Vegas Jury Convicts Simpson

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Associated Press
Saturday, October 4, 2008

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 3 -- Former football star O.J. Simpson was convicted Friday night, along with a co-defendant, of robbing two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a casino hotel room last year.

The 61-year-old former football star and a golfing buddy, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, were both found guilty on 12 charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery.

Deliberations began 13 years to the day after Simpson was acquitted of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles. The Clark County jury announced it had reached its verdict shortly before 10 p.m. Friday after hearing 12 days of testimony.

Simpson could face life in prison when he is sentenced.

Prosecutors argued Thursday that the Las Vegas case had its roots in the 1994 slayings.

Prosecutor Chris Owens said Simpson planned, and Stewart helped carry out, a plot to retrieve personal items. Simpson had squirreled them away, the prosecutor added, to avoid turning them over to Goldman's family as part of a $33.5 million civil wrongful death judgment levied in 1997.

Yale Galanter, Simpson's attorney, told the jury that the prosecution had not proven Simpson guilty in the criminal case.

Neither Simpson nor Stewart testified. Two former co-defendants who said they brought guns to the hotel room did testify.