After surviving nearly a decade in prison, former NFL star OJ Simpson could be released from prison this year. Simpson was jailed for his role in a 2008 robbery of sports memorabilia at a hotel-casino in Las Vegas. There were two sports memorabilia dealers Simpson claimed were illegally selling stolen property that belonged to him. “The Juice” brought along friends who were former players in hopes of getting his goods back. The now infamous strong arm robbery saw Simpson sentenced to 33 years in prison.
Some feel the harsh prison sentence was in response to his murder acquittal of his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ronald Goldman that occurred in 1994. The court proceedings were dubbed the “trial of the century.” He was defended by late legal giant Johnny Cochran and his defense hinged on a glove found at the scene of the crime. When Simpson tried on the glove it did not fit, spawning Cochran’s now famous quip, “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
Thousands across America were outraged that Simpson seemed to have gotten away with a double murder, while some in the Black community rejoiced because of the heated racial climate in Los Angeles. During this time period, LAPD officers were found not guilty of nearly beating Rodney King to death and a series of riots broke out across the United States in major cities from Los Angeles to Atlanta.
Simpson was subsequently found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay damages to the victims’ families totaling $33.5M.
Simpson will be up for parole in July but a hearing date has not been set by the Nevada Department of Corrections. In 2013, Simpson was granted parole on some of the charges related to the robbery and kidnapping but still faced at least four more years in prison on four concurrent sentences. This time, if granted parole, Simpson could be released as early as October, according to reports.
