OJ Simpson murder trial witness Brian ‘Kato’ Kaelin has revealed Barbara Walters’ reaction when the NFL star was found not guilty in his 1995 murder trial.
Kaelin, 65, quickly rose to prominence for his role as Simpson’s guest amid the international publicity surrounding the murders of Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, followed by the infamous low-speed chase and subsequent double murder trial, for which he was a suspect. witness inside.
Speak with People On Monday — less than two weeks after Simpson’s death from cancer at age 76 — Kaelin said he was sitting next to Walters as the verdicts were read as they prepared. for a segment for ABC’s 20/20.
‘It was just her and I sitting and she asked me, “What do you think of the decision?” I’m just saying, ‘I think the jury made a mistake,'” Kaelin told the late journalist, who died on December 30, 2022 at the age of 93.
Kaelin added, “I think she agreed. I think she nodded a little, and that was about it.”
OJ Simpson murder trial witness Brian ‘Kato’ Kaelin has revealed Barbara Walters’ reaction when the NFL star was found not guilty in his 1995 murder trial – Kaelin pictured in 2019
Simpson expressed his relief when the not guilty verdicts were read on October 3, 1995, while flanked by members of his legal ‘Dream Team’ (L-R) F. Lee Bailey, Robert Kardashian and Johnnie Cochrane, all of whom passed in the 29th century . years since the end of the trial
Kaelin said he was friends with the late television personality, who co-created The View, as they dined out several times.
“When I was sitting next to her,” Kaelin told the outlet, “we had already seen each other three or four times at shows or when she visited Los Angeles.”
In the criminal trial, Kaelin told the court that he had heard a bump outside on the night of the double murders, and that he had seen Simpson in his yard.
Prosecutors in the case said Kaelin’s memories showed Simpson re-entered his estate after the fatal encounter.
Speaking to People on Monday, Kaelin said he “thought [Simpson] was guilty” of the double murders he was accused of, adding: “Well, I’m not a fan of his, that’s all I’m saying.”
Kaelin told People that he “never saw any physical fighting” between Simpson and Nicole, as Simpson had previously been arrested during a domestic violence incident on New Year’s Day 1989, and ultimately pleaded no contest to a spousal abuse charge later that year .
Kaelin told People that in retrospect he felt that the rapid fame and notoriety of his association with the Simpson case torpedoed his chances of a serious career in show business, which he was pursuing at the time.
Kaelin said he “got auditions” before “the trial happened,” adding, “Would I have been a star? Don’t know. I doubt it. But maybe I would have been a working actor.”
In the criminal trial, Kaelin told the court that he had heard a bump outside on the night of the double murders, and that he had seen Simpson in his yard. Pictured in March 1995
Simpson, who died earlier this month at the age of 76, celebrated his victory in ‘The Trial of the Century’
Ronald Goldman’s father Fred hugged his daughter Kim as the verdicts were read. Fred said in a statement earlier this month that Simpson’s death was “not a great loss.”
Simpson and Brown married in 1985. Pictured at a party in Brentwood for the 1984 Olympics on June 12, 1984, exactly 10 years to the day before her murder
OJ Simpson and ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson were pictured at a screening of his film Naked Gun 33 1/3 premiering in LA on March 16, 1994, less than three months before the murders.
They had two children, Sydney and Justin, before their divorce in 1992
Simpson’s family announced in a tweet that he “succumbed to his battle with cancer” on April 10 while “surrounded by his children and grandchildren.”
Authorities subsequently confirmed that Simpson — who was ultimately found liable in a 1997 civil lawsuit — had been in his native Las Vegas at the time of death, police said. AP.
Ronald Goldman’s father, Fred Goldman, who has campaigned tirelessly for justice over the decades since his son’s murder, told DailyMail.com that Simpson’s death was “another reminder” of Ronald’s untimely passing.
“It’s a further reminder of my son’s murder and a reminder of the many years we missed Ron,” he said. “His death is a reminder that Ron and Nicole were killed by him. I’m not going to comment on my thoughts about his death.”
Fred ended by saying, “I have nothing to say about him. My answer will not be about OJ’s death, but about the loss of my son’s life because of him. Thanks for calling. That’s all I have to say.’
Fred then told me NBC News in a statement that Simpson’s death was “no great loss.”