O.J. Simpson is once again in the news as he has now appealed the Supreme Court In Nevada to overturn his armed robbery and kidnapping convictions. Simpson was convicted after storming a Las Vegas hotel room to confront some men about sports memorabilia that he claimed was stolen from him. The appeal was received and can take upwards of one year to come back.
The reasons for the appeal are listed as judicial misconduct, insufficient evidence, and a lack of racial diversity on the jury. He and his lawyers are also claiming that there were errors in sentencing and instructions to the jury.
O.J. Simpson was first famous for being a star football player in college and the NFL. The legendary football star then was acquitted of murder in the deaths of Ronald Goldman and his estranged wife Nicole Brown Simpson back in 1995. This jury decision was the impetus for a huge explosion of racial divide in the country, and Simpson was eventually held responsible for the deaths in a Civil suit brought by the family of the deceased.
O.J. Simpson then burst back into national news when he and accomplices burst into a hotel room and attempted to retrieve memorabilia items that he claimed were stolen from him. The incident was caught on tape, though Simpson says the tapes are forgeries. Whatever the case, he and his accomplices were allegedly armed and Simpson was eventually tried and convicted.
The appeal is especially critical of the Judge that sat over the trial. Jackie Glass, Clark County District Court Judge, is singled out in the document along with the prosecutors. It seems that the Simpson attorneys are blaming everyone down to the jury itself for the conviction in an attempt to hope something will stick. Nobody knows if the appeal will be successful, but the allegations do not really make much sense to me.
Simpson was given a sentence of nine to 30 years in prison, and he is now 61 years of age. The amazing irony of the situation is that Simpson has now turned against the very system that freed him during his murder trial. Regardless of whether the men had stolen property of his, he still had no legal right to threaten, and eventually hold them in that room. The fact that they were armed makes it even more egregious. One would think that a man that barely escaped murder charges would lie a bit lower, but that has never been Simpson’s style.
The appeal process in Nevada often takes in excess of one year, and this particular appeal may take even longer. This is due to the large number of errors that the Simpson attorneys are saying were made. The more alleged errors, the longer an appeal will generally take.
