O. J. Simpson Las Vegas robbery case

The O. J. Simpson Las Vegas robbery case is a legal matter that arose in 2007 in the U.S. state of Nevada, primarily involving the retired American football player O. J. Simpson. On the night of September 13, 2007, a group of men led by Simpson entered a room in the Palace Station hotel in Las Vegas and left with various sports memorabilia and one phone. According to Bruce Fromong, a self-described former sports memorabilia dealer and the first witness in Simpson's preliminary hearing,¹ the group of men broke into his room and stole Simpson memorabilia at gunpoint.

Three days later, on September 16, Simpson was arrested for his involvement in the robbery and held without bail.² He admitted taking the items, which he said had been stolen from him, but denied breaking into the room. Simpson also denied the allegation that he or the people with him carried weapons.³⁴ On October 3, 2008, Simpson was found guilty of all twelve charges, exactly 13 years after he was acquitted of the murders of his wife, Nicole, and Ronald Goldman. Sentencing is set for December 5, 2008.

Investigation

Investigators initially named Simpson a suspect, but questioned him the next day and released him soon after. On September 15, one of the accomplices, Walter Alexander, was arrested and charged with two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of burglary with a deadly weapon. Alexander was on his way to McCarran International Airport when he was approached by the police. Earlier in the day, two guns were recovered when the police executed a warrant at one of the mens' homes.

On September 16, Simpson was arrested by Clark County, Nevada, authorities.⁵ Walter Alexander has since been released on his own recognizance.

The celebrity gossip website TMZ.com published an audio recording of the incident which shows Simpson and others shouting at the occupants of the room and demanding the return of various items.⁶ On the audiotape, recorded by Thomas Riccio, Simpson is heard saying:

Thomas Riccio reportedly said he tipped off Simpson to go to the hotel to look for his goods, and he reportedly said he deliberately planted the recording device to prove to Simpson that Beardsley and Fromong were fencing his stuff. Riccio considers Simpson a friend and brought Simpson to the room and escorted him and the memorabilia out.⁸

When asked why he did not seek police help instead of acting on his own, Simpson said:¹¹

In an interview, Walter Alexander says he now thinks the whole ordeal was a setup to get Simpson. He doesn't "understand what the big deal is" or why Riccio would set this whole operation up, tape it and then sell the tape to the media.¹³ Alexander's ex-wife gave an interview to the New York Times in which she says many people carry tape recorders with them around Simpson to try and catch him slipping so they can profit from it. The amount of money TMZ paid for the tape has not been disclosed.¹⁴¹⁵

The confiscated memorabilia that was taken that night may never be returned to Simpson, since David Cook, an attorney for Fred Goldman, suggested they may seek a court order to obtain ownership of the items to help satisfy the legal judgment in the wrongful death of his son Ron Goldman.¹⁶

Simpson appeared in court on September 19, 2007. Represented by attorneys from Florida and Nevada, Simpson was granted a bail of $125,000. Presiding Justice of the Peace Joe M. Bonaventure Jr. stated that Simpson was not allowed to have any contact with any of the co-defendants and that he must surrender his passport. Simpson did not enter a plea.¹⁷¹⁸

During police questioning Walter Alexander claims Simpson asked for guns to be carried to look tough but that the guns would not be used. He also added that McClinton impersonated a police officer and acted too rough to the surprise of the others including Simpson. He claims Simpson repeatedly told McClinton to "calm down, calm down."¹⁹

The trial was set to begin April 7, 2008 in the court of Nevada District Court Judge Jackie Glass but was later delayed to September 8, 2008.²⁰

Trial and conviction

On October 3, 2008, Simpson was found guilty of all twelve charges. He could face 15 years to life imprisonment for the kidnapping charge.²¹

Motion for new trial

On October 10, 2008, O. J. Simpson counsels, Yale Galanter and Gabriel Grasso, PC moved for new trial (trial de novo) on grounds of judicial errors (2 jurors of the same race as Simpson were dismissed) and insufficient evidence. Galanter announced he would appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court if Judge Glass denies the motion. Simpson’s co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart's attorney, Brent Bryson would also petition for new trial, alleging Stewart should have been tried separately, and cited perceived misconduct by the jury foreman, Paul Connelly.²²²³²⁴²⁵

Timeline

Charges

Both defendants, Clearance Stewart and O.J. Simpson, were convicted on Oct. 3, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nevada, of the following charges:

Persons involved

Contents

Investigation

Trial and conviction

Motion for new trial

Timeline

Charges

Persons involved

See also

External links

References