Two friends, approximately 26 years old, both waiters & aspiring actors are murdered in separate incidents in safe parts of Los Angeles just 15 months apart. Neither murder has ever been solved. The men have a lot in common; more than even they knew…

As Brentwood is home to the elite, the 1.23 square mile Fairfax District is the home of Los Angeles landmarks: CBS Television City, the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum, The Farmers Market and The Grove. Like Brentwood, the Fairfax District is a safe neighborhood. According to the Los Angeles Times, since January 1, 2000 only 11 murders have occurred in the Fairfax District (For comparison, there have only been 3 murders in Brentwood over the same time period).

As it did to Brentwood in June 1994, any murder occurring in the Fairfax District is a big deal and rattles the community because it happens so infrequently.

Michael Nigg

On the evening of Friday, September 8, 1995 Michael Nigg, a 26 year old waiter and aspiring actor, and his girlfriend, Julie Long, were going to dinner in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. At approximately 10:30 pm Michael pulled his Mercedes into a lot in the 300 block of North Poinsettia Place.

Upon exiting the vehicle, Michael was approached by two armed men who demanded money. After Michael refused to give the men his wallet he was shot in the head. The robbers fled in a car driven by a third suspect, according to Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) spokeswoman Cherie Clair.

The Associated Press (AP) reported on September 12, 1995 that Michael’s girlfriend, Julie Long, was not harmed during the incident because she had not yet exited the Mercedes.

An LAPD spokesperson told the AP that “Julie said it happened in a split second, they didn’t give him a chance,” and after shooting Michael the killers “didn’t even run away, they walked away like nothing happened.”

The murder of Michael Nigg remains unsolved.

Parallel Lives: Michael Nigg and Ron Goldman

The murders of Michael Nigg and Ron Goldman occurred approximately 15 months apart.

Both men were waiters at high-end restaurants – Ron at Mezzaluna in Brentwood and Michael at Sanctuary in Beverly Hills.

Both men had friendships with powerful individuals – Ron was friends with Nicole Brown Simpson and Michael was friends with actor Mickey Rourke.

Both Ron and Michael had appeared on titillating national television game shows – Ron appeared on Studs on January 20, 1992 and shortly before his murder, Michael appeared on an episode of the short-lived FOX network late-night game show Liars.

Rick Cushman, the national television critic for the Sacramento Bee, described Liars as:

a show that is part “Ricki Lake,” part “The People’s Court” and part “The Gong Show,” but with less class. After the two guests yell at each other, then endure very dumb questions from a panel of “expert” judges (more on that later), and the accused takes a lie detector test as the host, Fran Solomita, makes comments trying to disprove the accusation that he graduated from second grade. But “Liars” squanders its cheesy, exploitive foundation. The guests are too horrible, Solomita is too infantile, and the judges are too, well, we’ll get to that. It amounts to boring and boorish television.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the “celebrity” judges included:

John Wayne Bobbitt, Joey Buttafuoco, Tammy Faye Bakker, Roger Clinton, former LAPD chief Daryl Gates and Todd Bridges, are scheduled to appear as panelists.

More Than Parallels; Significant Connections

A plethora of fascinating, never before reported information is buried deep within the transcripts of the depositions conducted prior to the start of Mr. Simpson’s civil trial.

For background, the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School defines a deposition as:

A witness’s sworn out-of-court testimony. It is used to gather information as part of the discovery process and, in limited circumstances, may be used at trial. Depositions usually do not directly involve the court. The process is initiated and supervised by the individual parties. Usually, the only people present at a deposition are the deponent, attorneys for all interested parties, and a person qualified to administer oaths. Sometimes depositions are recorded by a stenographer, although electronic recordings are increasingly common. At the deposition, all parties may question the witness. Lawyers may not coach their clients’ testimony, and the lawyers’ ability to object to deposition questions is usually limited.

Kim Goldman was among the individuals deposed prior to the civil trial. Ms. Goldman’s testimony establishes a direct connection between not only Ron Goldman and Michael Nigg, but also Kim Goldman and Michael Nigg — in 1992 Kim Goldman dated Michael Nigg.

The following excerpt is from the February 6, 1996 deposition of Kim Goldman:

[Note: Philip Baker, Mr. Simpson’s attorney during the civil trial, is deposing Kim Goldman]

Philip Baker: Have you ever heard the name [Name Deleted]?

Kim Goldman: No.

Philip Baker: How about [Name Deleted]?

Kim Goldman: Yes.

Philip Baker: Where have you heard his name?

Kim Goldman: I met [Name Deleted] in Santa Barbara. And I know he was friends with Ron.

Philip Baker: When did you meet him in Santa Barbara?

Kim Goldman: ’92, maybe.

Philip Baker: How did you meet him?

Kim Goldman: Mutual friends.

Philip Baker: Was Ron there?

Kim Goldman: No.

Philip Baker: Were you introduced to him randomly, or were you supposed to meet?

Kim Goldman: Blind date.

Philip Baker: You and [Name Deleted] were on a blind date?

Kim Goldman: Uh-huh.

THE REPORTER “Yes”?

Kim Goldman: Yes. Sorry.

Philip Baker:

Philip Baker: Did you see him after that night?

Kim Goldman: Yes.

Philip Baker: On how many times?

Kim Goldman: A handful.

Philip Baker: Is that 5?

Kim Goldman: 5.

Philip Baker: Did you go out with him?

