>> announcer: tonight on "20/20" saturday -- >> last name simpson. >> the story that won't go away. o.j. simpson. >> i'm not black, i'm o.j. >> on the 20th anniversary of his civil verdict -- an award-winning tv series. >> thank you. and now, an epic espn documentary. nominated for oscar gold. all the real players, then and now. >> i'm sorry. >> i'm sorry for all of it. >> the celebrity criminal. the cop who found the infamous glove. >> simpson came back from chico.

>> reporter: the woman who prosecuted o.j. >> his ability to turn on the charisma. he knew when the camera was on him. >> reporter: o.j. didn't testify now but tonight he will. >> the deposition tapes from his civil case. >> deposition of orenthalj. simpson. if years, they were store under lock and key. tonight, those stories those rare tapes will tell. >> what did you do to her? >> i wrestled her. >> reporter: o.j. under oath and exposed. >> why don't you ask me? >> i just did. >> reporter: his arrogance. >> just strutted in, making jokes. >> reporter: jokes at an adeposition of a double murder. and a father hell bent on getting justice for his son. >> what do you people will think watching those tapes? >> the real him is a violent, lying, narcissistic monster and everybody shou

>> reporter: and now, they will. the o.j. simpson tapes. good evening. i'm elizabeth vargas and welcome to "20/20" saturday. tonight, o.j. simpson sits behind bars in a nevada prison. he's far from forgotten with the 20th anniversary of his civil vergt just this month. his so-called trial of the century is now sparking a tough new conversation about race in america today. has it changed since his trials? and will the deposition tapes i was shown and you're about to see change the way you now view o.j. simpson. we start with something that no one can forget. the most infamous car chase in recent history. >> tend to locate 187 system. >> june 17th 1994.

fridays night. >> at this moment car chase. >> we now go to a special report. >> i'm peter jennings. let's go to a picture in las vegas and every single television network is fixated on a single image. >> down there on the ground is a white ford bronco. dozens of police cars are in pursuit. and ar mad ya of news choppers broadcasting live to 95 million people. >> there are about 15 california highway patrol cars. >> reporter: in the backseat is o.j. simpson beloved sports hero and movie star with a loaded gun pointed to his own head. >> it was mesmerizing. >> people are stopped alongside the road. >> you could not stop watching o.j. simpson is in a bronco.

the sides of the road. >> waving and calling out his name. >> it was crazy. >> reporter: his friend ac cowlings is behind the wheel. >> this is ac. i have o.j. in the car. he's still alive but he's got a gun to his head. >> reporter: after a two-hour chase, the bronco pulls into simpson's brentwood mansion. >> here he is now. >> yeah, that's his estate. >> reporter: simpson is arrested and charged with murder. it was five days earlier when his ex-wife nicole simpson and her friend ron goldman were discovered murdered. nicole's throat slashed, she was nearly decapitated outside her condominium. it was news that spawned a media frenzy. >> the body of 34-year-old nicole brown simpson, ex-wife of o.j. simpson, was found after midnight. >> reporter: tanya brown is nicole's youngest sister. >> all i remember is turning on the news that morning. and there was a white sheet over nicole. and all i remember is my mom saying, that's my kid. >> i remember just kind of falling to the flo

i -- i don't know if i screamed out loud. i felt like i was screaming. it, just everything started to spiral. >> reporter: kim goldman's brother ron had been stabbed more than 20 times. his father fred goldman. >> it was devastating. he was always a good kid. he was fun, he had a good sense of humor. always laughing. >> reporter: he had a good heart. >> he had a good heart. >> o.j. simpson was the prime suspect from -- >> moment one. >> in this case. >> reporter: as police gather evidence things are looking bad for o.j. simpson and he knows it. he seeks refuge at his friend, lawyer robert kardashians house. kardahsian later told author and filmmaker lawrence schiller what happened in the hours before the infamous bronco chase. >> he was sitting there with a gun and his pictures of his kids and of nicole and then o.j. said, "i'm going to kill myself in this room." and i said, "you can't." i said, "this is my daughter's bedroom." >> reporter: he first wanted to kill himself in

