Thursday, July 20, a Nevada parole board decided former NFL football player O.J. Simpson will be granted parole after serving nine years in prison for the 2007 robbery he committed in Las Vegas, when he led a group of men into a hotel and casino to steal his sports memorabilia and other personal items that belonged to him.
The hearing was held via teleconference with four parole board members in Carson City regarding Simpson charge for armed robbery and assault with a weapon.
While serving his sentence, Simpson, 70, spent time in prison mentoring to fellow inmates, keeping others out of trouble, and took an alternative-to-violence course. He believes his actions while in prison combined with his remorse for the 2007 incident that took place should grant him parole.
“I’ve done my time,” he said. “I’ve done it as well and respectfully as I think anybody can.”
Simpson’s eldest daughter, Arnelle Simpson, spoke at the hearing about her relationship with her father and how he is her “rock” and “best friend.”
“No one really knows how much we have been through, this ordeal in the last nine years,” she said, noting that “he didn’t make the right decision” on the day of the robbery. “We just want him to come home,” she said. “This has been really, truly hard. … I know that he is remorseful.”
Robbery victim and memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong also made an appearance in front of the parole board and spoke in favor of Simpson stating, the former athlete never held him at gun point.
“O.J. never held a gun on me,” Fromong said. “O.J. is my friend, always has been, and I hope will remain my friend.”
Fromong went on to say Simpson was “misguided.”
“He was led to believe that on that day, there were going to be thousands of pieces of his personal memorabilia, pictures of his wife from his first marriage, pictures of his kids. He was told there were going to be possibly his wife’s wedding ring, thousands of things. He was misled about what was going to be there that day.”
After the parole board deliberated, the board announced in front of the court their decision to grant Simpson parole. His release date would be as early as October 1. At that time, he will have served the minimum of his nine-to-33 year armed robbery sentence.
