O.J. Simpson and Marguerite Whitley
on their wedding day in San Francisco on June 24, 1967.
O.J.
and
Marguerite
met in high school, when
Marguerite
was dating one of O.J.’s close friend, A.C. Cowlings,
the same guy who ended up driving his getaway car in 1994. When they married he was 19, she was 18. Marguerite
gave birth to the couple’s first child, Arnelle, in 1968. Their second child, Jason, was born in 1970. They had a third child, Aaren, in 1977. Aaren died on August 18, 1979 in a pool while in the custody of Marguerite. O.J. blamed Marguerite for her death.
The marriage faltered early, with temporary separations starting in early 1970. Records do not indicate what the disputes were about. In 1973,
Marguerite asked her lawyer to start divorce proceedings, which were soon called off. They had a legal separation in 1975 before reconciling.
Their final separation came in 1978; divorce became final in 1979.
O.J. began dating future wife Nicole Brown in 1977, while he was married. Marguerite
was married twice more after divorcing O.J.