O.J. Simpson Denied New Trial
Simpson, who could do up to 33 years, wanted a new trial for his 2008 conviction for robbery and kidnapping.
Clark County District Judge Linda Marie Bell ruled that for now, the 66-year-old will have to remain behind bars. Simpson, who will be 70 before he is eligible for parole, had sought a new trial, claiming incompetent legal counsel.
“We’re obviously very disappointed in the judge’s decision,” said Osvaldo Fumo, one of Simpson’s attorneys. “We plan to appeal the case.”
In May, the fallen Hall of Fame running back and Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Southern California sat shackled to his seat, looking much heavier than his playing days, as witnesses testified about events leading up to the night in 2007 when he and several friends stormed into a $39-a-night hotel room here demanding the return of sports memorabilia Simpson said had been stolen from him.
Defense lawyers argued that he was merely trying to recover property that was rightfully his. Simpson has said he didn’t know that the five men who accompanied him to the Palace Station hotel had guns. But he was convicted in the gunpoint robbery and kidnapping of two sports memorabilia dealers.