Kim Goldman: In a group of people.

Philip Baker: You never were dating[Name Deleted]?

Kim Goldman: No.

Philip Baker: What did he do for a living?

Kim Goldman: At this time?

Philip Baker: Yes.

Kim Goldman: He worked at – I always forget the name – at a restaurant in Santa Barbara

Daniel Petrocelli, Attorney for the Goldman Family: What’s the time frame?

Philip Baker: 1992 he worked at a restaurant in Santa Barbara?

Kim Goldman: Yes.

Philip Baker: Do you remember the name of the restaurant?

Kim Goldman: No.

Philip Baker: Do you know what he did following his work at the Santa Barbara restaurant?

Kim Goldman: He moved to Los Angeles.

Philip Baker: Did you ever see him in Los Angeles?

Kim Goldman: No.

Philip Baker: Did Mike meet Ron through you, or did he know Ron before you met Mike?

Kim Goldman: Can you say that again.

Philip Baker: I’m not sure I even understood it. Did[Name Deleted] know Ron prior to the first time you ever met [Name Deleted]?

Kim Goldman: No.

Philip Baker: Did you introduce Mike and Ron?

Kim Goldman: No.

Philip Baker: How did they meet?

Kim Goldman: I was told in Los Angeles.

Philip Baker: Do you know what Mike did for a living when he came to Los Angeles?

Kim Goldman: Not specifically.

Philip Baker: What understanding do you have at all about his employment in Los Angeles?

Kim Goldman: That he wanted to do acting.

Philip Baker: Do you know if he was successful?

Kim Goldman: No, I don’t know.

Philip Baker: What do you know at all about [Name Deleted] after he moved to Los Angeles?

Kim Goldman: That he was killed.

Philip Baker: Anything else?

Kim Goldman: He got Ron a job at Mezzaluna.

Philip Baker: Did you ever hear that he was a club promoter?

Kim Goldman: No.

Philip Baker: Did [Name Deleted] work at Mezzaluna prior to Ron?

Kim Goldman: I don’t know.

Philip Baker: How did [Name Deleted] get Ron a job at Mezzaluna, if you know?

Kim Goldman: I don’t think I know.

Philip Baker: Do you know anything about [Name Deleted]’s death?

Kim Goldman: Yes.

Philip Baker: What do you know?

Kim Goldman: He was shot.

Philip Baker: Do you know when this occurred?

Kim Goldman: Sometime throughout the course of the criminal case.

Philip Baker: 1994, 1995?

Kim Goldman: Sometime in ’95.

Philip Baker: Were you ever questioned regarding that case?

Kim Goldman: No.

The complete deposition of Kim Goldman is available here.

Unmasking [Name Deleted]

At three points in this official transcript, the Goldman’s lawyers were careless and failed to redact [Name Deleted]:

Philip Baker: Did Mike meet Ron through you, or did he know Ron before you met Mike?

Philip Baker: Did you introduce Mike and Ron?

Philip Baker: Do you know what Mike did for a living when he came to Los Angeles?

Near the end of the excerpt Ms. Goldman is asked:

Philip Baker: Do you know anything about [Name Deleted]’s death?

Kim Goldman: Yes.

Philip Baker: What do you know?

Kim Goldman: He was shot.

Philip Baker: Do you know when this occurred?

Kim Goldman: Sometime throughout the course of the criminal case.

Philip Baker: 1994, 1995?

Kim Goldman: Sometime in ’95.

Without a doubt, the identity of [Name Deleted] is Michael Nigg.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm…

With this fact now established, there are a few elements of Ms. Goldman’s testimony that are quite curious to say the least:

In 1992 Kim Goldman and Michael Nigg were set-up on a blind date. After a good first date, the two went on 5 or more dates.

At the time they were going out together Michael Nigg worked at a restaurant in Santa Barbara and at some point after 1992 Michael moved to Los Angeles.

Kim Goldman testified that she never introduced her brother to Michael Nigg and she did not see Michael after he moved to Los Angeles.

Ms. Goldman is unaware how her brother, Ron, and Michael met; she testified that the two met by happenstance.

The two men apparently became good friends because, according to Ms. Goldman, Michael Nigg got her brother the job at Mezzaluna.

While Kim Goldman does not have knowledge of Michael having worked at Mezzaluna, according to the Los Angeles Times Michael Nigg had been employed at Mezzaluna in Brentwood at some point. It should be noted that at the time of his death Michael Nigg was working at a restaurant called Sanctuary that was located in Beverly Hills.

Some news reports claim that Michael Nigg “befriended Ronald Goldman when both worked at the Mezzaluna restaurant” however Ms. Goldman’s testimony establishes that the two men were friends prior to Ron being hired at Mezzaluna. It is unknown if Michael Nigg and Ron Goldman’s tenures at Mezzaluna overlapped.

Conclusion

Our heart goes out to Ms. Goldman, who, over the course of 15 months had to endure the senseless, unsolved murders of two men that she was close to at one time. No person should have to suffer such painful, tragic, unexplained losses in a lifetime. Hopefully the Los Angeles Police Department will dust off both Ron and Michael’s cold case files, re-investigate the murders and achieve justice for both Ms. Goldman’s brother, Ron, and, Michael, who she dated in 1992.

Questions, comments?

We welcome your feedback. Feel free to email the author or connect with us on social media. Follow Brian Heiss on Twitter: @BrianHeiss

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