Over 20 years after being acquitted for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, O.J. Simpson is the subject of a comprehensive ESPN documentary series. The FX drama The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story reignited dormant interest in the infamous trial and now ESPN's O.J.: Made in America provides a non-fiction complement to that version of events. While American Crime Story made some reference to the Simpsons' relationship after their divorce, Made In America digs deeper and even features an interview with someone who was particularly close to Brown Simpson at that time. Keith Zlomsowitch dated Nicole Brown Simpson after her divorce and claimed in court during the trial that Simpson had spied on them and threatened him — a claim he repeats in O.J.: Made in America.
When Zlomsowitch testified to the grand jury in June 1994, The New York Times reported that he worked as the director of operations of Mezzaluna, the restaurant where Brown Simpson dined the night of her death. The restaurateur claimed that Simpson's unwelcome interventions into the relationship began the evening of their first date in 1992. (Brown Simpson filed for divorce that year.) He alleged that Simpson approached him and Brown Simpson as they dined with friends at Mezzaluna, adopted a menacing posture, and stated, "I'm O. J. Simpson and she's still my wife." Simpson was allegedly also at a restaurant called Tryst the same night that Zlomsowitch and Brown Simpson went on their second date there.
According to The New York Times report on his testimony, Zlomsowitch stated that in April of that year he and Brown Simpson returned to her home after a night out at a club and proceeded to have sex on her living room couch. He returned to visit with her the next day and as the Simpsons' children Sydney and Justin played in the pool, Zlomsowitch gave Brown Simpson a neck massage. He claimed to the grand jury that Simpson came into the house uninvited and accosted him.
"I watched you last night. I can't believe you would do that in the house. I watched you," Zlomsowitch claimed to remember Simpson saying. After speaking with his ex-wife, Simpson's demeanor allegedly changed entirely. Zlomsowitch testified that Simpson shook his hand before leaving and said, "No hard feelings, right? You understand, you know, I'm a very proud man."
Nicole Brown Simpson's former boyfriend may also be referenced in the 911 calls she made during an incident in 1993, excerpts of which were played for the jury during Simpson's trial. According to the New York Times, Simpson can be heard shouting about someone named Keith in the background of the recording while Brown Simpson speaks to the dispatcher. The Washington Post reported that Simpson was angry about a photo he found in Brown Simpson's home of her and Zlomsowitch together, as well as a story about the couple in the National Enquirer.
In 1995, Zlomsowitch spoke about Brown Simpson on the news series Inside Edition. The Associated Press reported that Zlomsowitch told the interviewer that he had loved Brown Simpson and was troubled and angered by "opportunists" making money off of her death. (The show's publicist confirmed that Zlomsowitch did not receive any compensation for the interview.) Last year, Zlomsowitch shared a memory of Brown Simpson on his Twitter account, which you can see above. The caption accompanying the photo of him, Brown Simpson, and her two children pays tribute to his departed "best friend and so much more."
