Post by carolinem on Oct 9, 2008 5:12:54 GMT -5
Exactly 13 years after being acquitted on charges he killed his ex-wife and another man, a jury in Las Vegas has found O.J. Simpson guilty of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers.
The former football and Hollywood star was found guilty of kidnapping and robbery, along with 10 other charges. Simpson sighed heavily as the first guilty ruling was read.
Simpson, 61, could face the rest of his life in prison, but his attorney said he will appeal the conviction.
No doubt many Americans feel that the ruling is justice served late. In 1995 Simpson was cleared of murdering his ex-wife, Nichole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in one of the defining moments of the 20th century in the U.S.
Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in a civil case and fined about $30 million, of which he has paid little.
Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, said he was happy with the decision.
"We're absolutely thrilled to see that the potential is that he could spend the rest of his life in jail, where the scumbag belongs," Goldman said Saturday. "Right now, there is not much more to say other than we're going to wait to find out what else happens."
Simpson's lawyer said Friday's guilty ruling was the public getting revenge.
"This was just payback," Simpson lawyer Yale Galanter said Saturday. "They were on an agenda."
"I don't like to use the word payback," Galanter added. "I can tell you from the beginning my biggest concern ... was whether or not the jury would be able to separate their very strong feelings about Mr. Simpson and judge him fairly and honestly."
Simpson's friend Tom Scotto, wept in court and called the ruling "a public lynching."
A celebrity pariah
There was a start contrast from the Las Vegas trial to Simpson's acquittal 13 years ago.
Gone were all of his fans and defenders that he gained from being a Heisman winner and an NFL Hall of Fame running back, not to mention a burgeoning career in Hollywood.
In 1995, Simpson's racially-charged trial threatened to tear Los Angeles apart and millions of Americans watched the media's around-the-clock coverage.
In 2008, the media tent set up in Las Vegas was noticeably empty.
Quite frankly, very few people cared this time. Since 1995, Simpson became a celebrity side-show, occasionally showing up on golf courses vowing to find his ex-wife's killer, but mostly just appearing on Court TV or in the tabloids.
In 2006, he sold a book, "If I Did It" his so-called fictional account of his ex-wife's and Goldman's murders. It was never released.
The crime
Prosecutors said Simpson and his cohorts stormed a hotel room on Sept. 13, 2007 and seized several sports artifacts. One of the men had said Simpson was carrying a gun, but the former football star had maintained his innocence. His lawyers had claimed the sports items belonged to their client.
The defence said Simpson was the victim, who was dealing with shady people who wanted to take advantage of his famous name and that police who were out to get him.
But prosecutors countered it didn't matter that Simpson may have been the owner of the sports memorabilia, because it was a crime to take something by force.
"When they went into that room and forced the victims to the far side of the room, pulling out guns and yelling, `Don't let anybody out of here!' -- six very large people detaining these two victims in the room with the intent to take property through force or violence from them -- that's kidnapping," prosecutor David Roger said.
Kidnapping is punishable by anywhere from five years to life. Armed robbery has a minimum of at least two years in prison, but can bring as much as 30.
CNN's Ted Rowlands told CTV Newsnet on Saturday morning that Simpson was taken into custody immediately after the verdict and will likely remain in a city jail until sentencing, which is expected Dec. 5.
"The bottom line is that with the kidnapping charge, it is very likely he will spend the rest of his life in jail," he said.
Simpson's co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, 54, also was found guilty on all charges.
According to Nevada law the defence has seven days to file an appeal.
With files from The Canadian Press
The former football and Hollywood star was found guilty of kidnapping and robbery, along with 10 other charges. Simpson sighed heavily as the first guilty ruling was read.
Simpson, 61, could face the rest of his life in prison, but his attorney said he will appeal the conviction.
No doubt many Americans feel that the ruling is justice served late. In 1995 Simpson was cleared of murdering his ex-wife, Nichole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in one of the defining moments of the 20th century in the U.S.
Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in a civil case and fined about $30 million, of which he has paid little.
Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, said he was happy with the decision.
"We're absolutely thrilled to see that the potential is that he could spend the rest of his life in jail, where the scumbag belongs," Goldman said Saturday. "Right now, there is not much more to say other than we're going to wait to find out what else happens."
Simpson's lawyer said Friday's guilty ruling was the public getting revenge.
"This was just payback," Simpson lawyer Yale Galanter said Saturday. "They were on an agenda."
"I don't like to use the word payback," Galanter added. "I can tell you from the beginning my biggest concern ... was whether or not the jury would be able to separate their very strong feelings about Mr. Simpson and judge him fairly and honestly."
Simpson's friend Tom Scotto, wept in court and called the ruling "a public lynching."
A celebrity pariah
There was a start contrast from the Las Vegas trial to Simpson's acquittal 13 years ago.
Gone were all of his fans and defenders that he gained from being a Heisman winner and an NFL Hall of Fame running back, not to mention a burgeoning career in Hollywood.
In 1995, Simpson's racially-charged trial threatened to tear Los Angeles apart and millions of Americans watched the media's around-the-clock coverage.
In 2008, the media tent set up in Las Vegas was noticeably empty.
Quite frankly, very few people cared this time. Since 1995, Simpson became a celebrity side-show, occasionally showing up on golf courses vowing to find his ex-wife's killer, but mostly just appearing on Court TV or in the tabloids.
In 2006, he sold a book, "If I Did It" his so-called fictional account of his ex-wife's and Goldman's murders. It was never released.
The crime
Prosecutors said Simpson and his cohorts stormed a hotel room on Sept. 13, 2007 and seized several sports artifacts. One of the men had said Simpson was carrying a gun, but the former football star had maintained his innocence. His lawyers had claimed the sports items belonged to their client.
The defence said Simpson was the victim, who was dealing with shady people who wanted to take advantage of his famous name and that police who were out to get him.
But prosecutors countered it didn't matter that Simpson may have been the owner of the sports memorabilia, because it was a crime to take something by force.
"When they went into that room and forced the victims to the far side of the room, pulling out guns and yelling, `Don't let anybody out of here!' -- six very large people detaining these two victims in the room with the intent to take property through force or violence from them -- that's kidnapping," prosecutor David Roger said.
Kidnapping is punishable by anywhere from five years to life. Armed robbery has a minimum of at least two years in prison, but can bring as much as 30.
CNN's Ted Rowlands told CTV Newsnet on Saturday morning that Simpson was taken into custody immediately after the verdict and will likely remain in a city jail until sentencing, which is expected Dec. 5.
"The bottom line is that with the kidnapping charge, it is very likely he will spend the rest of his life in jail," he said.
Simpson's co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, 54, also was found guilty on all charges.
According to Nevada law the defence has seven days to file an appeal.
With files from The Canadian Press