Post by canadianbadass on Oct 4, 2008 11:58:54 GMT -5
Exactly 13 years after being acquitted on charges he killed his ex-wife and another man, a jury in Las Vegas has found O.J. Simpson guilty of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers.
The former football and Hollywood star was found guilty of kidnapping and robbery, along with 10 other charges.
Prosecutors said Simpson and his cohorts stormed a hotel room and seized several sports artifacts. One of the men had said Simpson was carrying a gun, but the former football star had maintained his innocence. His lawyers had claimed the sports items belonged to their client.
Simpson could face the rest of his life in prison, but his attorney said he will appeal the conviction.
CNN's Ted Rowlands told CTV Newsnet on Saturday morning that Simpson was taken into custody immediately after the verdict and will likely remain in a city jail until sentencing, which is expected Dec. 5.
"The bottom line is that with the kidnapping charge, it is very likely he will spend the rest of his life in jail," he said.
In 1995, Simpson was found not guilty of killing his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
The so-called "trial of the century" left many people shocked by the outcome, and Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in a civil case.
"I don't like to use the word payback," defense attorney Yale Galanter told The Associated Press. "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."
With files from The Canadian Press
The former football and Hollywood star was found guilty of kidnapping and robbery, along with 10 other charges.
Prosecutors said Simpson and his cohorts stormed a hotel room and seized several sports artifacts. One of the men had said Simpson was carrying a gun, but the former football star had maintained his innocence. His lawyers had claimed the sports items belonged to their client.
Simpson could face the rest of his life in prison, but his attorney said he will appeal the conviction.
CNN's Ted Rowlands told CTV Newsnet on Saturday morning that Simpson was taken into custody immediately after the verdict and will likely remain in a city jail until sentencing, which is expected Dec. 5.
"The bottom line is that with the kidnapping charge, it is very likely he will spend the rest of his life in jail," he said.
In 1995, Simpson was found not guilty of killing his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
The so-called "trial of the century" left many people shocked by the outcome, and Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in a civil case.
"I don't like to use the word payback," defense attorney Yale Galanter told The Associated Press. "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."
With files from The Canadian Press
