OJ Simpson Gets 33 Years.

[Big Orange]

About 14 years too late, but better late than never:

O.J. Simpson Sentenced to Up to 33 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery and Kidnapping

O.J. Simpson was sentenced Friday to up to 33 years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping in a failed attempt to recover sports memorabilia from two collectibles dealers.
Simpson will be eligible for parole after nine years.

His co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart was sentenced to at least 15 years behind bars.

"We are pleased," said Simpson attorney Yale Galanter after the hearing.

Before Judge Jackie Glass handed down her decision, the 61-year-old fallen football star — clad in a blue prison jumpsuit, shackles and handcuffs — apologized to her and the Las Vegas court after learning he won't be able to be freed on bail if he appeals.

"I stand before you today sorry," an emotional Simpson told Glass, fighting back tears. "I am apologetic to the people of Nevada. ... When I came here, I came here for a wedding. I didn't come to reclaim property."

Click here for photos.

He said he thought he was taking advantage of an opportunity to retrieve mementos that were rightfully his, including sports memorabilia and his first wife's wedding ring, when he burst into a Las Vegas hotel room on Sept. 13, 2007.

"In no way did I mean to hurt anybody, to steal anything from anyone," Simpson said. "I didn't want anybody else's stuff. I just wanted my own. I realize that I was stupid. I am sorry. I didn’t know that I was doing anything illegal. I thought I was retrieving property from friends. I’m sorry, I’m sorry for all of it."

But the judge emphasized that it was a violent confrontation in which at least one gun was drawn, and she said someone could have been killed. She said the case was unusual because the planning, the confrontation itself and the aftermath were all recorded on audio or videotape.

"The evidence in this case was overwhelming," she said. "This was actually a very violent event."

The judge said several times that her sentence in the Las Vegas case had nothing to do with Simpson's 1994 acquittal in the slaying of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in Los Angeles.

"I'm not here to try and cause any retribution or any payback for anything else," Glass said.

The former Hall of Famer, who walked away a free man in 1995 after his celebrated murder trial, faced mandatory prison time of between six years and life behind bars.

Before Glass read his sentence, she ruled that Simpson cannot be freed on bail pending a possible appeal.

Simpson and his co-defendant and former golfing buddy, 54-year-old Stewart, were convicted Oct. 3 of 12 criminal charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery. Neither Simpson nor Stewart testified at the trial.

Stewart also spoke at the sentencing hearing and apologized to the state of Nevada. He said he bore no ill will toward anyone involved. He asked the court for leniency and said he prays for forgiveness.

Jurors who heard 13 days of testimony said after the verdict that they were convinced of Simpson's guilt because of audio recordings middleman Thomas Riccio secretly made of the 2007 Palace Station casino hotel confrontation with sports memorabilia brokers Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong.

"Don't let nobody out of this room!" Simpson commands on the recordings, and instructs other men to scoop up items he insists had been stolen from him.

Simpson's lawyers called his actions "stupid" and admitted he broke the law, but said they didn't rise to the level of criminality that would warrant a long prison sentence. They asked Glass to show mercy.

"As stupid and as ill-conceived as it was, it wasn't something that was from this evil mind they teach us about," Galanter said before sentencing. "Not bright, not smart, not well thought out, but certainly not from an evil mind."

Glass responded during her statements that she believed "it was much more than stupidity."

Fred Goldman and his daughter, Kim Goldman, father and sister of murder victim Ron Goldman, the friend of Simpson's slain ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, were among the 15 members of the public to gain entry to the courtroom.

Simpson's two sisters, Shirley Baker and Carmelita Durio, sat in the front row of the courtroom, along with his adult daughter.

Most of the 63 seats were taken by media, lawyers and family members of the defendants.

After sentencing was over, the Goldmans left the courtroom and Kim threw her arms around her father and wept.

Simpson's sisters declined to comment, but Baker said on her way out: "It's not over."

Fred Goldman told reporters that "this is a bittersweet moment" but spoke of the satisfaction of seeing Simpson — whom he called an "SOB" and a "monster" — in shackles.

