BREAKING: O.J. Simpson Wins Release

What's happening now For the past eight and a half years, Simpson has been the most famous inmate inside Nevada's Lovelock Correctional Facility. Here's a glimpse into his time there: His behavior: "Simpson has stayed out of trouble there," said Brooke Keast, spokeswoman for the Nevada prisons system. "We haven't heard much from him." His diet: When Simpson first entered prison, he ate junk food (like cookies, ramen noodles, and sticky cinnamon rolls) and gained a lot of weight, ex-guards said. But in recent years, he's gone on a health kick and lost weight. His nicknames: Guards sometimes call Simpson Nordberg (after the bumbling police officer he played in the "Naked Gun" movies), one of his friends said. Another nickname? Bobble Head, because "he's got a big head," one ex-guard said. His hobbies: Simpson plays fantasy football games (and often won), coaches softball and watches TV on his 13-inch flat screen (largest size that prisoners at Lovelock can buy), ex-guards said. BREAKING: Simpson wins release The parole board members who voted for Simpson's release cited his support in the community and stable plans after life in prison. The decision was unanimous: Four out of four voted for release. https://twitter.com/megwagner/status/888110214527844352 Behind the scenes as Simpson waits As he was waiting for the parole board to make their decision, Simpson sat with the people around him and talk. CNN's cameras are there. Here's who's in the room with him now: His attorney, Malcolm LaVergne His daughter, Arnelle Simpson His sister, Shirley Baker His friend, Tom Scotto Now, the parole board deliberates The four-person Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners has begun their deliberations to determine whether or not OJ Simpson will be granted parole. If the four commissioners do not reach a unanimous decision, they'll call two more commissioners to weigh in. After that, if at least four of the six vote yes, parole is granted. If the vote splits 3-3, parole will be denied. But he'll get another shot at a hearing in six months. If he gets the four or more votes needed for parole, he could be released as early as October. "He's a good man," robbery victim says "It's time to give him a second chance," Bruce Fromong, one of the victims of Simpson's robbery, said. "He made a mistake." He then turned to Simpson and called him by his nickname: "Juice." "I will make this clear to you: OJ never held a gun on me" Bruce Fromong echoed Simpson's previous comments, saying he never pulled a gun on him during the robbery. "He never laid a hand on me," Fromong said. Robbery victim: "I felt Simpson was misguided" Bruce Fromong, one of the victims of Simpson's robbery, testified in support of his early release. He said it was clear that Simpson had been told that Fromong had personal items, like Simpson family photos and his wife's wedding ring. Simpson: "Believe it or not, I actually do have friends" There was a moment of levity in Simpson's remarks when he talked about life on the outside -- how he wanted to get back to his family and his friends. "Believe it or not, I actually do have friends," he said. Simpson: "I am sorry that things turned out the way they did" "I've spent nine years making no excuses about anything," Simpson said in his closing remarks, which he noted that he hadn't prepared. "I told the warden when I got here .... that I would be no problem," he said. "I think I kept my word." "We just want him to come home" Arnelle Simpson, the oldest daughter, ended her emotional statement by saying she just wants her father to come home. "As a family, we recognize he is not the perfect man," Simpson's daughter says "He is my best friend and my rock," Arnelle Simpson said. The robbery, she recognized, was "counterproductive" and "clearly inappropriate." "As a family, we recognize he is not the perfect man," she said. Simpson's oldest daughter: "No one really knows how much we have been through" Arnelle Simpson spoke on behalf of her father, saying she understands that Simpson "didn't make the right decision that day." "No one really knows how much we have been through ... this ordeal the last nine years," she said. Simpson: "I take full responsibility" Throughout his remarks, Simpson expressed regret about his crime, saying he should have had "better judgment" and that he wished it would have never happened. “If I would have made a better judgment back then, none of this would have happened. And I take full responsibility," Simpson said. “I haven’t made any excuses in nine years here, but I should have never allowed these alleged security guys to help me because it turned out they were only trying to help themselves.” Parole board received "hundreds" of letters asking to consider his 1995 acquittal One of the parole board members held up a thick stack of paper, saying it was "hundreds of letters" -- of