O.J. Found Guilty of Vegas Heist — 13 Years to the Day of Murder Acquittal
O.J. Simpson by Bobby Bank/WireImage.com
Former sports idol and sometime-actor O.J. Simpson on Friday was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges stemming from the Sept. 13, 2007, robbery of two sports-memorabilia dealers, at gunpoint, in a Las Vegas hotel room.
The verdict, handed down after 13-plus hours of jury deliberation, came 13 years to the day that Simpson, now 61, was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
Simpson's co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, also was found guilty on all charges. Judge Jackie Glass denied all motions for the defendants to be released on bail. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 5.
Simpson is said to have recruited five men to breach a Vegas hotel room and steal several pieces of sports memorabilia. Prosecutors said two of Simpson's cohorts were armed. Simpson all along has argued that he merely sought to reclaim items that had been stolen from
him, and says he neither encouraged nor saw the threat of guns.
Simpson faces a possible life sentence for the kidnapping charge alone; his lawyer plans to appeal. -
Matt Mitovich
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