Former NFL star O.J Simpson has lost his bid for a new trial in his Las Vegas armed robbery and kidnapping sentencing. Clark County District Judge, Linda Marie Bell ruled Tuesday that “all grounds in the petition lack merit and, consequently, are denied”. This means that Simpson could face 4 more years in prison.
Simpson’s lawyer, Patricia Palm, has said she was disappointed about the ruling and has vowed to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. “We’re confident that when we get to the right court we’ll get relief because he deserves relief, because he didn’t get a fair trial,” Palm told The Associated Press.
Simpson, 66, was sentenced for up to 33 years in Nevada state prison in 2007 after he was found guilty of kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges. In his defense, Simpson said he tried to reclaim collectible and personal items he believed had been stolen from him from two sports memorabilia dealers in a hotel room.
When committing the act, he was accompanied by five other men who helped in seizing the items from the dealers. However, Simpson was granted parole on some of the convictions in July 2013, meaning he must serve four more years in prison if his bid for retrial flops.
Simpson now argues that he received bad legal advice from his lawyers led by Yale Galanter and that he was not effectively represented. Galanter has however come out strongly to refute Simpson’s claims saying he feels vindicated by the judge’s ruling.
“As O.J.’s lawyer and confidante, it was gut-wrenching for me to have to be in a position to defend my strategy and efforts on his behalf as his lawyer and testify against my client,” Galanter said by telephone.
A section of the 101 page ruling reads, “Mr. Simpson’s convictions stem from serious offences,” the judge wrote. “Mr. Simpson specifically asked two of his co-conspirators to bring weapons … to show the sellers he meant business,” she said.
Simpson was well known for his exceptional talent as a pro football player. However, he became infamous in 1995 after being acquitted of murdering his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. In the court of public opinion, his current incarceration is seen by many as retribution for him getting away with murder.
(image via YouTube)