Children Return To Festive Simpson Estate

O.J. Simpson’s two young children arrived at his estate on Saturday, back in his custody permanently.

“They’re home. Everything is fine,” Simpson told The Associated Press in a brief telephone conversation. “They are going to be spending time with the Browns, too, next week.”

Simpson earlier said he planned to have Sydney, 11, and Justin, 8, visit their grandparents, Lou and Juditha Brown, on Christmas Eve, which has become a tradition for the children.

The children have lived with the Browns since Simpson was arrested in June 1994 and charged with murdering their mother, his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Simpson’s Rockingham Drive estate was bedecked with Christmas lights and decorations, its hedges festooned with reindeer and candy canes. Inside the house, a Christmas tree glistening with gold and red ornaments awaited them, piles of presents heaped underneath.

Simpson won permanent custody of the children on Friday after a long court battle with the Browns. He was acquitted in October 1995 but the children continued to visit him only on weekends.