LAS VEGAS – O.J. Simpson must face trial on kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges stemming from an alleged sports memorabilia heist, a justice of the peace ruled yesterday despite fierce defense attacks that characterized prosecution witnesses as pimps, rats and liars out for a buck.
The prospect of Simpson again standing trial in the national spotlight was described by his own lawyer as “surreal.”
“I have never been in a case where every witness had a financial motive, where every witness had a credibility problem,” Yale Galanter, a Simpson lawyer, said outside court.
Justice of the Peace Joe M. Bonaventure ruled after a preliminary hearing of the charges and arguments against the case by attorneys for Simpson and co-defendants Clarence “C.J.” Stewart and Charles “Charlie” Ehrlich.
“This is what we expected,” Simpson said after the hearing. “If I have any disappointment, it's that I wish a jury was here. As always, I rely on the jury system.”
No charges in the 12-count complaint against the three men were dropped. Kidnapping convictions could result in a life sentence with possibility of parole. Armed robbery convictions would mandate some time in prison.
The case stemmed from a Sept. 13 confrontation in a casino hotel room where Simpson and a group of men allegedly stole items from two sports memorabilia dealers.
The defendants will be arraigned Nov. 28.
Galanter said there was no chance the case could be settled before trial unless prosecutors dropped it outright.
Rejecting the idea of a plea deal, he reiterated Simpson's position that the former football star was only trying to reclaim family heirlooms and no crime was committed.
While witnesses testified two men in Simpson's group were armed, Galanter maintained Simpson did not tell anyone to bring guns to the scene and did not know guns were present.
Co-counsel Gabriel Grasso said hours of tape recordings of conversations among the defendants contain no mention of guns. “There was more taping going on than in the Nixon White House,” Grasso said. “There are all these tapes but you never heard Mr. Simpson say, 'Bring a gun.' ”
Galanter estimated it would take a year to bring the case to trial, but he might consider seeking a speedy trial.
Simpson, 60, has maintained no guns were displayed during the confrontation, that he never asked anyone to bring guns and that he didn't know anyone had guns. He has said he intended only to retrieve items he said were stolen from him by a former agent, including the suit he wore the day he was acquitted of murder in 1995 in the slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Simpson and the other defendants did not testify at the hearing.