>> right, kimmy's bedroom, yeah. >> reporter: and robert said you can't kill yourself here. >> right. >> reporter: my little girl kim sleeps here. >> right. >> i can't have my little girl in this bedroom and every time i come in here, i'm going to see your body. >> reporter: simpson would later explain in a deposition why he then left in the white bronco. >> you left the kardashian residence in mr. cowlings' bronco, correct? >> correct. >> and did you tell anyone that you were going? >> no. >> why did you leave? >> because i wanted to go to nicole's grave. >> reporter: he says he wanted to kill himself at her final resting place. it is an image of simpson that for the public that revered him seemed unfathomable. he was an american icon, his story the american dream. he grew up in the projects of san francisco and "o.j. made in america,," he's shown as a rising football star at the university of southern california.

he became a record-setting nfl running back and hall of famer and then a lovable hit on the silver screen. with his looks and charm he became a master pitchman. >> here's how to get out of an airport fast. >> he had endorsements and he was very well loved by everyone who he ran in to. >> reporter: kris jenner is a ubiquitous television personality today. but in 1994, she is the ex-wife of robert kardashia, and the mother of four young kardashians who will eventually achieve their own modest measure of fame. she and robert were close friends with o.j. simpson. >> o.j. was one of the groomsmen at my wedding. >> reporter: kris helped o.j. call the beautiful blonde waitress named nicole brown

that he had met at a beverly hills restaurant. >> nicole was how old at the time? >> eighteen. >> and you were how old? >> i believe twenty -- oh 28, 29 maybe. >> twenty-nine? >> yeah. >> were you married? >> yes. >> reporter: but two years later he was divorced and in 1985 he and nicole were married and had two children sydney and justin. >> we all bonded. there was great chemistry. it was great friendship. a great life. >> reporter: nicole's sister tanya was just 7-years-old when nicole met o.j.. >> reporter: what were your memories of, of o.j.? i mean, you called him uncle o.j. >> the o.j. i knew, he was -- he was fun. he was laidback. kind, sweet. i never heard them fight. >> reporter: but there were secrets behind the red carpet smiles. by 1992 they are divorced and by 1995, the o.j. known for his charm was in a courtroom charged with murder. >> there's nicol

goldman. >> the scene outside the courtroom got crazy. every day there were people hawking items to buy. there were baseball caps with the names of all the lawyers on them. >> reporter: seriously? >> there was a judge ito jell-o mold. >> reporter: a judge ito jell-o mold? >> and there was screaming and yelling. >> reporter: inside the courtroom prosecutor marcia clark tried to prove that o.j. simpson was a serial abuser, violently beating nicole during their marriage of seven years. their evidence includes these photographs of a bruised and beaten nicole. and there are the harrowing 911 calls she made asking for help. >> 911 emergency. >> could you send someone over here now to 325 gretna green? he's back? please. >> okay. what does he look like? >> he's o.j. simpson. i think you know his a record. could you just send somebody over here? he's going nuts. >> stay on the line. >> i don't want to stay on the line he's going to beat the -- out of me. >> her voice pleading for somebody to come to her house, that was so shocking to me

because i had never heard that before. >> reporter: lost in all the attention paid to the simpsons' turbulent marriage is the other murder victim. >> he was always referred to as the other victim. and that really drove me bananas. and i remember watching the television, always yelling, his name is ron, he's got a name! >> reporter: he had a name and a job at the restaurant at which nicole had dinner with her family the night of the murders. ron was returning a pair of glasses that had been left behind to nicole's house. his father believes he arrived just at the time nicole was under attack. >> he could've run -- >> right, but he didn't. he wouldn't have wanted to run away. he would have wanted to help. >> reporter: the goldmans are convinced the case against o.j. simpson is a slam dunk. in addition to the history of domestic abuse, there is an avalanche of forensic evidence connecting simpson to the crime scene. a suspicious cut on his left hand. his blood, his hair, cth

murder scene, along with a size 12 shoe print, o.j.'s size. and in his bronco blood consistent with ron and nicole's blood and in his bedroom, a pair of socks with nicole's blood. >> and the results of the analysis of that blood confirms orenthal james simpson took her very life. >> every piece of evidence pointed to o.j. >> not guilty of the crime of murder. >> announcer: next, what no one knew about how o.j. beat the d odds to stay out of prison. >> i couldn't believe. >> reporter: and later, o.j. under attack. >> you see those bruises on her face in. >> no. >> you don't see anything? you don't think this picture reflects any bruising or injuries or marks on nicole's face. >> reporter: stay with us. i was active. then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy.

