Gambling on Appeal Doesn't Pay Off for OJ Simpson
O.J. Simpson was hopeful he could wait out his appeal of his conviction for kidnapping and robbing outside prison walls, but the Nevada Supreme Court denied bail to the former football star. Simpson wanted to be released while the appeal of his conviction last October worked its way through the state court system.But the Nevada high court ruled that Simpson's circumstances in the heist at Palace Station Casino did not lend to awarding him bail, noting that Simpson had committed violent crimes with the use of firearms.
Simpson attorneys are gambling they can convince an appeals court that District Court Judge Jackie Glass made errors during the trial "so egregious and prejudicial that the defense could not get a fair trial.”
Glass had denied bail because the charges carry a mandatory sentence, and Simpson is deemed a flight risk. The state Supreme Court agreed with Glass, and noted that the celebrity's lawyers failed to establish the need for bail under the state standards.
Many remember Simpson's nationally televised flight in his white Cherokee before his trial for the murder of his ex-wife and a waiter who was at her house. With that image forever burned into the national consciousness, it would be difficult for attorneys to convince any judge that Simpson is not a risk to flee authorities.
The robbery of memorabilia dealers that had possession of what Simpson claimed were stolen items belonging to him at the Las Vegas gambling venue resulted in his receiving a sentence from 9 to 33 years. C.J. Stewart, Simpson's accomplice in the casino take-down, was sentenced to 7 to 27 years for his part.
