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O.J. Simpson Parole Hearing Thread
Topic Started: Jul 20 2017, 12:48 PM (52 Views)
Webster
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(The Guardian) Background....
--OJ Simpson, the former NFL star famously acquitted of murder but later jailed for a doomed bid to retrieve sports memorabilia that he said belonged to him, is expected be a free man soon.

On Thursday morning, a Nevada state parole board will hold a hearing for Simpson, 70, who is in the ninth year of a 33-year sentence for armed robbery and assault with a weapon. The disgraced gridiron hero, with the help of several other accomplices, broke into a Las Vegas hotel room on 13 September 2007 and held up two memorabilia dealers for collectibles and personal items he claimed were rightfully his. He was found guilty by a jury on all 12 charges and given the maximum sentence.

Four members from the Nevada board of parole commissioners will consider parole for Simpson at the board offices in Carson City in a hearing scheduled for 10am PT. Simpson will participate by video conference from about 100 miles away at Lovelock correctional center, the Pershing County prison where he has been incarcerated since December 2008.

The same four commissioners already granted Simpson parole on the lesser charges of kidnapping, robbery and burglary in a July 2013 hearing. That ruling left Simpson with four years remaining before reaching the minimum sentence of nine years.

The rate of inmates who are granted parole in discretionary hearings held as they approach their minimum sentence is around 82%.
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Webster
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(The Guardian) Arnelle Simpson, OJ’s oldest child, is now speaking on his behalf: “No one really knows how much we’ve been through.”
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Webster
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(The Guardian) Bisbee now tells Simpson’s attorney Malcolm LaVergne that it’s time for closing statements. He reads a letter written by Simpson to Nevada state Assemblyman Osvaldo Fumo, the full text of which appears below.

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--This is the letter #OJSimpson's attorney is referring to. @8NewsNow (Vanessa Murphy, CBS Las Vegas - 20 July 2017)
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Webster
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(The Guardian) LaVergne says this letter, which he claims he’s reading without Simpson’s knowledge, proves Simpson’s positive intentions and represents “the definiton of character”: that Simpson had a friend suddenly in a position of power but he refused to use it to try and get better treatment or an early release. That’s the first part of LaVergne’s closing remarks, he says.
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Webster
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(The Guardian) Simpson’s attorney’s second point focuses on the amends that Simpson has made with Bruce Fromong, one of the two robbery victims (and the only one still living). Fromong will testify next, but Simpson will make his closing statement first.

“I am sorry the things turned out the way they did,” Simpson says in his final statement to the board. “I had no intention to commit a crime.”
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Webster
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(The Guardian) Now Bruce Fromong is speaking. He says first and forement he’s not only here as Simpson’s friend of almost 27 years, but he’s also appearing as a victim of a crime. He believes Simpson was misguided on the date of the crime, that he was misled about what was going to be there that day. He was promised family photos, family heirlooms, possibly his ex-wife’s engagement ring, when in reality it was mostly football memorabilia. He admits there were items in that room that were stolen from Simpson, but he insists that he never stole anything from OJ. (A point on which Simpson appears to agree.)

“I will make this clear to you: OJ never held a gun on me,” Fromong says. “There was a coward in that room, a man named McClinton, who came up gangster-style. He held the gun on me. Not OJ. Another man came in, hit me. Not OJ, he never laid a hand on me.”
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(The Guardian) Fromong closes: “We all make mistakes. OJ made his. He’s been here and from what I’ve heard he’s been a model inmate. He’s been an example to others. During the trial I recommended he serve one to three years. That’s what I recommended to the DA. I’m here to say that I’ve known OJ for a long time. I don’t feel he’s a threat to anyone out there.

“He’s a good man. I know that he does a lot for other people and I feel that nine-and-a-half-to-33 years was way too long. And I feel that it’s time to give him a second chance. It’s time for him to go home to his family, his friends. This is a good man, he made a mistake.”
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(The Guardian) The parole board moves to deliberations
--Bisbee calls the hearing into recess so the board can move into deliberations, which could take up to a half hour. The four-member panel must be unanimous to make a decision. If they are divided, the other two commissioners are brought in to consultation. From there, it’s subject to a simple majority. A 3-3 deadlock will result in another hearing in six months’ time.
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(The Guardian) If there was any surprise to today’s routine hearing, it was Simpson’s semi-confrontational posture to the board, specifically the self-justification of the robbery in his opening remarks. That said, every testimony was in his favor and by all accounts he’s shown himself to be rehabilitated: a model prisoner. Most seem to agree he’s served more than enough time for the crime he’s been incarcerated for. All signs indicate he will be paroled today and released on or around 1 October, but it’s not as if Simpson’s very American tale hasn’t offered up final-reel twists in the past. Stay tuned.
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(The Guardian) OJ Simpson and his attorney Malcolm LaVergne are back in the teleconference room at Lovelock correctional center. Now Simpson is smiling and laughing with others in the room on a hot mic (!), talking about the challenges of the teleconference format.

OJ now talking about cookies and ice cream. And now Mike Tyson. Not a joke.
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(The Guardian) OJ Simpson is granted parole
--Now the parole board is back in the room, saving OJ from the hot mic (and himself). Tony Corda is speaking. He says Simpson deserved to go to prison for his crime, but he’s complied with the rules of the prison, he’s a low risk to reoffend, he has community support and stable post-release plans. The question is whether he’s served enough time in prison on this case. Corda agrees he has.

Jackson and Endel also concur. And finally Bisbee votes to grant parole, completing the unanimous 4-0 decision.

“Thank you!” Simpson says as applause rings in the room.
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(The Guardian) It’s official: Inmate No. 1027820 at Lovelock correctional facility will be released in October. Now Simpson’s attorney Malcolm LaVergne is fielding questions from media.

LaVergne says Fremong’s testimony in favor of Simpson was very helpful in helping broker Simpson’s release. Right now Fremong is sitting with Simpson and his family inside the facility, he says. “They’re friends,” LaVergne says. “This was a big mishap.”
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(The Guardian) LaVergne now berating a reporter who’s brought up retired correctional officer Jeffrey Felix who worked at Lovelock and talked about Simpson. The attorney says he’s started the process of getting Felix’s pension stipped. Interestingly, when Simpson was sitting in front of a hot mic in the moments before the parole board’s decision was announced, the microphone overheard him saying he might sue Felix.
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(The Guardian) Simpson’s attorney, Malcolm LaVergne, has ended questioning. That will end our live coverage. To summarize: A Nevada parole board has voted unanimously to allow OJ Simpson to go free as early as October, citing the former NFL star’s compliance with prison rules, his lack of prior convictions, his low risk of committing another crime, his community support and stable post-release plans.
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