David Yudkin
Footballguy
Simpson sentenced to at least 15 years
LAS VEGAS — O.J. Simpson, saying "I didn't mean to hurt anybody," was sentenced to as many as 33 years in prison Friday for kidnapping, armed robbery and other convictions stemming from a confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers in 2007.
Defense attorneys said Simpson would have to serve nine years before becoming eligible for parole, meaning the 61-year-old former football and movie star could be 70 years old before seeing freedom.
Simpson asked Judge Jackie Glass for mercy. Appearing in handcuffs and shackles, dressed in blue jail garb and orange canvass shoes, Simpson spoke in a waivering, emotional voice as he said he never meant to commit the crimes that he was convicted of in October.
"I didn't mean to hurt anybody, and I didn't mean to steal anything," Simpson told the judge.
He said he had been only trying to recover his own personal items, including photos of his family, from sports collectors that he knew.
"I just wanted my things back," he said. "I thought I was confronting friends and retrieving my property."
He said if they had refused to hand over the items, he would have called the police.
Glass, in imposing sentence, said she wasn't buying Simpson's explanation.
She said that before the trial she questioned whether he was "arrogant or ignorant, or both," and that from the trial, "I got the answer — It was both."
"It was clear you believed you could do in Las Vegas what you couldn't do elsewhere — that's get your stuff back," she said.
She said his actions triggered "a very violent event," and that evidence in the case, including tape recordings of his own words, "was overwhelming."
Sitting in the courtroom was Fred Goldman, father of Ron Goldman, who died along with Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson outside her Los Angeles condo, a double slaying that Simpson was found not guilty of committing in a sensational trial 13 years ago.
Goldman said outside the courtroom he was pleased Simpson will be spending years behind bars and called it satisfying to see Simpson in prison shackles.
"It's kind of a bittersweet moment, knowing that SOB will be in prison for a long time," Goldman said.
"What we have is satisfaction this monster is where he belongs, behind bars," Goldman said.
Simpson was sentenced on 10 counts, nine of them felonies, after two coercian convictions were dismissed by agreement of District Attorney David Roger.
Most of the sentences are to run concurrently but aggravating circumstances involving guns add mandatory terms of at least a year in prison to several of the charges, including minimum 15 year sentences for two kidnapping counts.
Simpson could serve up to 33 years but could be eligible for parole after nine years, according to Elana Roberto, the judge's clerk.
Glass said her sentence was unrelated to Simpson's previous sensational trial.
"I'm not here to try and cause any retribution or any payback for anything else," Glass said.
There was a circus atmosphere outside the court, with a handful of Simpson supporters waving signs and heckling Goldman.
The crowd included a costumed Elvis impersonator, a woman in Wonder Woman garb and a man in an electric wheelchair wearing a glitter-encrusted Santa suit.
LAS VEGAS — O.J. Simpson, saying "I didn't mean to hurt anybody," was sentenced to as many as 33 years in prison Friday for kidnapping, armed robbery and other convictions stemming from a confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers in 2007.
Defense attorneys said Simpson would have to serve nine years before becoming eligible for parole, meaning the 61-year-old former football and movie star could be 70 years old before seeing freedom.
Simpson asked Judge Jackie Glass for mercy. Appearing in handcuffs and shackles, dressed in blue jail garb and orange canvass shoes, Simpson spoke in a waivering, emotional voice as he said he never meant to commit the crimes that he was convicted of in October.
"I didn't mean to hurt anybody, and I didn't mean to steal anything," Simpson told the judge.
He said he had been only trying to recover his own personal items, including photos of his family, from sports collectors that he knew.
"I just wanted my things back," he said. "I thought I was confronting friends and retrieving my property."
He said if they had refused to hand over the items, he would have called the police.
Glass, in imposing sentence, said she wasn't buying Simpson's explanation.
She said that before the trial she questioned whether he was "arrogant or ignorant, or both," and that from the trial, "I got the answer — It was both."
"It was clear you believed you could do in Las Vegas what you couldn't do elsewhere — that's get your stuff back," she said.
She said his actions triggered "a very violent event," and that evidence in the case, including tape recordings of his own words, "was overwhelming."
Sitting in the courtroom was Fred Goldman, father of Ron Goldman, who died along with Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson outside her Los Angeles condo, a double slaying that Simpson was found not guilty of committing in a sensational trial 13 years ago.
Goldman said outside the courtroom he was pleased Simpson will be spending years behind bars and called it satisfying to see Simpson in prison shackles.
"It's kind of a bittersweet moment, knowing that SOB will be in prison for a long time," Goldman said.
"What we have is satisfaction this monster is where he belongs, behind bars," Goldman said.
Simpson was sentenced on 10 counts, nine of them felonies, after two coercian convictions were dismissed by agreement of District Attorney David Roger.
Most of the sentences are to run concurrently but aggravating circumstances involving guns add mandatory terms of at least a year in prison to several of the charges, including minimum 15 year sentences for two kidnapping counts.
Simpson could serve up to 33 years but could be eligible for parole after nine years, according to Elana Roberto, the judge's clerk.
Glass said her sentence was unrelated to Simpson's previous sensational trial.
"I'm not here to try and cause any retribution or any payback for anything else," Glass said.
There was a circus atmosphere outside the court, with a handful of Simpson supporters waving signs and heckling Goldman.
The crowd included a costumed Elvis impersonator, a woman in Wonder Woman garb and a man in an electric wheelchair wearing a glitter-encrusted Santa suit.