More than 30 years after the murder Nicole Brown Simpson shocked the country, the man who once loved her is shedding new light on what he says many already knew about O.J. Simpson Behind Closed Doors. Joseph Perrulli, who dated Nicole in 1992 after her split from O.J., recounts his relationship with her in a new book, claiming to have witnessed her unrelenting fear amid allegations of abuse by O.J. Simpson.
Nicole Brown Simpson's ex-girlfriend claims O.J. Simpson's alleged abuse was an "open secret" in Hollywood.
Joseph Perrulli recently spoke out about their relationship, claiming that the former NFL player's alleged abuse was widely known in Hollywood. "People in the film industry told me he was abusive, so I knew," Perrulli told Page Six.
According to Perrulli, there was a feeling that few were ready or able to challenge Simpson at the height of his fame. «We were all powerless,» he explained. “He was still the spokesman for a very large company [Hertz], a car rental company, and he was still a sportscaster. So, you know, everyone was powerless, and it seemed like he could do whatever he wanted. And he did.”.
Perrulli claimed Nicole confided in him about the violence she allegedly suffered during her relationship with Simpson. According to the businessman, Nicole told him she feared for her safety after being brutally beaten by her ex-husband.
The couple 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 difficult and they later reconciled.
Perrulli said he was deeply in love with Nicole, but he became increasingly concerned about Simpson's behavior during their relationship.
A disturbing dream put an end to their relationship.
Among the events that Perrulli said convinced him to end the relationship were accusations that Simpson had been stalking him and Nicole while they were spending time together. He claimed to have learned that the former football player had been watching them at Nicole's Brentwood home and even followed them while they were jogging. However, Perrulli said the decisive moment was a disturbing dream.
He said he dreamed he and Nicole were driving together when their car plunged off a cliff, killing them both. The next morning, he gathered mementos of their relationship, put 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 last meeting took place a few months before Nicole's death.
Perrulli said he last saw Nicole on Christmas Day 1993, at a holiday event hosted by the Jenner family. "She wanted to be friends," Perrulli explained. "It was really hard for me to maintain a friendship with her when I was in love with her, trying to keep things platonic.".
The meeting was especially awkward because Nicole had come with Simpson. Nevertheless, Perrulli believed they would eventually reunite. "I would have seen her again. I would have apologized, but six months later, I got the call that she'd been killed.".
Nicole Brown Simpson and her boyfriend Ron Goldman were murdered outside her Los Angeles home in June 1994.
O.J. Simpson's legacy remains tied to the case.
The former Buffalo Bills player was arrested and charged with the murders, but was acquitted in a highly publicized trial in 1995. A year later, a civil jury found Simpson guilty of the deaths.
Long before Nicole's murder, police responded to numerous domestic violence calls involving the couple. During an incident in 1989, Nicole reportedly told officers she feared Simpson was going to kill her. Simpson later pleaded guilty to domestic violence.
He died in 2024 at the age of 76.
Why Joseph Perrulli Decided to Tell His Story
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Perrulli described his relationship with Nicole in a book titled "The Forgotten Briefcase." He said he never intended to write about their life together, but changed his mind after rediscovering the briefcase in 2024.
«"I spent almost four hours on the stairs, rediscovering this woman and understanding who she was," he shared. "All these little mementos. I would say they made her more human. She was a victim. And because of the way we broke up, I… I ignored how much I loved her.".
For Perrulli, those memories ultimately prompted him to revisit a chapter of his life that ended in tragedy and show a side of Nicole Brown Simpson he felt the public never truly knew.
Read also: Nicole Brown Simpson knew for sure that O.J. Simpson would "kill her one day.".