O. J. runs out of luck, is convicted of armed robbery
LAS VEGAS — In a city where luck means everything, O. J. Simpson came out the big loser, and his unlucky number in a case full of bizarre twists was 13.
He was convicted of an armed robbery that happened on Sept. 13, 2007, and was found guilty on the 13th anniversary of his Los Angeles murder acquittal. The Las Vegas jury deliberated for 13 hours after a 13-day trial.
And then, as only the sobs of Simpson’s sister broke the silence late Friday after the verdict was returned, the lights went out.
Court marshals flipped on flashlights and shouted for everyone to stay seated. Only the judge knew what had happened. It was 11 p. m., and the courthouse lights had shut down automatically. “Timed out,” Judge Jackie Glass said.
The 61-year-old former Buffalo Bills star running back and Hall of Famer was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges for gathering five men and storming a room at a hotel-casino to seize Simpson sports mementos — including game balls, plaques and photos — from two collectors. Prosecutors said two of the men with him were armed; one said Simpson had asked him to bring a gun.
After the verdict, Simpson was handcuffed and led from the room with his co-defendant, Clarence “C. J.” Stewart. They could spend the rest of their lives in prison.
“There is justice,” said attorney Gloria Allred, who has represented the family of Simpson’s slain ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. “Justice was delayed, but in this case it was not denied. Now that he may spend the rest of his life in prison, the law, and not O. J. Simpson, will have the last word.”
Some observers said the Las Vegas case paled in comparison to the 1995 “trial of the century,” a yearlong drama in which Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend Ronald Goldman outside her home in Los Angeles. A rapt nation followed that trial.
In Las Vegas, Simpson’s fate played out in a small courtroom dotted with empty seats. Even the stunning verdict came as most of America slept, oblivious to the irony that Simpson might spend the rest of his life in prison for what most perceived as a petty crime, a tussle among dysfunctional middle-aged men.
Simpson’s defense team told the jury that the two cases had nothing to do with each other, but it was a losing battle.
Five of the 12 Las Vegas jurors said they disagreed with Simpson’s 1995 murder acquittal, according to questionnaires released Saturday. Most others claimed to be uncertain or did not answer the question. All jurors said they could set aside their feelings.
“People will always be troubled by O. J. For the people troubled by the Los Angeles acquittal, this case will make small amends,” said Loyola University law professor Laurie Levenson.
Simpson lawyer Yale Galanter said he felt bad for Simpson but even worse for Stewart, 54, who got dragged along in a campaign to convict Simpson. “This was just payback,” he said of the verdict. “They were on an agenda.”
Galanter and Stewart’s lawyers promised to appeal, in part because unlike the predominantly black jury that decided Simpson’s murder case, this panel included no African- Americans. Neither Simpson nor Stewart testified.
Simpson friend Tom Scotto, who wept in court, called it “a public lynching.”
“Was this something to put someone in jail for the rest of their life for? It’s a total injustice. There was no justice served in that courtroom,” Scotto said.
It was Scotto’s wedding that had brought Simpson to Las Vegas on that fateful week in 2007 when Simpson gathered a posse that included two armed men to confront memorabilia dealers who were peddling Simpson’s personal property to the highest bidder.
The case was set in motion by Thomas Riccio, a collectibles broker who tried to bring in the FBI when he heard that two memorabilia dealers were planning to sell a trove of Simpson memorabilia. Failing to get the FBI’s attention, he helped set up a “sting” by promoting an anonymous buyer who turned out to be Simpson.
Riccio, who has peddled goods including video of Anna Nicole Smith’s breast implant surgery, saw a chance to profit by recording the confrontation between Simpson and collectibles dealers Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong.
He rented a cramped hotel room away from the Las Vegas Strip for the meeting and planted a digital recorder atop an armoire. He then sold the recordings of the six-minute confrontation for $210,000 before turning them over to police eight days later.
The recordings were sometimes garbled, but Simpson’s voice came through loud and clear: “Don’t let nobody out of this room.” The words formed the basis of the prosecution’s kidnapping charge.
Simpson also was heard accusing the men of stealing his possessions. His lawyer argued that Simpson was on a recovery mission to reclaim his property. But District Attorney David Roger argued that ownership was not a defense for robbery.
Sentencing was set for Dec.
5. Kidnapping is punishable by five years to life in prison.
