O.J. Simpson Returns to Court, Hopes Judge Grants Retrial
Published at
Julie Jacobson – Pool/Getty Images(LAS VEGAS) — Wearing a blue prison jumpsuit, O.J. Simpson arrived at a Las Vegas courthouse Monday looking heavier and grayer than the sports hero who once dominated the football field and became an avid golfer in his retirement.
Simpson, 65, was in court to request a new trial on the grounds that his former attorney mishandled the armed robbery-kidnapping case that landed him a nine-to-33 year prison sentence.
The former National Football League star smiled and joked with his legal team as an officer shackled his hands during the lunch recess. The 6-foot-2-inch former athlete, who was once at the top of his game as a Heisman winner, then limped out of the courtroom.
Simpson, known as Nevada inmate No. 1027820, was convicted in 2008 of leading a sports memorabilia heist at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room. His attorneys contend he was trying to recover personal photographs he believed had been stolen.
A hidden audio recorder in the room captured the altercation and was a key piece of evidence used to convict the ex-NFL player.
Simpson’s appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court was denied in 2010. As his current sentence stands, he won’t be eligible for parole until 2017, when he will be 70 years old.
Simpson, who never testified at his 1995 trial in which he was acquitted of the murder of former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, or in his 2008 memorabilia-heist trial in which he was found guilty, is expected to take the stand this time.
Much of Simpson’s testimony is expected to point fingers at his former attorney, Yale Galanter, who Simpson said fumbled the handling of his case.
Galanter did not immediately return ABC News’ request for an interview.
Simpson became an infamous and polarizing character when he stood trial for the 1994 murders of his former wife and her friend. He was acquitted on Oct. 3, 1995, and walked out of court a free man.
Thirteen years later, on Oct. 3, 2008, he was convicted on armed robbery and kidnapping charges.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio