It is being hailed, ‘The Parole Hearing of the Century’. OJ Simpson, 70, who was sentenced to 9 to 33 years in 2008, has been incarcerated at Nevada’s Lovelock Correctional Facility for the robbery of two memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas casino and is now up for parole.
Simpson led a motley crew of armed friends to pull off the heist. He claimed that he had never seen a gun, and only wanted to get back family heirlooms taken by his previous manager. After already serving more than 8 years, he is hoping the parole board will set him free in October.
Alfred Beardsley, one of his victims, passed away in 2015. However, another one of his victims will be there in support of his release, Bruce Fromong.
The father of murder victim Ron Goldman, Fred Goldman, will not be at the hearing in person. He did say briefly in an interview with The NY Daily News, “I’ll be following it,” and when asked if he was opposed to OJ Simpson’s release, Goldman replied. “Absolutely, I do.”
Fans and the public will be able to keep up with the hearing, as it will be streamed live according to Nevada officials. It is anticipated that the four member board will make their decision in a matter of hours, which is no time for a case like this. If Simpson gets his wish, “The Juice” could be released as early as October 1, 2017.
When The News spoke with Simpson’s former lawyer, Yale Galanter, he said that he expects “The Juice” to be let loose, saying he has been a model prisoner with no infractions. The state parole board makes its decisions based on points accumulated by a prisoner for good behavior.
Galanter also told The News on Sunday, “Here, if you’re a model prisoner, you behave yourself, you’re not a flight risk, you get paroled.”
Orenthal James “OJ Simpson", nicknamed “The Juice”, is a former American football running back, broadcaster, actor, advertising spokesman, convicted armed robber and kidnapper. In 1973, he became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in one season. Simpson holds the record for the single season yards-per-game average, which stands at 143.1 He is the only player to ever rush for over 2,000 yards in the 14-game regular season NFL format. OJ Simpson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
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July 18, Jenn Ciurla