Nicole Brown Simpson’s sisters are sharing their story for the first time.
The trio opened up about the brutal death of their sister Nicole in the upcoming Lifetime documentary The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, which airs Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2, at 8 p.m. ET.
The film looks back on the fatal stabbing of Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman, who were killed outside of her home in Los Angeles. Law enforcement officials named her ex-husband O.J. Simpson as their primary suspect. Simpson, who died of prostate cancer in April, was ultimately acquitted on the murder charges in 1995. Nicole and Goldman’s families later sued Simpson for wrongful death the following year, and the court found him liable.
Denise, Dominique and Tanya are among the 50 people who spoke out in the documentary, which marks the 30th anniversary of Nicole’s murder. “Other anniversaries just didn’t feel right,” Denise shared with People in an interview ahead of the film’s release. “But we decided 30 years was probably the best and the last time to hear her voice and tell her story.”
Scroll on to learn more about the Brown sisters:
Denise Brown
Denise, 66, made an emotionally charged courtroom appearance during Simpson’s trial, recalling years of abuse her sister allegedly suffered at the hands of Simpson, which she said included the athlete throwing Nicole up against a wall and tossing her out of their house in the 1980s.
She also offered heartbreaking testimony about the moment she learned her sister had died while speaking to People in April.
“The moment my mom got the phone call, I heard this screaming from my parents’ bedroom,” Denise told the outlet. “It was gut-wrenching. I grabbed the phone, and the detective said, ‘Your sister’s been killed.’ I said, ‘Oh, my God, he did it, he finally did it.’ I knew in my heart [it was O.J.].”
Since her sister’s death, Denise has gone on to travel statewide, speaking out on domestic violence. She also testified to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on behalf of the Violence Against Women Act, successfully helping bolster a portion of the funds from $18 million to $32 million.
Dominique Brown
Dominique, 59, opened up about her decision to take part in the Lifetime documentary in a trailer for the film, explaining, “It’s been 30 years. Maybe it’s time to rekindle the flame of Nicole.”
Following her sister’s murder, Dominique became a maternal figure for her niece and nephew, Sydney and Justin Simpson, now 38 and 35, respectively.
“I knew that was the role I was supposed to undertake,” she told People. “There was Denise’s son, my son, Sydney and Justin. We played together, ate together, went to the beach together — everything together. It was to help them heal and do things that were fun.”
In a recent interview, Dominique shared with ABC News that she keeps the subject of Sydney and Justin’s late father off the table when they speak. “I don’t know what kind of a relationship they had with him,” she explained. “I’m there to love on them, and I’m there to love on their children.”
She has not commented on whether she thinks Simpson killed her sister. “Because of [my niece and nephew], I’m not going to answer,” she explained to People when asked to share her thoughts.
Tanya Brown
At 54, Tanya is the youngest sibling in the Brown clan. She opened up about the impact that her sister’s murder had on her life in a candid section on her website, admitting that she developed “unhealthy coping mechanisms” as the Simpson trial played out.
“I didn’t deal with stress, grief, and codependence in healthy ways,” she explained. “These self-sabotaging behaviors caught up to me when I attempted suicide in 2004. It’s not that I wanted to die, I just wanted the pain to stop. I was suicidal, exhausted from unresolved pain, grief, anxiety, stress, and couldn’t see a way out.”
While in the recovery hospital, Tanya learned self-care tools to cope with trauma, which prompted a passionate pursuit of psychology. These days, she’s working as a life coach, mental health counselor and motivational speaker. According to her website, she “uses the lessons from her experience with Nicole and her own suicide attempt to help others cope with life’s challenges.”
Reflecting on the recent death of Simpson while speaking to People, Tanya noted that there’s a sense of closure for her. “This is a person who’s been in our life for a very long time, who wreaked havoc on our family,” she explained. “It’s like the end of a chapter.”
