OJ Simpson spoke before the Nevada Parole Board on July 20 and heaved a sigh of relief as they voted to allow him back into society after 9 years in prison for robbery. He had asked for an early release from his 33 year sentence, and now could be released as early as October 1, 2017.
OJ Simpson was once a well recognized NFL football star. But his celebrity life began to crumble in 1994.
He went on trial for killing his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in one of the most high profile murder cases of the decade. The “bloody glove” recovered by police became a point of contention during the trial. The defense raised “reasonable doubt.” He was acquitted of the murders on October 3, 1995 after the defense “Dream Team” convinced the jury that the evidence (DNA was a new technology at that time) was mishandled.
He was found guilty of the two deaths in a 1997 civil case brought by the families of the victims. He was ordered to pay $33.5 Million.
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Changing testimony
On September 13, 2007, Simpson led a group of men into the Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, broke into a room and robbed the dealer of sports memorabilia. He always maintained the items belonged to him and that someone had stolen them from him. The dealer originally testified that the robbers all had guns.
“He was led to believe that on that day, there were going to be thousands of pieces of his personal memorabilia, pictures of his wife from his first marriage, pictures of his kids. He was told there were going to be possibly his wife’s wedding ring, thousands of things. He was misled about what was going to be there that day… O.J. never held a gun on me. O.J. is my friend, always has been, and I hope will remain my friend.” Bruce Fromong, sports memorabilia dealer in testimony at today’s hearing.
That testimony changed over the years. Simpson claims no one had any guns and they didn’t “break into” the room. Fromong admitted some of the items did belong to OJ.
Good guy or messed up guy?
OJ for his part stated today that “I’m a good guy. I’ve always been a good guy.” He reportedly rambled and was slightly combative during the hearing today, but did ultimately take responsibility for his actions. According to officials, there is no stipulation that the inmate has to express remorse for his actions.
The moment when OJ was granted parole: pic.twitter.com/qHhPIFH9aw
— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 20, 2017
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He talked about just keeping a low profile and being with his children when he gets out. The question is…will he?
He requested to move to Florida, but has options for other states, including Nevada if that state rejects his request. He will be monitored by a parole officer no matter where he goes. As long as he has a “valid supervision system in place,” he’ll be able to relocate.
According to the press conference on today’s decision, “the exact location and date of Simpson’s release would be provided to Simpson, but an official announcement to the public is unlikely to happen, the warden says.”
OJ received parole previously on some of the other charges he faced in 2013, but since the sentences were all consecutive, he had to wait until today for his early release. He is still the responsibility of the State of Nevada wherever he ends up.
The family of Ron Goldman is unhappy about Simpson’s release.
“With him being locked up in Lovelock, it’s been a chance for us to kind of reclaim some control over our life and have some glimpse of sanity. I’m preparing myself for that to be changing come October.” Kim Goldman
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