both support and opposition -- they had received about Simpson. "The majority of the opposition letters are asking us to consider your 1995 acquittal and subsequent civil judgment, however, these items will not be considered," she said. Simpson: "I was always a good guy" “I realize in my nine years here, that I was a good guy on the street," Simpson said. “I was always a good guy, but I could have been a better Christian.” Victim of robbery is here on Simpson's behalf today Asked if he knew how the victims of his robbery were affected, Simpson said he understood the impact. In fact, one of the victims of the robbery, Bruce Fromong, is at the hearing today -- on Simpson's behalf. "I never thought that the crime deserved that much time, that long of a sentence," Fromong told CNN. Simpson: I have never in my life pulled a gun on someone Simpson, plus five other men who were carrying guns, allegedly confronted two sports memorabilia dealers and took pieces of memorabilia from them. He has said many times that he never knew his accomplices were carrying guns and that he would never pull a gun on someone. That has been a major theme in his testimony so far. Simpson has clearly lost weight. Here's his prison diet When Simpson first entered prison, he ate junk food (like cookies, ramen noodles, and sticky cinnamon rolls) and gained a lot of weight, ex-guards said. But in recent years, he's gone on a health kick and lost weight. Read more about his prison life here. Simpson today: Simpson in 2013: "We have that you are 90 years old" Connie Bisbee, Nevada Board of Parole Commissioner, was about two decades off on Simpson's age. He is 70 years old. That got the first laugh of the hearing. Our first glimpse of Simpson Simpson, 70, just sat down for the video conference from the prison near Lovelock, Nevada.July 20, Simpson will speak today He will appear via video conference from prison in near Lovelock, Nevada. His family will be in the room with him during this hearing. Simpson's entourage has arrived From CNN's Rosalina Nieves: OJ Simpson's Attorney LaVergne just pulled up to Lovelock Correctional Center. With him are Simpson's sister Shirley Simpson, his older daughter Arnell Simpson and his friend Tom Scatto. Bruce Fromong -- the victim who said he intends to speak in support of Simpson's parole -- also arrived at Lovelock in a separate car. A video recap of Simpson's conviction (and earlier acquittal) When Simpson was sentenced to a nine-to-33-year sentence for robbery and kidnapping, his lawyers argued that the punishment did not match the crime. They said it was a form of payback for his controversial acquittal in the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend. Here's a look at both of those cases: Ahead of O.J. Simpson’s parole hearing, here’s a recap of his 2008 conviction — and 1995 acquittal http://cnn.it/2uCZRdd These are the people who will decide Simpson's fate From CNN's Steve Almasy: At least four people will determine whether OJ Simpson will soon be released from prison: If the first four members of the Nevada parole board don't all vote the same way, two other commissioners will be called upon to try to reach a majority. The six-person board includes three former wardens, an FBI Academy graduate and a US Army veteran. Read all of their bios here. What Simpson's life is like behind bars From CNN's Paul Vercammen: For the past eight and a half years, Simpson has been the most famous inmate inside Nevada's Lovelock Correctional Facility. Here's a glimpse into his time there: His behavior: "Simpson has stayed out of trouble there," said Brooke Keast, spokeswoman for the Nevada prisons system. "We haven't heard much from him." His diet: When Simpson first entered prison, he ate junk food (like cookies, ramen noodles, and sticky cinnamon rolls) and gained a lot of weight, ex-guards said. But in recent years, he's gone on a health kick and lost weight. His nicknames: Guards sometimes call Simpson Nordberg (after the bumbling police officer he played in the "Naked Gun" movies), one of his friends said. Another nickname? Bobble Head, because "he's got a big head," one ex-guard said. His hobbies: Simpson plays fantasy football games (and often won), coaches softball and watches TV on his 13-inch flat screen (largest size that prisoners at Lovelock can buy), ex-guards said. Read more about Simpson's life in prison here. Remember O.J. Simpson's 1994 slow-speed police chase? Just after O.J. Simpson was charged with murder in 1994, a manhunt began. Police ultimately spotted Simpson Simpson on the expressway, riding in a white Ford Bronco driven by his best friend and former teammate, Al Cowlings. TV helicopters swooped in to join the chase, and the 60-mile, low-speed pursuit through Los Angeles went down in TV history. People across the country tuned in — Domino's Pizza even reported record sales of pizza delivery during