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>> announcer: we continue with "20/20" saturday. once again, elizabeth vargas. >> ladies and gentlemen of the jury. this is going to be a long trial. >> reporter: in what's been called the trial of the century, o.j. simpson seemed to face an insurmountable battle. >> i've never seen so much evidence against someone in a case that's gone to trial as there was against o.j. simpson. ever. >> reporter: enter the so-called "dream team," simpson's all-star defense. >> that'll be interesting i think. >> reporter: including johnnie cochran, robert shapiro, f. lee baile, alan dershowitz and of course, his most trusted ally, robert kardashian. they shift the focus to the los angeles police department. the strategy, accuse the police

mishandling, even planting evidence. >> detective fuhrman, did you plant or manufacture evidence in this case. have you every falsified a police report? was the testimony that you gave truthful? >> reporter: it is an argument that resonates with the mostly black jury, especially the explosive audio of lead detective mark furhman spouting racist slurs like this. >> first thing, anything out of a [ bleep ] mouth is a [ bleep ] lie. >> reporter: the defense, in essence, put bad policemen, racist policemen, on trial. >> they put the whole police department on trial. >> reporter: another tactic the dream team used when the jurors toured the estate. >> when you walked up the grand staircase there was a large wall of pictures of the

pictures of friends. pictures of o.j.'s career. the problem was, the overwhelming majority of pictures were of caucasian friends and colleagues of his. we had an african-american jury and we wanted to make sure that the home's setting would reflect the themes that we wanted to reflect. >> took white friends down and put all the black people up. pictures that he probably had never seen before. >> reporter: you got to be kidding me? it's night and day. this was an african-american's house who had no associations with white guys -- >> marcia saw

said, carl, you know damn well he's never this many black people on his wall his entire life. i said, marcia, what are you talking about? how dare you accuse us of such things. >> i was miserable. i was angry. >> fe had had an latin jury, we would have had a picture of a sombrero. >> reporter: but perhaps the defense's biggest win was the prosecution's biggest blunder, the bloodied glove. everyone knows what happened next. what were you thinking as you watched the spectacle. >> i think the word spectacle is picture. he had latex glove on, a glove that had been soaked in blood. >> reporter: that

becomes a rallying cry for the defense. >> if it doesn't fit you must acquit. >> reporter: with those iconic words ringing in their ears the jury makes its decision. after nine months of testimony and not even four hours of deliberation. >> the jury in the o.j. simpson case has reached a verdict. >> mr. simpson has now come back to the courtroom. >> we the jury in the above entitled action find orenthal j. simpson not guilty. >> reporter: tell me about that moment. >> shock, disbelief. how could they possibly have heard all of that everyday and in a handful of hours said not guilty. >> reporter: kim goldman's sobs fill the courtroom. this is now an indelible image from that time. >> i'm sad for her. i remember that feeling. >> reporter: what was the feeling. >> betrayed and just

i just felt like we let my brother down. >> reporter: kris jenner's rob kardashian's ex-wife remember his face. >> he was shocked. definitely stunned. you could look at his face and see it. i've known him my entire life. i know that like he was floored that that was the verdict. >> reporter: for the nation the reaction to the verdict is sharply divided along racial lines. >> you could see white americans shocked and in disbelief, contrasted with the jubilation of black americans, celebrating the acquittal of o.j. simpson. >> i think a lot of african americans were focusing less on the evidence against o.j. simpson and more on the fact that they felt that this case exposed ongoing problems with policing. and as a result, they didn't want these police officers to win.

>> what was it like to see o.j. simpson walk out of that courtroom a free man? >> ugh, disgusting. >> reporter: and take a look at this video of an impromptu celebration at simpson's house. >> he's finally home. >> reporter: a jubilant simpson rejoicing at his acquittal. here he is hugging best friend and bronco driver ac cowling. he even mocks live television news reports. "prosecution team let the killer get away." for kim goldman, the sight of o.j. simpson as a free man is unbearable. one day, she is driving through a parking lot and stops when she sees him. >> i sat there and i revved the engine and i white-knuckled the steering wheel. and i thought, oh my gosh, nobody's around, i could totally take him out. >> reporter: but instead of vengeance, the goldman family decides to seek justice, again, in of all places, another courtroom. they file a wrongful death lawsuit against simpson.

