Rusty Weiss
A former boyfriend of Nicole Brown Simpson has shared a disturbing story from 1992 that shows just how closely O.J. Simpson was watching his ex-wife after their separation. Thirty-plus years after the fact, and we’re still learning something about the double murder case that dominated headlines back in the day.
Joseph Perrulli, who dated Nicole shortly after she split from the NFL legend, says he was inside her Brentwood home one night when O.J. was spotted lurking in the bushes outside. As he left that evening, Perrulli claims he had a strange feeling.
Nicole Brown Simpson Confronted O.J. Simpson After He Was Seen Lurking in the Bushes While She Was Inside with Lover (Exclusive) https://t.co/X4nIs6eybq
— People (@people) June 17, 2026
A Chilling Night in Brentwood
“I got this strange sense, and in Brentwood at the time, you never felt that. It was a tiny neighborhood, and so I got in my car and kept feeling the need to look over my shoulder,” he said. “I remember looking in the rearview mirror.”
Perrulli learned why he might have had that eerie feeling weeks later when Nicole called him to tell him what had happened.
“She challenged him on coming to the house when she was there with someone. He (Simpson) said he just happened to be driving by and wanted to make sure everything was okay,” Perrulli recalled in an exclusive interview with People. “He also said he really didn’t have a problem with me. He said he felt I was a gentleman.”
At the time, O.J. was still a massive figure in American sports and entertainment. The Heisman Trophy winner and former Buffalo Bills star had retired from the NFL, but his presence loomed large in Nicole’s life. Perrulli says there were other uncomfortable run-ins, including one at the Brentwood Country Mart, where Simpson showed up with his kids while Nicole was jogging nearby.
“It almost felt like he marked me,” Nicole’s former boyfriend said. “His glare was penetrating.”
Nicole Brown Simpson 'Challenged' O.J. Simpson After He Was Caught Lurking in the Bushes While She Was Inside With Another Man, Her Ex Reveals https://t.co/EDtKENTyD7 pic.twitter.com/e6o1Kl9fz0
— OK! Magazine USA (@OKMagazine) June 17, 2026
Red Flags That Proved Prophetic
The tension eventually became too much, and Perrulli ended the relationship after a few months. A move that might have been a life-saver in hindsight. Allegedly.
Tragically, as we all know, the red flags proved prophetic. On June 13, 1994, Nicole and Ron Goldman were murdered outside her home. When Perrulli heard the news, his first thought was that O.J. was responsible.
“Ron Goldman could have been me, absolutely,” he said.
Perrulli kept photos, letters, and mementos from his time with Nicole in a black briefcase for decades. Now, more than 30 years later, he’s speaking out to honor both victims. He wants people to remember that Ron Goldman was an innocent 25-year-old waiter whose life was cut short alongside Nicole’s.
Well, that, and he’s promoting his new book, The Forgotten Briefcase.
Simpson, who died in 2024, was acquitted in the criminal trial that captivated the nation, almost exclusively because of his race. Perrulli’s account adds another personal layer to the well-documented troubles in the Simpson marriage and the fear Nicole reportedly lived with in her final years.
