All About Nicole Brown Simpson’s Sisters, Denise, Dominique and Tanya Brown (2024)

Nicole Brown Simpson’s sisters are telling her story 30 years after her tragic death.

In the new Lifetime documentary, The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, which premieres on June 1 and 2, Denise, Dominique and Tanya Brown open up about their sibling, who was murdered alongside her friend, Ron Goldman, on June 12, 1994, in front of her Los Angeles home.

Her ex-husband O.J. Simpson was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing deaths of Nicole and Goldman. However, he was acquitted after a lengthy trial in October 1995.

Through the new documentary, her sisters hope to provide a more personal view of Nicole. “She’s not a dead body covered with a white sheet at the bottom of the stairs. That’s not Nicole. We want people to see this beautiful human being,” her sister Tanya told PEOPLE.

In addition to sharing her story in the new documentary, her sisters have also kept her legacy alive by speaking out against domestic violence through the years.

Here’s everything to know about Nicole’s three sisters.

Like Nicole, Denise was born in Germany

Denise is the oldest of four, born on July 29, 1957, two years before Nicole was born in May 1959. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, the two sisters spent their early years in Europe with their German mother Juditha and American father Louis. Eventually, their family moved to the United States, where their two younger sisters, Dominique and Tanya, were born.

They primarily grew up in California

After leaving Germany when Nicole and Denise were young, the family resided in Orange County, Calif., where Nicole graduated from Dana Hills High School in 1976.

Growing up on the West Coast, her sisters recalled, Nicole had a passion for all things equestrian. “We had horses, and loved horseback riding, riding horses, and all that. We always had a great time,” Denise told PEOPLE.

Dominique was very protective of Nicole’s children after her death

Following Nicole’s violent murder in 1994, her children with Simpson — Sydney, then 8, and Justin, then 5 — were thrust into the spotlight. “They lost their mother, and it was everywhere in the world,” Dominique recalled to PEOPLE.

Dominique noted that she was especially protective of her niece and nephew following Nicole’s death, shielding them as best as she could from the chaos of the time.

“I knew that was the role I was supposed to undertake,” she told PEOPLE. “There was Denise’s son, my son, Sydney and Justin. We played together, ate together, went to the beach together—everything together. It was to help them heal and do things that were fun.”

Though the sisters have not stayed in close touch with Sydney and Justin in the years since, the sisters believe Nicole would have been incredibly proud of them and their own families.

“I see so much pride in their families just like [Nicole] had in her children,” Dominique said. “I see that with the kids now with their own.”

They have used their platform to speak out against domestic violence

Nicole’s death had a profound impact on her family, but they have also used their platform to help others by bringing national awareness to domestic violence, including helping make sweeping changes to laws.

"Unfortunately, it took my sister, my sister's life, to pass the Violence Against Women Act," Denise told PEOPLE. "And that was back in 1995.”

Denise said she and her family had no idea how to spot the signs of domestic abuse until after Nicole died. “Then you get educated on it. You see all the signs, you go, 'Oh my God ... That's why I think education is so important when it comes to domestic violence, the power and control of one human being over another.”

Both Denise and Tanya have spoken out against domestic violence as public speakers. In 1995, Denise lobbied for the Violence Against Women Act, urging senators for increased funding. After her testimony to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, a portion of the bill’s funding was increased from 18 million to 32 million, per her bio on AAE Speakers. She has also visited universities, prisons, churches and more to speak on the subject.

Additionally, Tanya has spoken about domestic violence as well as the stigma surrounding mental illness after she developed “unhealthy coping mechanisms” following her sister’s death, per her website. She reveals that her “self-sabotaging behaviors” led her to attempt suicide in 2004. After getting her master's in psychology counseling, she now serves as a “self-care advocate” to help equip others “with the tools to optimize your mental health and well-being.”

They hope to share Nicole’s story through a new Lifetime doc

Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively, Nicole’s sisters shared why they felt like this was the right time to share Nicole’s story with the Lifetime documentary, which releases around the 30th anniversary of her death. “Other anniversaries just didn’t feel right,” Denise said. “But we decided 30 years was probably the best and the last time to hear her voice and tell her story.”

Tanya added that they hope to show who Nicole really was, apart from her troubled relationship and tragic death. “She’s not a dead body covered with a white sheet at the bottom of the stairs. That’s not Nicole,” she said. “We want people to see this beautiful human being.”

Their reaction to OJ Simpson’s death was ‘complicated’

After Simpson died from cancer at the age of 76 on April 10, Nicole’s sisters broke their silence on his death while speaking to PEOPLE about Lifetime’s The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson.

“It’s very complicated,” Dominique explained of their reaction to Simpson’s death. Tanya added, “This is a person who’s been in our life for a very long time, who wreaked havoc on our family. It’s like the end of a chapter.”

Recalling how she learned of her sister’s violent death, Denise noted that she instantly felt that Simpson was responsible. Tanya added that when the DNA evidence — including blood found in Simpson’s white Bronco and at his house — was introduced at trial, she was certain he did it. “DNA doesn’t lie," she says.

Dominique, meanwhile, has refused to share on her thoughts on Simpson’s culpability. “Because of [my niece and nephew], I’m not going to answer,” she told PEOPLE.