in a surprise they lay all their hopes on low-profile 42-year-old daniel petrocelli, a business attorney. >> this was not your area of expertise, wrongful death. >> i was not a criminal lawyer. >> reporter: this press conference is his first time speaking to reporters, ever. >> we think that when all is said and done -- >> you described having an anxiety attack. >> a full-scale anxiety attack. i couldn't swallow, and that's when i knew i was in over my head. >> reporter: before the news cameras perhaps. but when the deposition cameras start rolling, petrocelli is in his natural habitat. locked on his target. >> do you recall saying that you would kill nicole? >> reporter: finally, o.j. simpson forced to answer the tough questions. the deposition tapes -- when we come back. if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis like me,

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>> announcer: once again the o.j. simpson tapes. on "20/20" saturday. in the months after his acquittal o.j. simpson had gone back to his life in the limelight, beaming at golf outingsed but fred geldman is plotting his lawsuit. >> at first he has to testify. in the criminal case you can say i'm not going to testify. in a civil case you don't have that right. >> reporter: to prepare for o.j.'s appearance on the stand, lawyer dan petrocelli will spend 11 days grilling him in a pretrial deposition. with a video camera recording every moment. they are in a tiny windowless conference room. joining them across the table, is fred goldman. >> this was a, uh, subject of great, great discussion, about his ability to sit through, and

be within three or four feet of o.j. simpson in a conference room where there, there's no bailiff, there's no security guards. >> did you ever search him for a weapon? >> no, i didn't search him. he had all of his trust in the legal process. >> reporter: a process that resulted in 121 hours of deposition of o.j. simpson and other witnesses. that video, long stored away in these boxes, is part of a stash of evidence from the civil case. combed through by filmmakers to and then featured in two documentaries on a and e and on lmn. >> transcripts, exhibits? >> tens of thousands of pages of >> reporter: it includes pages of nicole's diary. >> it's a very shocking horrific read, the abuse and it actually starts the very first year they met. >> reporter: o.j.'s golf bag.

still have the dirt on them from the last golf game. >> reporter: and those tapes. >> these are just some of the deposition tapes that were recorded on, as you can see, vhs. >> vhs. >> deposition of orenthal james simpson. i'm curious, what the two of you thought when you first watched this? >> it was an incredible moment. >> good morning, mr. simpson. my name is daniel petrocelli. i represent plaintiff frederick goldman in this lawsuit against you. >> well, when he first walked in, it was, you know -- you know, just a frivolous kind of attitude. just strutted in, makin' jokes. >> jokes? at a deposition about a double murder? >> he never took any of it seriously. [ laughter ] >> sorry. >> he put his arms behind his head and leaned back way back in the chair. and he'd put his -- he put his arms behind his head and leaned way back in the chair. he would say, "no. yes.

it was just another inconvenience. >> reporter: for dan petrocelli, it was ammunition. >> oh, yeah. >> do you know why the blood on the console of the bronco is consistent with a mixture of ron goldman's and nicole's blood? >> no. >> do you know why the blood on the socks in your bedroom matched nicole's blood? >> no. >> your mission during this deposition was to catch him up on every single inconsistency, because if you can prove he's lying about all these small things, he could also be lying about the one big thing. >> exactly. >> ask me the question like they asked me and i'll give you an answer. >> where were you between 10 and 11? >> i don't know if they asked me that question. i was home. >> dan didn't take any crap from him. we're here to get you. >> if they did ask you, what did you say? >> i don't recall if they asked me, so i don't know what i said. why don't you ask me? >> i just did. where were -- >> why don't you ask me? >> reporter: dan petrocelli spent days hammering at o.j.'s tumultuous relationship with nicole, grilling him on the photographs of her bruised and battered fac

>> and you caused scars on her face, didn't you? >> uh, that's incorrect. >> and you cut her lip, didn't you? >> that's incorrect. >> you hit her with your fist and you caused her lip to split open, is that right? >> that's incorrect. >> do you see those bruises on her face if. >> no. >> you don't see anything? >> no. i mean, i see this eye thing -- >> you -- you don't think this picture reflects any bruising or injuries or marks on nicole's face? >> no, i don't. >> what do you think this reflects? >> it reflects doing a movie that we're doing and we're doing makeup. >> really? that's makeup? she did that to pretend like she's beat up? really? >> he said that she was wearing makeup for a horror movie that they were -- >> i -- he had so many explaces. >> what'd you do to her? >> i wrestled her. >> what does that mean? >> it means i had my hands on her and i was trying to force her out of my bedroom. we wrestled. >> reporter: eventually simpson admits to hurting nicole, but won't say how. >> you never struck anyone in their face, correct? >> correct. >> and you never hurt your wife either, correct?

