By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent 44 minutes ago
LAS VEGAS - O.J. Simpson, who went from American sports idol to
celebrity-in-exile after he was acquitted of murder in 1995, was found guilty
Friday of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas
hotel room.
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The 61-year-old former football star could spend the rest of his life in
prison. Sentencing was set for Dec. 5.
A weary and somber Simpson released a heavy sigh as the charges were read by
the clerk in Clark County District Court. He was immediately taken into custody.
The Hall of Fame football star was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and
10 other charges for gathering up five men a year ago and storming into a room
at a hotel-casino, where the group seized several game balls, plaques and
photos. Prosecutors said two of the men with him were armed; one of them said
Simpson asked him to bring a gun.
The verdict came 13 years to the day after Simpson was cleared of murdering his
ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles
in one of the most sensational trials of the 20th century.
"I don't like to use the word payback," defense attorney Yale Galanter said. "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 co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, 54, also was found guilty on
all charges in the Las Vegas case and taken into custody.
Simpson showed little emotion as officers handcuffed him and walked him out of
the courtroom. His sister, Carmelita Durio, sobbed behind him in the arms of
Simpson's friend, Tom Scotto, who said "I love you" as Simpson passed by. As
spectators left the courtroom, Durio collapsed.
Jurors made no eye contact with the defendants as they entered the courtroom.
They declined to answer questions after the verdict was read.
Galanter said his client had expected the outcome, and in a courthouse
conversation with an Associated Press reporter on Thursday, Simpson had implied
as much.
Simpson said he felt melancholy and that he was "afraid that I won't get to go
to my kids' college graduations after I managed to get them through college."
Galanter said it was not a happy day for anybody. "His only hope is the
appellate process," he said.
Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said prosecutors would not comment until the
case was "completely resolved."
Judge Jackie Glass made no comment other than to thank the jury for its service
and to deny motions for the defendants to be released on bail.
She refused to give the lawyers extended time to file a motion for new trial,
which under Nevada law must be filed within seven days. The attorneys said they
needed time to submit a voluminous record.
"I've sat through the trial," Glass said. "If you want a motion for new trial,
send me something."
Stewart's attorney, Brent Bryson, promised to appeal.
"If there was ever a case that should have been severed in the history of
jurisprudence, it's this case," he said of unsuccessful attempts to separate
Stewart's case from Simpson's because of the "spillover" effect.
>From the beginning, Simpson and his lawyers argued the incident was not a
>robbery, but an attempt to reclaim mementos that had been stolen from him. He
>said he did not ask anyone to bring a weapon and did not see any guns.
The defense portrayed Simpson as a victim of shady characters who wanted to
make a buck off his famous name, and police officers who saw his arrest as an
opportunity to "get" him and avenge his acquittal.
Prosecutors said Simpson's ownership of the memorabilia was irrelevant; it was
still a crime to try to take things 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 five years to life in prison. Armed robbery carries
a mandatory sentence of at least two years behind bars, and could bring as much
as 30.
Simpson, who now lives in Miami, did not testify but was heard on a recording
of the confrontation screaming that the dealers had stolen his property. "Don't
let nobody out of this room," he declared and told the other men to scoop up
his items, which included a photo of Simpson with former FBI Director J. Edgar
Hoover.
Four other men charged in the case struck plea bargains that saved them from
potential prison sentences in return for their testimony. Some of them had
criminal records or were otherwise compromised in some way. One, for example,
was an alleged pimp who testified he had a revelation from God telling him to
take a plea bargain.
Memorabilia dealer Thomas Riccio, who arranged and secretly recorded the
hotel-room confrontation, said he netted $210,000 from the media for the tapes.
Similarly, minutes after the Sept. 13, 2007, incident, one of the alleged
victims, sports-memorabilia dealer Alfred Beardsley, was calling news outlets,
and the other, Bruce Fromong, spoke of getting "big money" from the case.
Simpson's past haunted the case. Las Vegas police officers were heard in the
recordings chuckling over Simpson's misfortune and crowing that if Los Angeles
couldn't "get" him, they would.
During jury selection, Simpson's lawyers expressed fears that people who
believed he got away with murder might see this case as a chance to right a
wrong.
As a result, an usually large pool of 500 potential jurors was called, and they
were given a 26-page questionnaire. Half were almost instantly eliminated after
expressing strong feelings that Simpson should have been convicted of murder.
The judge instructed the jurors to put aside Simpson's earlier case.
In closing arguments, Galanter acknowledged that what Simpson did to recover
his memorabilia was not right. "But being stupid, and being frustrated is not
being a criminal," he said.
He added: "This case has taken on a life of its own because of Mr. Simpson's
involvement. You know that. I know that. Every cooperator, every person who had
a gun, every person who had an ulterior motive, every person who signed a book
deal, every person who got paid money, the police, the district attorney's
office, is only interested in one thing: Mr. Simpson."
