Archive for O.J. Simpson

O.J. Simpson will be sentenced on Friday for his October armed robbery conviction. The former football player faces up to life in prison for the 2007 sports memorabilia hold-up, but defense lawyers hope they can get it down to the minimum of six years. After all, O.J. is a “first-time offender!”

“Simpson has never previously been convicted of a crime. Thus, he now stands before the court as a first-time offender,” wrote attorney Gabriel Grasso in court papers. “Such a sentence would be a sufficient reflection of both the nature of the case as well as the first-time offender status of the defendant.” Grasso also claims that a report from probation officials suggesting he receive 18 years is “invalid” and a “completely inappropriate and knee-jerk recommendation.” Gee, you have to wonder why their knee would jerk like that.

Admittedly, Simpson was only accused of a history of spousal abuse and murder. All we know for sure is that he’s a tax-cheat who was found legally responsible for the death of his wife in a civil suit. Oh, and that he stole digital cable. And that he wrote a book about how he would have killed his wife if he did it. But armed robbery? Yeah, this is his first time around the block there.

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[Photo: AFP]

Thomas Riccio, the collectibles auctioneer who set up the meeting between O.J. Simpson and several collectors that ended with Simpson found guilty for twelve counts of kidnapping and robbery, has told the New York Post that O.J. “doesn’t deserve 8,000 years plus double life for this,” arguing that greedy associates and the public contempt for Simpson did him in.

[It's] not like he actually planned an armed robbery. He was just stupid. I told him up front, ‘Have security next door monitoring what goes down because… who knows…’ And he said, ‘No, I got my own guys with me. It’s okay.’ It’s his guys [who] did him in. They set him up. They even had a video camera on him so they could sell it afterward…Simply saying, ‘No one leaves the room until we get this figured out’ constitutes kidnapping in Nevada. That automatically gets you life...

Listen, they wanted to get him, so they got him. I’m impartial. I’m only saying this: he didn’t deserve it. But 98 per cent of the people want him put away forever. Everyone hates him.

It should be noted that the “impartial” Riccio has released a book, Busted!, about the Vegas arrest. Simpson, who faces sentencing in December, is already planning to appeal. If the court decides the jury acted impartially, he won’t get “8,000 years plus double life.” But the counts could still cumulatively put him away for good.

[Photos: Getty Images]

Excuse the bad pun, but O.J. Simpson just ran out of juice. The jury in his armed robbery trial found him guilty on all 12 counts — including conspiracy to commit robbery and kidnapping, burglary, assault and coercion. He could face life in prison when he’s sentenced on Dec. 5.

Denied bail, court officers wasted no time in handcuffing the Hall of FameShame inductee (again, sorry!) after the verdict was read. His sister, Carmelita Durio, fainted as he was being led out of the courtroom and paramedics rushed to revive her.

The most striking detail of the verdict is that it came 13 years to the day after the former MVP (Most Valuable Prisoner? Help! It won’t stop!) was acquitted in the murder of his ex-wife. We suspect people who believe O.J. got away with murder back in 1995 are talking about how “payback is a bitch” today.

The gridiron great is now behind iron bars. O.J. should dust off those running back skills in case he drops a bar of soap in the prison shower. (Forgive us! We can’t help it!)

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Get this: O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder exactly thirteen years ago today. Now, with his trial over, a new jury must spend the anniversary deciding whether he’s guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping. Awkward!

Unsurprisingly, the prosecution wasn’t afraid to touch on the reasons for O.J.’s lack of popularity. Said prosecutor Chris Owens, “The kind of arrogance … that would make them think they could come in and get away with this kind of crime and that nobody would report it and they thought they could spin it that, ‘It’s all OK; It was my stuff.’” And why does he think he can get away with a crime? Hmmmmm.

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The defense in the O.J. Simpson case only called one witness before closing, and it wasn’t O.J. Thomas Scotto, Simpson’s friend, claimed that prosecution witnesses have tried to extort money from him and bribe him into changing his testimony. The prosecution then made him admit that he never told this story to the police. Why? Because they never asked.

And that was the defense.

Simpson’s co-defendent, Clarence Stewart, is expected to call a few people to the stand, but it looks like the Juice won’t be giving his side of the incident until the release of If I Robbed Them, if ever.

[Photo: Getty Images]

If every day of O.J. Simpson‘s trial is as dramatic as yesterday, he might wind up with more than one Trial Of The Century to his name. Memorabilia collector Bruce Fromong, the first witness for the prosecution, had to be excused during a harsh cross-examination due to chest pains. Simpson attorney Gabriel Grasso was questioning why Fromong had never claimed someone yelled “put the gun down” during the 2007 hold-up until now, when the witness became dizzy, signalling that he might be having his fifth heart attack this year. Paramedics were called, but Fromong was ok and will probably complete his testimony today.

Simpson stayed calm during both Fromong’s testimony—which included the collector tearfully describing how O.J., his former “best friend,” hurt his feelings by robbing him—and his emergency departure. Can’t blame the guy for finding this anti-climactic. [Reuters]

Christopher Owens, Clark County Assistant District Attorney, gave opening remarks in O.J. Simpson‘s trial for robbery and kidnapping today in Las Vegas today.

Ladies and gentlemen you are the jurors in this case and the final story is going to be told by you. You will be able to write that final chapter, the chapter of arrogance and hypocrisy and that will be the true verdict. The verdict you can feel good about.

Yeah, he went there. Despite the herculean efforts taken to find Simpson an “impartial jury of his peers,” the prosecution is clearly not afraid of playing to the all-white jury’s potential desire to see this man go to prison for anything. While both the judge and the defense reminded the jury that their feeling about the suspicious death of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman have no place in this matter, they won’t be getting any help from the D.A. [Reuters]

[Photo: Getty Images]

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