>> no, i hurt my wife, yes. >> you never struck her with your hands, correct? >> i never punched her, yes. >> did you ever strike her? >> no. >> did you ever hurt her? >> yes. >> did you ever physically hurt her? >> yes. >> did you ever bruise her? >> yes. >> did you ever make her black and blue? >> i think any marks that's on her, i take full responsibility for. i don't know what else you want me to do. i take total responsibility. >> why? >> for it, because i shouldn't have handled the situation the way i did. i've, all my life with nicole, no matter what was going on, i handled it without being physical with her. and that time i got physical with her and i'm ashamed of it. i wish it not had happened. >> reporter: the only thing he will admit to is this sort of blanket i'm responsible. >> i was responsible for it. >> reporter: but i didn't do it. >> i'm not asking you about the moral or other responsibility. i'm asking for what happened, okay? >> yes. >> you had your fingers around her throat, correct? >> uh, i could have touched her neck, yes. >> what do you mean you could have touched her? this was a -- >> i could have -- >> violent episode, wasn't it? >> yes, it was. >> his mantra was

you know, this was an apology made on some press tour or something. you know, we're in a -- we're in a legal proceeding. and rage is a fair description of your state of mind, correct? >> no, it was not. >> not anger? >> anger, yes. >> intense anger? >> anger. >> angry enough to hit her? >> that's enough. that's enough. i don't know what you just continue to batter him the rest of -- >> batter him? >> that's right. you -- that's an appropriate word, mr. baker. >> reporter: one of the witnesses also deposed, is a.c. cowlings, o.j. simpson's best friend, and the driver of that white bronco. he is asked about a time he took nicole to the hospital for injuries she sustained from o.j. >> those are rather substantial injuries she had over right eye that day new year's day, was it not, mr. cowlings? >> i don't know, sir. she stated to me that, you know, her hand was hurting and i was concerned for her wellbeing. >> mr. cowlings, i'm going to ask if you recognize that picture? >> yes. >> and who do you recognize that to be?

>> and does that appear to be the way -- >> reporter: and he begins to cry. what happened? >> i think cowlings was deeply conflicted. he was very close to nicole. >> give me a break. >> cowlings, however, was blindly loyal to simpson. >> reporter: next the deposition heats up. the killer wore size 12 shoes. did o.j. simpson? >> i never would have worn those ugly ass shoes. >> the picture that doesn't lie. when we come back. un-stop right there! i'm about to pop a cap of "mmm fresh" in that washer with unstopables in-wash scent boosters by downy. and if you want, pour a little more, because this scent lasts for 12 weeks, which is longer than any relationship

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>> announcer: we continue with "20/20" saturday. >> reporter: they are the questions everyone wanted to ask, and the answers everyone wanted to hear. o.j. simpson in these deposition tapes being grilled by attorney daniel petrocelli about his role in the murders of nicole simpson and her friend ron goldman. petrocelli hones in on the physical evidence, like this cut pictured on simpson's hand after the murders.

>> did you remember cutting your finger? >> i remember bleeding. >> i mean, who doesn't have an idea how you have an enormous gash on your finger that requires gauze and a big bandage. i mean, it just -- >> reporter: we're not talking a little paper cut or a small -- >> right. did you cut it on one of the broken pieces of glass? >> yeah. >> on what piece? >> can we take a break? >> yeah, sure. >> reporter: o.j. finally says "i need a break." what was that like to watch? was it gratifying? he looked a little rattled. >> well, yeah, well, of course, it -- yeah. >> it was absolutely gratifying. >> reporter: but if simpson was rattled then, there was more to come. the killer of nicole brown and ron goldman left a key piece of evidence at the scene of the crime -- a shoe print stamped in the victims' blood. >> it was a size 12 shoe. >> reporter: simpson's size. and the brand, bruno magli. only 299 pairs of that shoe in that size ever sold in the united states.