"He'll be where he belongs, with others of his kind," Goldman said.

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[KrauserKrauser]

Hearing this on the radio on the drive inbetween work locations brought a smile to my face. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[Ted C]

From what I hear on the radio, odds are good that the kidnapping charge won't stand up on appeal. Also, 33 years is a lot for someone with no prior convictions, so expect the sentence to be drastically reduced even if the conviction stands.

[Coyote]

37 years for armed robbery and kidnapping? That jury was making up for lost time on the Nichole/Ron Goldman killings.

Note-- I am not complaining about that.

[Ted C]

37 years for armed robbery and kidnapping? That jury was making up for lost time on the Nichole/Ron Goldman killings.

Note-- I am not complaining about that.

The jury didn't get to decide the sentence -- just guild or innocence. The sentence was the judge's ruling, if I understand the news right.

[erik_t]

It may not matter a whole hell of a lot. Football players are not noted for their longevity. The average lifespan is apparently about 55 years. That's brought down somewhat by the average for a lineman (52), but up somewhat by the high number of folks who only play a few years.

OJ may very well die in prison. Actually I'd be a little surprised if he didn't.

[Thanas]

37 years for armed robbery and kidnapping? That jury was making up for lost time on the Nichole/Ron Goldman killings.

Note-- I am not complaining about that.

The jury didn't get to decide the sentence -- just guild or innocence. The sentence was the judge's ruling, if I understand the news right.

Yes, but remember sentencing guidelines - the judge may not even had a lot of leverage, in fact I doubt she had any due to the great and magnificent sentencing guidelines. Who ever thought Judges were not to be trusted with what they studied in law school? Oh, thats right, the GOP did.

[The Romulan Republic]

37 years for armed robbery and kidnapping? That jury was making up for lost time on the Nichole/Ron Goldman killings.

Note-- I am not complaining about that.

People should not be given sentences disproportionate to the crime for which they were sentenced as an excuse to punish them for a crime for which they were aquitted. OJ is legally innocent of the murders, and he should be sentenced only for the crimes for which he's been convicted.

This whole trial bothers me. Let's not fool ourselves: their wasn't going to be an impartial jury in this case. Their wasn't going to be a fair trial in this case. What are the odds of finding someone who wouldn't see this case as a chance for "making up for lost time?" An important principle of our society is that everyone has the right to a fair trial, and as the sentencing seems to confirm, that got thrown clear out the window here. I'm not sure their's any way around that, but I'm not going to party over it, even when its a man as distasteful as Simpson.

Edit: looks like the jury probably didn't get much say in sentencing, but that doesn't change the point that your attitude flies in the face of what how the Justice System is supposed to function.

[Guardsman Bass]

It doesn't exactly please me either (that there was pretty much no possibility of a fair trial), but I'll be honest - I'm glad to see him imprisoned for a long time. His original trial was a complete travesty of justice, and this is a kind of karmic balance (if I believed in karma).

[Sea Skimmer]

People should not be given sentences disproportionate to the crime for which they were sentenced as an excuse to punish them for a crime for which they were aquitted. OJ is legally innocent of the murders, and he should be sentenced only for the crimes for which he's been convicted.

You know, maybe you should read the details before you start complaining? The crimes he was convicted of carried sentences up to and including LIFE IN PRISON for kidnapping, and he was convicted of TWO counts of that! Some of the other charges individually carried 25 year maximum sentences 33 years is far less then he could have gotten for this. Surprising to you hun that forming and executing a conspiracy to rob several people with a gang of armed thugs would get you thrown in jail for a long time?

[The Romulan Republic]

People should not be given sentences disproportionate to the crime for which they were sentenced as an excuse to punish them for a crime for which they were aquitted. OJ is legally innocent of the murders, and he should be sentenced only for the crimes for which he's been convicted.

You know, maybe you should read the details before you start complaining? The crimes he was convicted of carried sentences up to and including LIFE IN PRISON for kidnapping, and he was convicted of TWO counts of that! Some of the other charges individually carried 25 year maximum sentences 33 years is far less then he could have gotten for this. Surprising to you hun that forming and executing a conspiracy to rob several people with a gang of armed thugs would get you thrown in jail for a long time?

