Victim's parents testify today in Simpson case

Jonathan T. Lovitt ; Gale Holland

12/06/1996

USA Today

FINAL

Page 03A

LOS ANGELES -- Nicole Brown Simpson's mother and Ron Goldman's father

are expected to bring an emotional close to their side of the wrongful death suit

against O.J. Simpson today.

The defense opens its case Monday by recalling two police officers to the stand.

Today, Juditha Brown, Nicole's mother, and Fred Goldman, Ron's father, are

scheduled to talk about their families' emotional suffering since Simpson' ex-wife

and her friend were slashed to death in June 1994.

The families are suing Simpson for civil damages. He was acquitted in a criminal

trial last year.

Since the slayings, Goldman has become a frequent television presence and

spokesman for Safe Streets Alliance, a criminal justice reform group. He also

plans to write a book.

Brown and her husband, Louis, are locked in a fierce custody battle with

Simpson over his children, Sydney, 11, and Justin, 8. The children have been

living with the Browns since the slayings.

The custody fight could wrap up as early as Wednesday.

Today's testimony caps a week of witnesses who contradicted much of Simpson's

12 hours on the stand. Several said they had seen Simpson hit Nicole Simpson.

He testified he never hit her.

Simpson won a minor victory Thursday when Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki limited how

jurors can use testimony about a call to a battered women's shelter five days

before the murders.

Shelter counselor Nancy Ney testified that a woman who said her name was

Nicole complained that her famous ex-husband was stalking her. Fujisaki said

the testimony, which was barred from the criminal trial, can be used to evaluate

Nicole Simpson's state of mind, but not as evidence of abuse by O.J. Simpson.

Simpson is expected to testify again during the defense phase of the trial.

Monday, defense lawyers are scheduled to call Philip Vannatter, the former

police detective who brought a vial of Simpson's blood to the crime scene, and

his ex-partner Tom Lange.

Simpson claims police planted or contaminated evidence against him, including a

trail of blood leading from Nicole's condo through his Ford Bronco to his

Brentwood mansion. Vannatter has said he brought the blood to give it to

criminalist Dennis Fung for testing.

PHOTO,b/w,Reuters; PHOTO,b/w,AP; Caption: Juditha Brown: In custody fight

Fred Goldman: Will relate family's pain