>> no. >> reporter: prosecutors in the criminal trial were never able to prove that simpson owned those bruno magli shoes. petrocelli questions him about it during the deposition. >> did you ever buy shoes that you knew were bruno magli shoes? >> no. because i know if bruno magli makes shoes that look like the shoes they had in court that's involved with this case, i would have never worn those ugly-ass shoes. >> you thought they, those were ugly-ass shoes? >> yes. >> reporter: but then months later, a photograph emerged. first in the national enquirer. o.j. simpson wearing bruno magli shoes at a football game nine months before the murders. petrocelli brings simpson back for another round of questions. watch o.j.'s reaction. >> and that is a picture of you looking at exhibit one, correct? >> it appears to be me, yes.

the shoes, can you believe that those were shoes that you owned at that time? >> no. >> those ugly-ass shoes i would never own, there you are. >> wearing the shoes. >> uh-huh, really? they're not yours. someone put it on your feet and you didn't know it. >> his story was "well, yeah that's me in the picture, but that, those are not my shoes." >> did he say that he was wearing somebody else's shoes? >> no, he says "uh, i don't remember what shoes i had on that day, uh, but i didn't have those shoes on." because he knew that those were the killer's shoes. >> reporter: the 11 days of deposition have prepared petrocelli for the main event, the trial -- putting simpson on the stand. petrocelli knows he has him where he wants him. >> i was ready. i knew the case inside out. >> reporter: there are no cameras in the courtroom. the world does not see the once confident simpson on the hot seat and shaken. >> within the first half hour or so, he was hyperventilating. >> reporter: simpson was hyperventilating? >> yeah, these -- these sort of

we were questioning him very hard about his violence towards nicole. >> reporter: and by then, 30 more photographs of simpson wearing those shoes are entered into evidence. >> there he is, picture after picture after picture after picture, of o.j. simpson wearing those ugly-ass shoes. >> pretty damning. >> it was it. >> reporter: but perhaps the most powerful testimony is not from o.j. simpson, but from fred goldman. one of the other things that you did in this trial, was to put fred goldman on the stand to bring the victim who for so many was an afterthought to life. >> we put up some film footage. ♪ >> and uh, fred and ron are singing and on the stage, and it was heartbreaking and uh, i think i -- i had tears uh -- streaming down my eyes, and so

>> reporter: after 41 days of testimony, there is a verdict, and it is unanimous. it is broadcast at the same time as president clinton's state of union address. it is the second time a jury will rule on o.j. simpson, but this time, there's a different outcome. simpson is found responsible for killing nicole simpson and ron goldman. their families are awarded $33.5 million in damages. >> today's two and a half years. a little over two and a half years, and we finally have justice for ron and nicole. >> is it justice? >> not the justice i would like, but it's a way of getting some justice. >> reporter: for kim, this time there are smiles instead of sobs. >> we did this for ron. and then the killer got up and walked out the courtroom, walked right past me, right past all the media, right into the crowds waving, and went off to ben and jerry's to get ice cream.

>> reporter: next -- kim and fred would never imagine that their victory in civil court would one day help put o.j. simpson in prison. >> people have always said to us, you know, karma will get him in the end. >> reporter: you wrote him a card in prison. what did it say? stay with us. ♪ your body was made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can reduce joint pain and swelling in as little as two weeks, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal

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>> announcer: we continue with "20/20" saturday. once again, elizabeth vargas. >> reporter: if the two trials and two very different verdicts didn't destroy the celebrity status o.j. simpson longed enjoyed the damage was done. the espn documentary o.j. made in america follows his fall from fame to infamy. >> what type of reaction do you get from people? >> if you took a walk with me down the street you would be amazed. that's why i played

>> oh, my god, it's really o.j. simpson in our town. he's really here. 12k3w4r i'm 74 years old. but i wanted to meet o.j. >> reporter: ordered to pay the families of nicole and ron goldman pay millions. >> i had his collectibles, personal items. it was scattered. >> reporter: that desperation to hang on to his trophies leads simpson into more trouble. this time in las vegas 2007, when a run of the mill robbery takes place at that casino. one of the suspects arrested -- orenthal james simpson. >> o.j. simpson is under arrest. in las vegas. >> in connection with an alleged armed robbery. >> reporter: i can only imagine what you and your dad must've thought when o.j. simpson was arrested for robbery.

