Tag: O.J. Simpson

Update: The judge released jury questionnaires today.

Jury questionnaires released Saturday show that five of the 12 jurors disagreed with the 1995 verdict that cleared Simpson of murdering his ex-wife and her friend in Los Angeles.

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O.J. Simpson is sitting in the Clark County, NV jail today, undoubtedly wondering whether he has any strong grounds for appeal of last night's jury verdict in his Las Vegas robbery/kidnapping trial.

Jury selection sounds like a fertile area. Not only did the prosecution excuse the final two African American members of the jury (leaving two alternates who didn't get to serve) but here's what one juror said today:[More...]

Update: O.J. guilty on all counts, live blog of verdict below.

The verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial is about to be read. Streaming live site is here or here.

It was 13 years ago today that the jury reached a not guilty verdict in his murder trial.

The jury has been deliberating since 8:30 a.m. this morning. The jury instructions are here (pdf). From the Las Vegas Sun:

The charges they face include 11 felonies (Conspiracy to commit kidnapping; conspiracy to commit burglary; burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon; and two counts each of first degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon; robbery with use of a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon; and coercion with use of a deadly weapon. They also face one gross misdemeanor, conspiracy to commit a crime.

The jury has the power to drop "use of a deadly weapon" from the nine weapons-related charges if they choose to do so.

I watched the closing arguments this afternoon at The Legal Edge. I finished feeling nervous for O.J., thinking he needs a holdout. With the verdict coming in this soon, I'm not optimistic he got one. And yes, I'm rooting for O.J.

I'll live-blog the verdict below.

O.J. Simpson is back in custody pending a bail violation hearing next week in Nevada. The prosecutor filed this complaint (pdf) alleging he left a voicemail for his bondsman asking him to contact a co-defendant, Clarence Stewart, who is not cooperating, and tell him to not to change his story from what he had previously told O.J. O.J.'s voicemail:

"I just want, want C.J. to know that the whole thing all the time he was tellin' me that (bleep), ya know. I hope he was telling me the truth. Don't be trying to change the mother (bleeping) (bleep) now, mother (bleeping) (bleep) holes. I'm tired of this (bleep). Fed up with the mother (bleepers) changing what they told me."

A condition of O.J.'s bond is that he not contact witnesses, victims or co-defendants personally or through his agents.

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O.J. Simpson will be in court in Las Vegas today for the start of his two day preliminary hearing.

The case is likely to pivot on Simpson's contention that he didn't ask anyone to bring guns, that he didn't know anyone had guns and that no guns were displayed. Three of Simpson's co-defendants have pleaded guilty or agreed to do so and are expected to testify against him.

A preliminary hearing is a hearing at which the Judge decides whether there is probable cause to believe that a crime was committed and that it was committed by the charged defendant.

The rules of evidence are relaxed at a prelim, which means hearsay is allowed. Most cases are bound over for trial following a prelim.

But don't equate a preliminary hearing with proof of guilt. The standard of "probable cause" is far less than that of "reasonable doubt."

In other words, with three defendants cutting deals to testify against O.J., and their credibility not being a big issue at the prelim, you can expect him to be bound over for trial.

But, that doesn't mean the prosecution can prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. I hope everyone will keep an open mind.

In the not-suprising news, two of O.J. Simpson's co-defendants have taken deals and will testify against him.

Of possible interest is that the co-defendants, Walter Alexander and Charles Cashmore, are pleading to felonies. While I'd expect them not to get jail time in exchange for their testimony, a felony conviction is no walk in the park. It also raises the bar for any plea deal for O.J. I think the prosecution would be hard-pressed to give O.J. a misdemeanor while forcing the others to cop to felonies.

Which means, we may see yet another O.J. trial. The preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 8 and 9th.

A California Judge has ruled that O.J. Simpson must turn over whatever sports memorabilia he was trying to recover in Las Vegas as well as his Rolex watch to Fred Goldman.

According to O.J.'s lawyer, O.J. paid $150.00 for the watch, making it likely to be a fake rather than a real Rolex Submariner.

Translation: If it turns up on eBay, take a pass.

Minor point: No one's answered my question, what if the watch were real and he purchased it with his money from his pension fund which is exempt from the Goldman's judgment? Could he keep it then?

[Via live tv] The judge has set O.J. Simpson's bail at $125,000. There was no legal battle, the defense and D.A. agreed on the amount. He can post it in cash or using a bail bondsman.

O.J. can return to Florida, he must surrender his passport and he can't have any contact with witnesses.

My view: an appropriate result.

Most bizarre moment: Watching former O.J. prosecutor and current entertainment reporter Marcia Clark leave the courthouse. Talk about flashbacks.

Bump and Update: O.J. is charged with ten felonies and a misdemeanor, including kidnapping with a deadly weapon. Here's the Criminal Complaint (pdf.) The kidnapping charge is directed at Bruce Fromong, who is now in critical condition in a hospital in LA, having suffered a heart attack. I hope he recovers, but I wonder whether if he dies, they'll charge O.J. with that too.

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Original Post:
Judge Denies Goldman Attempt to Seize All O.J.'s Property

A Los Angeles judge today denied a request by the family of Ron Goldman to seize all O.J.'s property. [More...]

Bump and Update: OJ is being held without bond until tomorrow. His lawyer, Yale Galanter of Florida, responds:

"Obviously we intend to fight these charges vigorously. We believe it is an extremely defensible case based on conflicting witness statements, flip-flopping by witnesses and witnesses making deals with the government to flip," he said.

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Original Post: OJ Simpson Arrested

From AP:

O.J. Simpson was arrested Sunday on charges related to an armed robbery involving sport memorabilia, police said. Simpson was arrested shortly after 11 a.m. and is being brought to a police office, Capt. James Dillon said. Police are still determining charges against Simpson.

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