Ronald Lyle Goldman was born on July 2, 1968, and grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
His parents divorced when he was six years old, and he was raised by his father, Frederic Goldman. Goldman was raised Jewish and attended Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
He briefly studied psychology at Illinois State University and was interested in becoming a Sigma Nu fraternity pledge.
His family moved to Southern California when he was 18, and he followed them.
In California, Goldman took some classes at Pierce College, learned to surf, played beach volleyball, rollerbladed, and enjoyed nightclubbing.
He worked as an employment headhunter, a tennis instructor, and a waiter. He occasionally worked as a model for Z90049 and earned an Emergency Medical Technician’s license.
However, he wanted to open a bar or restaurant in Brentwood and expressed aspirations to act.
Friendship with Nicole Brown Simpson
Goldman met Nicole Brown Simpson, the ex-wife of O.J. Simpson, only six weeks before their deaths when he borrowed her Ferrari.
The two became friends and met for coffee and dinner. The relationship between the two was platonic, according to police and friends.
Ronald Lyle Goldman’s Death
On June 12, 1994, Goldman was at work at Mezzaluna Trattoria, where he worked as a server.
Brown called to report that she had left her sunglasses on the table. After work, Goldman agreed to drop off the glasses at her home.
Goldman left his apartment, briefly spoke with his roommate, and went to Brown’s home.
Goldman and Brown were found stabbed to death on the walkway leading to her condominium. Simpson was acquitted of their murders in 1995 but found liable for both deaths in a 1997 civil lawsuit.