[ laughter ] >> you did? >> who would've thunk? you can't write a better story. >> we were just robbed at gunpoint by o.j. simpson. can you send, uh, can you send police here please? >> reporter: this is surveillance video of simpson and a group of his friends. they broke into a hotel room to steal memorabilia that simpson claimed belonged to him and that simpson hoped to sell for cash -- cash that simpson could keep hidden from the goldmans. >> you think you can steal my [ bleep ] and sell it? don't let nobody out here. you [ bleep ] you think you can steal my [ bleep ]? >> reporter: kim and her father traveled to las vegas. at long last they can see their enemy in shackles. >> i thought i was confronting friends and retrieving my property. i didn't mean to steal anything from anybody and i didn't know i was doing anything illegal. >> to see him stand before the judge and plead and -- and to look kind of just disheveled. >> reporter: how had he changed? >> he looked broken. >> i'm sorry, i'm sorry for all of it.

day after his famous acquittal of murder, a 61-year-old simpson was found guilty of robbery and kidnapping. >> guilty. count two, conspiracy to commit kidnapping -- guilty. >> reporter: he is sentenced to up to 33 years in prison. the judge said simpson's motive was clear. >> you didn't want all those items to fall into the hands of the goldmans. >> reporter: the goldmans say they were never after money. they simply wanted punishment. >> our effort of constantly going after him maybe pushed him, even only this much into committing armed robbery. >> this much landing him in prison. >> ain't that wonderful? >> fred goldman and the verdict you helped win have haunted o.j. simpson. >> justice delayed but not denied. >> people have always said to us, you know, "karma will get him in the end." >> you wrote him a card in prison. what did it say? >> "welcome to your new digs, signed the goldman family."

>> reporter: o.j. simpson is now a pariah. the throngs of supporters he had vanished. but what has not changed is the tension between police and the african-american community, tension that may have lead a mostly black jury to acquit simpson of murder. more than 20 years ago. cities today still convulse with outrage over alleged police misconduct. easy ra edelman directed the espn documentary. >> it's about everything. i mean, it's about race and celebrity. it's about identity. it's about the media. criminal justice system. domestic abuse. >> have we heard the end of o.j. simpson? >> i doubt it. i wouldn't be surprised if he got out

>> reporter: time has not lessen the loss for those who loved ron and nicole. today, kim goldman is raising a son born after the decade after the murder of her brother ron. his middle name is? >> ron. >> very nice how you kept ron alive on your wall of photos. >> do you like these pictures of your uncle up here? >> yes. >> i hesitate to ask this question, after two decades does it get any easier? >> no, there isn't a day that goes by that i don't think about my son. i was looking at a picture this morning of ron holding a baseball bat and it occurred to me that that's the ron i will forever know. i will not know him older. >> reporter: it's the same photograph that hangs in sam ronald goldman's bedroom -- the last photo of his uncle ever

very day he was killed. why do you keep that in your room? >> because it's like a reminder. >> reporter: as for o.j. simpson, kim has nothing she wants to say. >> i wouldn't waste my words on him. the fact that i can still stand strong and live my life with purpose is the message. he didn't get me. are your allergies holding you back or is it your allergy pills? he didn't get me. break through your allergies. introducing flonase sensimist. more complete allergy relief in a gentle mist you may not even notice. using unique mistpro technology,

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we'll certainly continue to follow this saga when o.j. simpson comes up for parole in eight months. one further note, that film o.j. made in america from our sister network espn, has now been nominated for an oscar for best documentary. thank you so much for watching us tonight. i'm elizabeth vargas. for david and all of us here at "20/20" and abc news, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

kimberly: straight ahead, massive flames kasich family out of their homes. crews are still dousing hotspots. the challenge firefighters faced and why neighbors are concerned. plus, a morning and call for help identifying the man impersonating a metro transit police officer. and, changing the rules. concerns and fears mount among undocumented immigrants in the u.s., new documents revealing the president's deportation plan. 7 newser: now, abc at 11:00. kimberly: thick, black smoke seen for miles away. just incredible video. thank you for joining us. home flames engulfing hoa this