A Sister's Grief: 25 Years After Ron Goldman's Murder by Associated Press, Adapted by Newsela Staff on 07.12.19 Word Count 506 Level 950L

A sister's grief: 25 years after Ron Goldman's murder By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.12.19 Word Count 506 Level 950L

Kim Goldman pictured on June 7, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo

LOS ANGELES, California — Kim Goldman's brother, Ron, was murdered on June 12, 1994.

Former football star O.J. Simpson was acquitted of killing Ron Goldman and Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in 1995. The murder took place in one of Los Angeles' most exclusive neighborhoods. The story was all over the news, and one of the most high-profile criminal cases in U.S. history. It divided the nation.

Kim Goldman was devastated. As the verdict was read, cameras in the courtroom caught her sobbing uncontrollably.

A Sister's Hero Lost

Ron wasn't just her brother. He was her hero and protector.

Ron Goldman once pulled Kim Goldman, a terrified teenager, from a devastating car wreck 34 years ago and rode to the hospital in the ambulance with her. He was the person every guy had to

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. go through if they wanted to ask her on a date.

Twenty-five years later, she has turned the agony of that moment into a lifetime of helping troubled teens and aiding crime victims' rights groups. She has also pursued the life of a suburban single mom. At the moment, she is teaching her 15-year-old son, Sam, to drive.

"That's very scary," she says, laughing while recalling gripping the passenger-side door and putting her foot where the brake would be if she were in the driver's seat.

Still, even lighthearted moments like that come with a price.

Missed Milestones

"I don't suffocate in my grief. But every milestone that my kid hits, every milestone that I hit, you know, those are just reminders of what I'm not able to share with my brother and what he is missing out on," she adds.

Goldman, age 47, can surprise you with her humor in unguarded moments. However, the pain of her brother's death is closer to the surface as the 25th anniversary of the killings nears and attention from news organizations intensifies.

The word "closure" does not sit well with her, she says. "I don't think it's applicable when it comes to tragedy and trauma and loss of life."

She has launched a podcast where she talks about the details of the case. She hopes to discuss other murder cases afterward.

High-Profile Case In Spotlight

Two years after he was acquitted, a civil court jury found Simpson at fault for the deaths. The court ordered he pay the survivors' families $33.5 million.

Goldman has kept tabs on Simpson and imagined what she would say or do if she ever came face to face with him.

Some say Goldman should just move on. She says they are the ones who need to get beyond their fascination with Simpson and the trial.

"Because our case is so high-profile, I don't get to choose to just 'move on,'" she says. "So the criticism I get that I'm not moving on, I sort of feel like that's the criticism that everybody else should be having. The rest of the world, they're always revisiting this. Twenty years later, 25 years later, and I'm just living my life."

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz

1 Which sentence from the article would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article?

(A) As the verdict was read, cameras in the courtroom caught her sobbing uncontrollably.

(B) Ron Goldman once pulled Kim Goldman, a terrified teenager, from a devastating car wreck 34 years ago and rode to the hospital in the ambulance with her.

(C) However, the pain of her brother's death is closer to the surface as the 25th anniversary of the killings nears and attention from news organizations intensifies.

(D) Two years after he was acquitted, a civil court jury found Simpson at fault for the deaths.

2 Read the following sentence from the section "A Sister's Hero Lost."

Twenty-five years later, she has turned the agony of that moment into a lifetime of helping troubled teens and aiding crime victims' rights groups.

How does this detail develop the article’s central idea?

(A) It shows that Kim Goldman used a tragedy in her life as a way to help others.

(B) It shows that Kim Goldman has been unable to feel happy after her brother's killing.

(D) It demonstrates that Kim Goldman no longer lets her brother's killing affect her.

3 Which answer choice accurately characterizes Kim Goldman's reaction to people who tell her to move on from her brother's murder?

(A) She believes it is good advice but hard to do when her brother's killing still feels fresh in her mind.

(B) She believes it is unfair for people to expect her to move on when she is constantly reminded of it.

(D) She gets sad when people tell her to move on because they do not even know about the case.

4 What is MOST likely the reason the author included information about Kim Goldman's car wreck?

(A) to explain why Goldman is scared to teach her son how to drive

(B) to highlight a memory that Goldman has of her brother protecting her

(D) to explain evidence that was used in the trial against O.J. Simpson

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.