Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of domestic violence. Readers are advised to exercise caution.
Who was OJ Simpson's first wife?
OJ Simpson is one of the most popular NFL stars of all time. However, his success in football and acting was overshadowed when his controversial personal life and "trial of the century" made headlines. Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson, his ex-wife, and her friend Ron Goldman. The documentary The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson was released earlier this year and also features Simpson's ex-wife, Marguerite Whitley.
OJ Simpson reportedly met Nicole Brown while he was still married to Whitley in 1977, The US Sun reported. Meanwhile, the NFL star met his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, when they were in high school. Whitley was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Two years after dating, she and Simpson got married in 1967. The two were still college students at the time. However, Whitley first filed for divorce in the mid-1970s but eventually called it off for the sake of their children. She filed for divorce again in 1979, two years after Simpson met Nicole Brown. Whitley and Simpson had separated a year earlier and were living apart.
According to People Magazine, a former Los Angeles police officer alleged in the documentary The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson that OJ Simpson physically abused Marguerite Whitley. In the 1970s, Terry Shauer responded to a domestic violence report at Simpson and Whitley's home. During an argument, Simpson "became violent with her, punched her, and as far as I can recall, pulled out some of her hair," Shauer said. He added that "there was a clump of hair on the floor" in the home's entryway.
