O.J. Simpson Sentenced in Las Vegas Kidnapping Trial

O.J. Simpson sented to 18 years for armed robbery and kidnapping charges.

Las Vegas (MCT) - Shackled, shaking and wearing a jail-issued blue jumpsuit, O.J. Simpson learned Friday how long he'll serve in prison: at least nine years.

Despite an emotional apology from Simpson, a judge said the former NFL star's actions during an armed confrontation last year showed "more than stupidity" as she slapped him with up to 33 years in prison. Simpson will be 70 when he's eligible for parole in nine years.

"I realize I was stupid, and I'm sorry," Simpson said in court, his voice breaking. "I didn't know I was doing anything illegal. I'm sorry for all of it."
But District Judge Jackie Glass, a no-nonsense jurist, was unmoved.

"I have to tell you, it was much more than stupidity," she said.

Glass had asked at an earlier hearing whether arrogance or ignorance led to Simpson's arrest on charges of armed robbery, assault and kidnapping. On Friday, she said she knew the answer.

"It was both," Glass said. "You believed you could do in Las Vegas what you couldn't do elsewhere."

Simpson's co-defendant and former golfing buddy, C.J. Stewart, will serve between seven and a half and 27 years in prison. Prosecutors told the judge Stewart was "less culpable" than Simpson in the September 2007 incident at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino.

Simpson, 61, and Stewart, 54, who have been jailed since a jury found them guilty on Oct. 3, will begin their sentences immediately. Glass denied motions from defense attorneys to release the men pending their appeals to the Nevada Supreme Court.

"I believe they're both flight risks," Glass said.

Glass could have sentenced Simpson and Stewart to life in prison. Court officials had recommended they serve 18 years, and Glass mostly followed those guidelines.

Under Glass' sentence, Simpson will be eligible for parole in nine years and Stewart in seven and a half. But parole is not guaranteed, and prosecutors said they expect Simpson and Stewart will serve more than their minimum sentences.

"Typically, in crimes with victims, people are not paroled the first time they are eligible," Clark County District Attorney David Roger said. "I suspect they will serve a little extra time."

Simpson spoke in court for several minutes, explaining his story and what led him to confront two sports-memorabilia dealers at an off-the-Strip hotel. He said he hoped to retrieve autographed footballs and other items that he believed were taken from him by his former manager.

"I came here for a wedding; I didn't come here to reclaim property. I was told it was here," Simpson said. "This was the first time I had the opportunity to catch these guys red-handed who had been stealing from my family."

Free Prayer PDFs | Available in English, Spanish and French

A jury convicted Simpson and Stewart of all 12 charges they faced stemming from the confrontation in the hotel room. The verdict came after 13 days of testimony from almost two dozen witnesses and an audio recording that captured the incident.

"Don't let nobody out of this room!" Simpson is heard yelling on the recording.

Glass said the recordings were damning against Simpson.

"It was actually a very violent event. At least one gun was drawn," Glass said. "The potential for harm to occur in that room was tremendous."

Four men who were present in the hotel room with Simpson and Stewart accepted plea deals in exchange for their testimony. One told jurors that Simpson asked him to bring a gun to the encounter.

The convictions were the first for Simpson and Stewart, whose attorneys argued Friday that their clients were not hardened criminals and should have been given lenient prison terms.

"My client's acts were beyond stupid, really stupid, and I make no bones about it," Yale Galanter, Simpson's attorney, said in court. "But stupidity is not criminality. I truly believe, your honor, that Mr. Simpson's intent was not what we learned in law school. He was not evincing a criminal, evil mind."

Stewart, a Las Vegas mortgage broker who used to play golf with Simpson, was less culpable than Simpson was in the crimes, District Attorney Roger said Friday.

Roger also chided Stewart for talking to the media since his conviction, telling reporters this week from jail that he has been mentoring younger jail inmates and preparing himself for "a lot of time" in prison.

"Other than this incident, I have not been convicted of any crimes," Stewart told the judge before she sentenced him, apologizing to the court and to Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong, the memorabilia dealers. "At no time did I intend to participate in any conduct that would harm these gentlemen."

Stewart continued: "I have successfully raised four kids. None of those kids have been inside a jail cell except to visit me."

Simpson, a Hall of Fame running back who later starred in movies and commercials, moved to Florida several years after his 1995 acquittal in the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

In 1997, Simpson was found liable for the deaths in a civil suit and was ordered to pay $33.5 million to the victims' relatives.

Simpson owns a four-bedroom, four-bath home in the Miami area assessed at $735,000, which is untouchable for collection of the civil judgment.

Free Catholic PDF's - Home / Parish / School / Bulletin Inserts

Goldman's father and mother were sitting in the courtroom during Friday's sentencing. Afterward, father Fred Goldman spoke to reporters.

"What we've got is satisfaction that this monster is finally behind bars," Goldman said. "There is never closure. Ron is always gone."

Attorneys for both men said they will appeal the Las Vegas conviction. Glass has already denied the men's requests for a new trial.

Galanter said he did not think Simpson would get special treatment in prison, but attorneys added Simpson has been getting along fine in jail, even buying candy bars and Ramen soup for fellow inmates.

As to Simpson's reaction to the sentence, Galanter said: "I think he's a little relieved he didn't get a life sentence."

_____
© 2008, The Miami Herald.