More than 30 years after Nicole Brown Simpson‘s murder shocked the nation, a man who once loved her is shedding new light on what he claims many people already knew about O.J. Simpson behind closed doors. Joseph Perrulli, who dated Nicole in 1992 following her separation from O.J., is opening up about his relationship with Nicole in a new book, claiming he witnessed the lasting fear she lived with amid allegations of abuse involving O.J. Simpson.
Joseph Perrulli recently reflected on their relationship and claimed the former NFL star’s alleged abuse was widely known throughout Hollywood. “I had people in the [movie] industry telling me about, you know, informing me about his abuse, so I knew,” Perrulli told Page Six.
According to Perrulli, there was a sense that few people were willing or able to challenge Simpson at the height of his fame. “We were all powerless,” he explained. “He was still a spokesperson for a very big company [Hertz], a rental car company, and he was still a sportscaster. So, you know, everybody was powerless, and it seemed like he could do what he wanted. And he did.”
Perrulli claimed Nicole confided in him about the violence she allegedly experienced during her relationship with Simpson. According to the businessman, Nicole told him she feared for her safety after being beaten so severely by her ex-husband.
The pair began dating after Nicole’s split from Simpson, whom she married in 1985 and with whom she had two children: daughter Sydney and son Justin. Although Nicole and O.J. divorced in 1992, their relationship remained complicated, and they later reconciled.
Perrulli said he was deeply in love with Nicole but became increasingly alarmed by Simpson’s behavior during their relationship.
A Disturbing Dream Marked The End Of Their Relationship
Among the experiences Perrulli says convinced him to step away from the relationship were allegations that Simpson monitored him and Nicole while they spent time together. He claimed he learned that the former football star had watched them at Nicole’s Brentwood home and had even followed them while they were jogging. Still, Perrulli said the defining moment came in the form of a disturbing dream.
According to his account, he dreamed that he and Nicole were driving together when their vehicle plunged off a cliff, killing them both. The following morning, he gathered keepsakes from their relationship, placed them in a briefcase, hid it, and began distancing himself from Nicole. Despite his feelings for her, he said he felt he had no other choice.
Their Final Meeting Happened Months Before Nicole’s Death
Perrulli said the last time he saw Nicole was during the Christmas season in 1993 at a holiday gathering hosted by the Jenner family. “She wanted to be friends,” Perrulli explained. “It was very difficult to be friends with her when I was in love with her, trying to maintain a platonic relationship like that.”
The reunion was especially uncomfortable because Nicole attended with Simpson. Still, Perrulli believed they would eventually reconnect. “I would see her again. I would apologize, but I got the phone call six months later that she’d been murdered.”
Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were killed outside her Los Angeles home in June 1994.
O.J. Simpson’s Legacy Remains Tied To The Case
The former Buffalo Bills star was arrested and charged with the murders, but was acquitted in the highly publicized criminal trial in 1995. A year later, a civil jury found Simpson liable for the deaths.
Long before Nicole’s murder, police had responded to multiple domestic violence incidents involving the couple. During a 1989 incident, Nicole reportedly told officers she feared Simpson was going to kill her. Simpson later pleaded no contest to spousal abuse.
He died in 2024 at the age of 76.
Why Joseph Perrulli Decided To Tell His Story
Perrulli has now chronicled his relationship with Nicole in a book titled “The Forgotten Briefcase.” He said he never intended to write about their time together, but changed his mind after rediscovering the briefcase in 2024.
“I spent close to four hours on the stairs rediscovering this woman and and and realizing who she was,” he shared. “All these little mementos. I’d say they humanized her. She was a victim. And because of the way we broke things off, I. I ignored how much I loved her.”
For Perrulli, the memories ultimately inspired him to revisit a chapter of his life that ended in tragedy and to share a side of Nicole Brown Simpson that he believes the public never truly knew.
