OJ Simpson freed
The former American football star and actor has been released on parole after nine years in a Nevada jail.
Disgraced American football star OJ Simpson, whose racially charged 1995 murder trial riveted the nation, was released from jail on parole early yesterday after nine years behind bars for armed robbery.
Simpson, 70, left the Lovelock Correctional Centre in the western state of Nevada just after midnight, prison spokesperson Brooke Keast said. “I don't know where he was headed,” Keast told AFP.
Simpson was granted parole at a hearing in July and his earliest release date was set for October 1, but he had widely been expected to be freed no earlier than Monday.
Why the early release? “To ensure public safety and avoid possible incident,” Keast said, commenting on Simpson's release.
Simpson plans to relocate to Florida following his release from the medium-security prison where he has been serving his sentence, his lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne said earlier.
Simpson was famously found not guilty in 1995 of the grisly murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a male friend, Ron Goldman, in a case that transfixed the country and became known as the “Trial of the Century.”
But the former National Football League running back and actor was sent to prison in 2008 for his role in an armed robbery the previous year of two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas resort.
Simpson claimed at his trial that he was just seeking to recover personal items from the dealers, and he repeated that explanation at his parole board hearing in July, where the four-member panel voted unanimously for his release.
The football player was sentenced to a maximum 33-year prison sentence in 2008 after storming a Las Vegas hotel room with five others in an effort to seize items from two sports memorabilia dealers.
Simpson said the belongings, which he described as images of his family and friends, were later handed over to him by officials after they were legally deemed to belong to him.
In 2013 the Nevada Board of Parole granted him parole on some of his convictions, but not for the more violent charges. In July this year, he was granted parole and approved for release in October.
Bruce Fromong, who was one of Simpson's victims in the robbery, testified in favour of him being granted freedom. Simpson was found guilty in 2008 exactly 13 years to the day after he was famously acquitted in the double-murder case.
Despite the 1995 not-guilty verdict, a civil court jury held Simpson liable for the deaths of his Brown Simpson and Goldman, awarding US$33.5m (£25m) to their families.
NAMPA/AP
Simpson, 70, left the Lovelock Correctional Centre in the western state of Nevada just after midnight, prison spokesperson Brooke Keast said. “I don't know where he was headed,” Keast told AFP.
Simpson was granted parole at a hearing in July and his earliest release date was set for October 1, but he had widely been expected to be freed no earlier than Monday.
Why the early release? “To ensure public safety and avoid possible incident,” Keast said, commenting on Simpson's release.
Simpson plans to relocate to Florida following his release from the medium-security prison where he has been serving his sentence, his lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne said earlier.
Simpson was famously found not guilty in 1995 of the grisly murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a male friend, Ron Goldman, in a case that transfixed the country and became known as the “Trial of the Century.”
But the former National Football League running back and actor was sent to prison in 2008 for his role in an armed robbery the previous year of two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas resort.
Simpson claimed at his trial that he was just seeking to recover personal items from the dealers, and he repeated that explanation at his parole board hearing in July, where the four-member panel voted unanimously for his release.
The football player was sentenced to a maximum 33-year prison sentence in 2008 after storming a Las Vegas hotel room with five others in an effort to seize items from two sports memorabilia dealers.
Simpson said the belongings, which he described as images of his family and friends, were later handed over to him by officials after they were legally deemed to belong to him.
In 2013 the Nevada Board of Parole granted him parole on some of his convictions, but not for the more violent charges. In July this year, he was granted parole and approved for release in October.
Bruce Fromong, who was one of Simpson's victims in the robbery, testified in favour of him being granted freedom. Simpson was found guilty in 2008 exactly 13 years to the day after he was famously acquitted in the double-murder case.
Despite the 1995 not-guilty verdict, a civil court jury held Simpson liable for the deaths of his Brown Simpson and Goldman, awarding US$33.5m (£25m) to their families.
NAMPA/AP
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