Humans have free will, but there is one thing we cannot choose: family. Justin Ryan Simpson was marked for hardship when he was born into the family of O.J Simpson, an alleged murderer.
Justin’s father was involved in a case that recorded the loss of two lives. The trial dominated the headlines throughout the 90s. It left all those linked to him, like Justin Ryan Simpson, stigmatized to an extent. However, there is more to Justin and his siblings than the label of O.J. Simpson’s son.
Who Is Justin Ryan Simpson?
Justin Ryan Simpson is O.J. Simpson’s youngest child. He has three other siblings and reportedly resides in St. Petersburg, Florida, along with his older sister, Sydney Brooke Simpson.
He was only five when he was brutally separated from his mother, Nicole Brown Simpson, and older sister. It was traumatizing, and it probably still haunts him and his siblings to this day.
What Was Justin Ryan Simpson’s Childhood Like?
Justin’s parents, Nicole and O.J., got acquainted in the late 1970s. They had their first child, Sydney, in 1985 before having Justin three years later.
Unfortunately, in 1994, Sydney and Justin’s mother were murdered. It was terrible news, but what made it worse was that their father was indicted for allegedly committing the crime.
This was a traumatic experience for both kids. However, the extended family tried to help them by giving them a childhood as close to normal as possible.
Tanya Brown, Nicole’s sister, revealed how Justin and his sister dealt with the messy affair in her memoir, “Finding Peace Amid the Chaos: My Escape from Depression and Suicide.”
She stated that she always ensured both kids got help and gave them a good time whenever they visited. Brown believed that was a better alternative than bringing up the burden of the case and their mother’s demise.
In the late 1990s, Nicole’s parents tried to gain custody of Sydney and Justin. They might have even succeeded, but for the touching letters from the kids to the justices.
The letters conveyed their desire to stay with their dad and seemingly swayed the court in O.J.’s favor. Tanya Brown did not like it. She wrote in her memoir about how tough it was to pick up and drop the children off at O.J.’s house.
He was the man she believed took her sister’s life. However, she knew she was doing it for Sydney and Justin, so she swallowed her feelings and did her best to endure.
Brown also struggled with how the kids seemed to have a close bond with their father. However, she has had to come to terms with the fact that he will always be their father, no matter what.
Justin Ryan Simpson’s Siblings
Aside from Sydney, Justin has three other siblings, though they do not share the same mother. His three half-siblings are Arnelle Simpson, Jason Simpson, and Marguerite Aaren Simpson, who tragically died at the age of one. They are all the children of O.J.’s first marriage to Marguerite L. Whitley.
Sydney was nine when her mom passed away. She is now a full-fledged adult and is a well-educated woman with a degree in sociology from Boston University.
Arnelle is O.J.’s first child and Justin’s oldest sibling. She entered this world in December 1968 and was the only one who witnessed her dad’s successful football career. Arnelle allegedly suffered from alcoholism, which caused friction between her and O.J. Meanwhile, Jason, O.J.’s second child, was born in 1970.
Not much is known about him as he prefers to fly under the radar. There was once speculation that he was involved in Nicole’s death, but the theory has never been substantiated and is not confirmed.
Justin Ryan Simpson’s Career
Despite all the turbulence from his childhood, Justin Ryan Simpson was able to make something of himself. Naturally, it was not an easy feat, thanks to the shadow of his father’s alleged crimes looming over him as a child.
Justin found school challenging because he was picked on for what was happening with his dad. Things got worse after O.J. was arrested and found guilty of robbery. However, Justin persevered. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations from Florida State University in 2010.
He is now listed as a DHM Real Estate Group agent and has reportedly amassed a net worth of around $3 million. His life is on a great track, and he has put most of what happened behind him.
Other famous faces like Justin, whose fathers were convicted of crimes, include Drake, Woody Harrelson, and Tobey Maguire.
