After a deliberation of around thirteen hours late last night, a Clark County, Nevada jury convicted University of Southern California alumnus, O. J. Simpson and an accomplice of twelve criminal charges. This comes thirteen years to the day after the widely publicized “trial of the century” acquitted him of the murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. Simpson, a retired American football player, former car-rental promoter, and actor, was on trial for multiple serious crimes stemming from a violent room-invasion robbery and kidnapping incident that occurred at the Palace Station resort in Las Vegas during the evening of September 13, 2007.
Simpson was remanded into custody immediately and was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs after the verdicts were read. Depending on the sentence handed down, he may end up imprisoned for the rest of his natural life.
He was found guilty on a total of twelve counts. Count one was for “Conspiracy to Commit a Crime.” This conviction could result in up to twelve years imprisonment.
Count two was “Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping,” while the third offense he was convicted of was “Conspiracy to Commit Robbery.” Both of these crimes will result in sentences of one to six years imprisonment.
The fourth count “Burglary with a Deadly Weapon.” This conviction could result in anything from two to fifteen years imprisonment for Simpson.
The fifth and sixth convictions were both for “First-degree Kidnapping with a Deadly Weapon.” For the two convictions combined, Simpson will receive a sentence of 30 years or life imprisonment.
Counts seven and eight regard Robbery with a Deadly Weapon. Each conviction could result of a prison sentence for up to thirty years, although it could be as low as three.
During the high-profile kidnapping and robbery trial, Simpson found himself in trouble with court officials. Ordered under the terms of his bail to have no contact with fellow defendants or witnesses, he violated this in a foul-languaged message left for his bail bondsman. Miguel Pereira of “You Ring We Spring” received the expletive-laden message intended for his co-defendant, which the prosecutor, Chris Owens, claimed was threatening.
Section nine and ten regard assault with a deadly weapon, and they carry a penalty of one to six years imprisonment, while the final to convictions are for coercion with a deadly weapon, and carry the same penalty.
HISTORY
Orenthal James “O. J.” Simpson (born July 9, 1947), also known by his nickname, The Juice, is a retired American football player, actor, spokesman and broadcaster, who earned infamy for having been tried for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994. He originally attained stardom as a running back at the collegiate and professional levels, and was the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. Simpson’s rushing mark was set during the 1973 season.
Simpson was acquitted of the murder of Simpson and Goldman after a lengthy, highly publicized criminal trial. In 1997, a default judgment against Simpson was awarded for their wrongful deaths in civil court by a jury, but to date he has paid little of the $33.5 million judgment. He gained further notoriety in late 2006 when he wrote a book titled If I Did It. The book, which purports to be a first-person fictional account of the murder had he actually committed it, was withdrawn by the publisher just before its release. The book was later released by the Goldman family and the title of the book was expanded to If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.
In September 2007, Simpson faced more legal troubles as he was arrested and subsequently charged with numerous felonies, including robbery with a deadly weapon, burglary with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, first-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon (which carries possible life sentence), coercion with use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit a crime. He was found guilty of all charges on October 3, 2008.
