Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
O.J. Simpson faces 6 years to life at sentencing in Nevada
By Ken Ritter, Associated Press Writer
Friday, December 05, 2008 | No comments posted.
LAS VEGAS — O.J. Simpson is going to prison; the question is for how long.
The 61-year-old former football star who walked away a free man after a celebrated murder trial was due to learn today how much time he’ll spend in a Nevada state prison for a botched attempt to recover sports mementos and personal items from two collectibles peddlers.
Neither Simpson, who was acquitted of the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife and her friend in Los Angeles, nor his co-defendant and former golfing buddy, Clarence “C.J.” Stewart, testified at trial. They were convicted Oct. 3 of 12 criminal charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and face mandatory prison time — a minimum of six years and up to life.
Simpson attorney Yale Galanter has said his client won’t address the court. Stewart will, said his lawyer, Brent Bryson.
“Best-case scenario we’re hoping for is six years. That’s the bottom-end number before being eligible for parole,” Bryson said.
District Attorney David Roger is not expected to call witnesses, spokesman Dan Kulin said.
Simpson lawyer Gabriel Grasso said Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass would likely keep the proceedings short.
“She wants to hear from the lawyers and she wants to hear from the defendants. That’s about it,” Grasso said.
Judges in Nevada have broad discretion in determining whether to run sentences consecutively or at the same time. Glass, known for giving severe sentences, can ignore or accept a recommendation from the state parole agency calling for at least 18 years.
She received written pleas for leniency from defense lawyers and was expected to rule on a request to let Simpson post bail and be freed from jail while he appeals his conviction. The judge already denied the men’s request for a new trial.
“Notwithstanding the jury verdict, Simpson continues to maintain his innocence,” Grasso said in a brief seeking his client’s release.
Jurors who heard 13 days of testimony said after the verdict that they were convinced of Simpson’s guilt because of audio recordings middleman Thomas Riccio secretly made of the Sept. 13, 2007, Palace Station casino hotel confrontation with sports memorabilia brokers Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong.
“Don’t let nobody out of this room!” Simpson commands on the recordings, and instructs other men to scoop up items he insists had been stolen from him.
On Tuesday, Glass is scheduled to sentence four former co-defendants who took plea deals and testified against Simpson and Stewart. Michael McClinton, Charles Cashmore, Walter Alexander and Charles Ehrlich could receive probation or prison time. McClinton could get up to 11 years; the others face less.
———
AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.
The 61-year-old former football star who walked away a free man after a celebrated murder trial was due to learn today how much time he’ll spend in a Nevada state prison for a botched attempt to recover sports mementos and personal items from two collectibles peddlers.
Neither Simpson, who was acquitted of the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife and her friend in Los Angeles, nor his co-defendant and former golfing buddy, Clarence “C.J.” Stewart, testified at trial. They were convicted Oct. 3 of 12 criminal charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and face mandatory prison time — a minimum of six years and up to life.
Simpson attorney Yale Galanter has said his client won’t address the court. Stewart will, said his lawyer, Brent Bryson.
“Best-case scenario we’re hoping for is six years. That’s the bottom-end number before being eligible for parole,” Bryson said.
District Attorney David Roger is not expected to call witnesses, spokesman Dan Kulin said.
Simpson lawyer Gabriel Grasso said Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass would likely keep the proceedings short.
“She wants to hear from the lawyers and she wants to hear from the defendants. That’s about it,” Grasso said.
Judges in Nevada have broad discretion in determining whether to run sentences consecutively or at the same time. Glass, known for giving severe sentences, can ignore or accept a recommendation from the state parole agency calling for at least 18 years.
She received written pleas for leniency from defense lawyers and was expected to rule on a request to let Simpson post bail and be freed from jail while he appeals his conviction. The judge already denied the men’s request for a new trial.
“Notwithstanding the jury verdict, Simpson continues to maintain his innocence,” Grasso said in a brief seeking his client’s release.
Jurors who heard 13 days of testimony said after the verdict that they were convinced of Simpson’s guilt because of audio recordings middleman Thomas Riccio secretly made of the Sept. 13, 2007, Palace Station casino hotel confrontation with sports memorabilia brokers Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong.
“Don’t let nobody out of this room!” Simpson commands on the recordings, and instructs other men to scoop up items he insists had been stolen from him.
On Tuesday, Glass is scheduled to sentence four former co-defendants who took plea deals and testified against Simpson and Stewart. Michael McClinton, Charles Cashmore, Walter Alexander and Charles Ehrlich could receive probation or prison time. McClinton could get up to 11 years; the others face less.
———
AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.
The comments below are from users of theworldlink.com and do not necessarily represent the views of The World or Lee Enterprises. Participation Guidelines
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Not already registered?
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
- No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
- No deliberately false information.
- No obscenity or racially offensive language.
- No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
- No information that invades another person's privacy.
- No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Close Guidelines