Watch CBS News

O.J. Simpson Pleads For Leniency At Parole Hearing

CARSON CITY, Nevada (CBSMiami/AP) – Former football star O.J. Simpson pleaded for leniency Thursday morning when he appeared via video conference before a two member parole panel.

Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass sentenced Simpson in December 2008 to nine to 33 years in prison on charges including first-degree kidnapping and robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

Simpson was sentenced to consecutive terms on several of the charges. On others - two counts each of kidnapping and robbery and one count of burglary – the terms were to run concurrently. The parole panel will consider those concurrent sentences on Thursday, according to David Smith, a hearing examiner with the Board of Parole Commissioners.

In the event the Nevada Parole Board rules in his favor, he would then begin sentences attached to other charges.

"It doesn't open the cell door," said H. Leon Simon, the prosecutor handling Simpson's appeal. "He'd just start serving the consecutive sentences."

The panel decision will be forwarded to the seven-member parole board for consideration. Simpson would need four votes for parole approval.

Simpson's best chance for freedom lies with a pending decision by a Las Vegas judge on whether to grant him a new trial based on claims that his trial lawyer botched his defense and had a conflict of interest in the case. Clark County District Judge Linda Marie Bell held a weeklong hearing in May on the issue that featured testimony from the 66-year-old former NFL star, who was acquitted of murder in the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife and her friend.

 

 

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.