Your mockery is needless, though entirely predictable. I was responding to a specific statement claiming that the Jury gave him a high sentence based on the previous case, and expressing approval of that. When I went back and realized that the Jury probably had no real say in the sentence, I edited my post accordingly.

I'll admit I'm not that knowledgeable about the specific laws involved here, and perhaps I should have read the thread more thoroughly, but that does not change my basic point about the principles of the Justice System, and how distasteful it is that people feel its ok to ignore them in OJ's case. And responding to that by mocking me for not realizing that his crimes could carry a heavy sentence is bullshit and a straw man.

[KrauserKrauser]

How is my wanting to see this guy get locked up somehow ignoring the principles of the Justice System? Innocent until proven guilty might be king in the courtroom but in the court of public opinion that saying has held little water for decades.

He was sentenced appropriately for these new crimes and in my opinion got off scott free for murdering two people due to shitty lawyering in his criminal trial. Is it a travesty to want the guilty to be punished, especially when I feel they escaped justice for previously commited crimes?

Damn I'm a horrible human being. Time to rob some people at gun point...

Also since when is the mockery needless, I thought the mockery of stupid people was one of the founding principles of the board. You said something obviosuly stupid, you were mocked, don't act so fucking surprised.

[FSTargetDrone]

So he serves at least 9 years. That makes him about 70 when he's eligible for parole.

Chris Matthews was hemming and hawing about this at the end of Hardball tonight, essentially saying that he feels bad for Simpson. That after all this time, the bad feelings about the way the trial turned out have mellowed. That he ran with the wrong crowd and maybe he just wasn't that smart, that he was essentially taken advantage of by his hangers-on.

Tough cookies. The man got away with a double murder as far as I'm concerned. However, he was found not guilty, so be it. But if he'd kept his nose clean all of this time, well, that's the way it goes, he got away with it. But his behavior caught up with him at last.

Good riddance.

[chitoryu12]

O.J. at the very least should have known that he would be watched pretty closely for any illegal behavior after his aquittal. Most everybody was suspicious of the decision, making for a likely-biased jury in favor of the prosecution, and the judges are usually less lenient on people who have been arrested in the past, especially for double murder. He could have easily lived the rest of his life retired and content with his cash, but no, he just had to get that shit from the hotel room. He was just too stupid to stay out of prison.

[The Romulan Republic]

How is my wanting to see this guy get locked up somehow ignoring the principles of the Justice System? Innocent until proven guilty might be king in the courtroom but in the court of public opinion that saying has held little water for decades.

Which personally I think is a tragedy. It means that during a high-publicity case, even those found innocent, whatever the reasons, will be stigmatized by society for the rest of their lives. Its just a more "civilized" version of the same side of humanity that has lead to lynch mobs and vigilantism in general. Besides, I was responding to a specific post claiming that the Jury had been making up for lost time, and expressing approval of the above. In short, of a hypothetical action in the courtroom that would have been a travesty of Justice. Is that hard to understand?

He was sentenced appropriately for these new crimes and in my opinion got off scott free for murdering two people due to shitty lawyering in his criminal trial. Is it a travesty to want the guilty to be punished, especially when I feel they escaped justice for previously commited crimes?

Its hardly uncommon to want punishment for a perceived injustice (though I'm not sure what purpose such feelings serve), but the post to which I was responding was expressing approval of a hypothetical action that would have been an abuse of the Justice System. Regardless of what actually transpires in this case, the mentality of mob justice that is present here is what I'm arguing against, first and foremost.

Damn I'm a horrible human being. Time to rob some people at gun point...

What is your point here? Is this some sort of joke? 'Cause I don't get it.

[The Romulan Republic]

O.J. at the very least should have known that he would be watched pretty closely for any illegal behavior after his aquittal. Most everybody was suspicious of the decision, making for a likely-biased jury in favor of the prosecution, and the judges are usually less lenient on people who have been arrested in the past, especially for double murder. He could have easily lived the rest of his life retired and content with his cash, but no, he just had to get that shit from the hotel room. He was just too stupid to stay out of prison.