the chase, presumably because people Americans glued to the TVs. Watch the chase unfold in the clip below: Victim of Simpson-led robbery: "I never thought that the crime deserved that much time" From CNN's Paul Vercammen and Eric Levenson: Bruce Fromong, the only surviving victim of the 2007 O.J. Simpson-led armed robbery, says he is going to testify at the former football star's parole hearing -- in support of Simpson's release. Fromong told CNN he plans to travel to Nevada's Lovelock Correctional Center to advocate for his one-time friend's release. He said: "I never thought that the crime deserved that much time, that long of a sentence." The other victim of the Las Vegas robbery, Alfred Beardsley, died in 2015. Who will be in the room with Simpson Simpson's home for nearly a decade: A prison in the middle of the desert Simpson is incarcerated at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada. It's a medium-security facility surrounded by guard towers and fences topped with barbed wire. The prison houses 1,680 inmates in six units. It's visible from Interstate 80, the main highway from Reno to Salt Lake City. Lovelock, about 90 miles northeast of Reno, is tiny: It has fewer than 2,000 residents, a 25 mph main street and one traffic signal. Local lore promises good luck to lovers who make wishes and attach padlocks to a chain behind the Pershing County courthouse. Simpson's accomplice says it's "about time" for parole Charles Ehrlich, a long-time friend of O.J. Simpson and one of his accomplices in the 2007 hotel room robbery, said it’s “about time” Simpson is released from prison. "He’s been in what, nine years now? And I don’t think he should have been there to begin with," he told CNN this morning. Ehrlich added: “I don’t think that he knew there were guns involved." Watch the moment in the clip below: What Simpson needs to go free Simpson has served nearly nine years of his sentence, which carried a max of 33 years. A simple majority vote (so just four of the six members need to vote yes) If the vote splits 3-3, parole will be denied. But he'll get another shot at a hearing in six months. If he gets the four or more votes needed for parole, he could be released as early as October. Simpson was labeled low risk at a 2013 parole hearing From CNN's Paul Vercammen: This is the first year Simpson could be released (since he was sentenced to at least nine years). But he was granted parole on some of the counts against him at a 2013 hearing. Now, he only has to make parole on seven of the original 12 counts. The parole board scores an inmate on several factors -- the higher the total score, the greater the risk involved in releasing them: Someone with zero to five points is deemed low risk. Between six and 11 points is considered medium risk More than 12 points? High risk. In 2013, Simpson scored three points overall. A (very brief) timeline of O.J. Simpson's legal history June 17, 1994: Simpson is charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances in the June 12 stabbing deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. July 22, 1994: Simpson pleads not guilty. Oct. 3, 1995: A jury returns a not guilty verdict after less than four hours of deliberations in the criminal trial. Oct. 23, 1996: A civil trial begins in a wrongful death suit brought against Simpson by the victims' families. Feb. 4, 1997: A jury finds Simpson liable in the civil wrongful death suit brought by the victims' families and awards the plaintiffs $8.5 million in damages. Feb. 10, 1997: Simpson is ordered to pay $25 million in punitive damages to the victims' families. Sept.16, 2007: Simpson is arrested in connection with the robbery inside the Las Vegas hotel room Nov. 28, 2007: Simpson pleads not guilty to charges of kidnapping, robbery and assault. Oct. 3, 2008: Simpson is found guilty on 12 counts, including kidnapping and armed robbery. It's 13 years to the day that he was acquitted in the murder trial. Read a more complete timeline of O.J. Simpson here. Why is O.J. Simpson in prison? It’s not for the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. He was acquitted of those charges in 1995. Simpson is serving a nine-to-33-year sentence for his role in a 2007 incident in a Las Vegas hotel room. Simpson (plus five other men who were carrying guns) allegedly confronted two sports memorabilia dealers and took pieces of memorabilia from them. Simpson was convicted on 12 charges including kidnapping, armed robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon. The former college and pro football star said at his sentencing that he was trying to reclaim family heirlooms and other personal items that had been stolen from him. READ THE FULL STORY HERE... 2017, From CNN's Paul Vercammen: CNN

BREAKING: O.J. Simpson Wins Release

By K. Gitter
8 years ago

Simpson in 2013:

“We have that you are 90 years old”

Our first glimpse of Simpson