, and expressed their hope that Simpson would not walk free. Goldman's father, Fred, was troubled by the possibility that Simpson would be granted parole. "We'll never get to share [Ron's] life, and the killer will walk free and get to do whatever he wants." Although Simpson was acquitted in Goldman's murder, Goldman's family was able to win a wrongful death civil suit against Simpson in 1997.
"It is what it is," Brown told E! News. "There's nothing we can do about it and it's time to move on. I do what I can to make the choice of accepting what I can't change or control because I'm just going to be an angry person. For me that just works."