I can't really disagree that he brought this on himself. Not the brightest in the bunch by any means.

[Master of Ossus]

Which personally I think is a tragedy. It means that during a high-publicity case, even those found innocent, whatever the reasons, will be stigmatized by society for the rest of their lives.

Waving around the "innocent" card in OJ's case doesn't go anywhere, and you know it. He got off by keeping massive amounts of evidence from the jury and discrediting DNA, which is widely acknowledged as being the gold-standard of forensic (indeed, any) evidence.

Moreover, plenty of people have been found innocent in high-profile cases without being stigmatized, and even the guilty are occasionally able to escape social stigma because people recognize that there are good reasons for violating the law.

Its just a more "civilized" version of the same side of humanity that has lead to lynch mobs and vigilantism in general.

Yes. Having a justice system, with rules of due process and standards of evidence and sentencing is a more civilized form of the same side of humanity that thinks that people should be punished for committing crimes that hurt society.

I don't think we should have laws, really--they just get in the way of human actors.

[Rogue 9]

Yes, but remember sentencing guidelines - the judge may not even had a lot of leverage, in fact I doubt she had any due to the great and magnificent sentencing guidelines.

Not in this case; NPR said this morning that he could have gotten anywhere between six years and life; the prosecution asked for 18 years.

[Darth Onasi]

He was found innocent due to a complete circus of a trial. Evidence was dismissed for no reason, the prosecutors were more concerned with how they looked on camera than doing their job, the jurors were hand picked by the defense, Judge Ito had no presence in the courtroom whatsoever, appearing weak and out of control of the proceedings.
It was a sham, and a sham verdict, and to me he'll always be guilty as hell.

And even if he were innocent, he chose to be an idiot and commit this crime, and now he's going to jail for it. Fuck him and his excuses, he's a lowly maggot of a human being who tossed away everything he had.

[Jade Falcon]

Also OJ's arrogance at times has not helped him. He was found guilty in the civil court and apparently has not been paying the hefty fine that put on him, then there was the really unwise fact that he wrote a book called "If I did it".

[Big Orange]

OJ Simpson is just a jealous sociopath, and like any sociopath failed to learn from his wrong doing and has an overweening opinion of himself. He slipped away from being convicted through sheer fluke so it was only a matter of time that he got properly convicted the second time after he did something criminal again. And it is peculiar his seperate crimes occurred entirely because of his pride, delusions and selfishness. It is also strange that OJ has seemingly become more of a psycho in his later years; could this be attributed to a brain injury sustained in his sporting career?

[Darth Onasi]

OJ Simpson is just a jealous sociopath, and like any sociopath failed to learn from his wrong doing and has an overweening opinion of himself. He slipped away from being convicted through sheer fluke so it was only a matter of time that he got properly convicted the second time after he did something criminal again. And it is peculiar his seperate crimes occurred entirely because of his pride, delusions and selfishness. It is also strange that OJ has seemingly become more of a psycho in his later years; could this be attributed to a brain injury sustained in his sporting career?

He's always had a history of jealousy and aggression, it seems. The incidents of beating Nicole when they were still married for instance.
Though it has gotten progressively worse and worse over the years leading to the vicious murders then a pattern of almost juvenile delinquency and then saying "oh I'm sorry". Frankly I think that if something were to spark his rage like it did all those years ago, he could kill again, so it's about time he's put behind bars.

[Ender]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy as far as I'm concerned.

[Phantasee]

CNN was doing coverage of his sentencing, and they mentioned his run-ins with the law since his big trial. He got busted for all sorts of things, like speeding his boat through some sort of sanctuary or wildlife preserve, and this is the one that got to me, pirating satallite television.

[Darth Yoshi]

What the fuck. Satellite isn't that expensive. And despite the fact that he's a has-been who barely missed out on jail-time for murder, he should've had more than enough money for satellite. *shakes head*