OJ Simpson Parole Hearing to Take Place July 20, Could Be Released as Early as Oct. 1
Orenthal James Simpson, more popularly known as O.J. Simpson, is due for a parole hearing that could have him walk free by October.
The hearing will take place on July 20 before the Nevada Board of Parole. Simpson will be joining in via video conference from Lovelock Correctional Center where he is serving time, according to the Associated Press. The former football star received a nine-to-33 year sentence in 2008 and has served more than eight years of it.
In 2007, the 69-year-old attempted to steal Simpson sports memorabilia from dealers Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong at a Las Vegas hotel. Simpson's accomplices were reportedly armed, though Simpson does not recall any weapons involved. Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery, kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon in his 2008 trial.
"If he's able to get parole, my prediction is he's going to want to live a quiet life," Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson's attorney, said in a recent interview. According to the board, Simpson has been well-behaved throughout his time in prison.
"Simpson's age, the fact that he was given parole on the first sentencing batch, weigh in his favor," Nevada defense attorney Dan Hill said (via CNN). "So does the fact that he was by all accounts a model prisoner, as does any acceptance of responsibility for his actions."
This is not the first time Simpson has been linked to a crime, though. In 1995, he was infamously tried for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. The case was dubbed as the "trial of the century," with people from around the globe tuning in.
The case divided the country but would eventually end with Simpson's acquittal. It spawned multiple media adaptations, including the Emmy Award-winning "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" and the Academy Award-winning documentary titled "O.J.: Made in America."
If the trial goes well for Simpson, he could be released on Oct. 1.