O.J. Simpson has been released on parole after nine years in a Nevada jail.
The former NFL player had been serving time for armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and 10 other charges over a 2007 confrontation at a Las Vegas hotel.
O.J. Simpson was approved for early parole release at a board hearing in July.
In 1995, he was acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
In a Facebook post, Nevada Department of Corrections released an image and video of O.J. Simpson signing documents and leaving Lovelock Correctional Centre on October 1.
They confirmed the 70-year-old had been released from the facility at 00:08.
O.J. Simpson will face restrictions – including up to five years of parole supervision.
He was sentenced to a maximum 33-year prison sentence in 2008 after storming a Las Vegas hotel room with five others in an effort to seize items from two sports memorabilia dealers.
O.J. Simpson said the belongings, which he described as images of his family and friends, were later handed over to him by officials after they were legally deemed to belong to him.
In 2013, the Nevada Board of Parole granted O.J. Simpson parole on some of his convictions, but not for the more violent charges. In July this year, the former football player was granted parole and approved for release in October.
Bruce Fromong, who was one of O.J. Simpson’s victims in the robbery, testified in favor of him being granted freedom.
O.J. Simpson was found guilty in 2008 exactly 13 years to the day after he was famously acquitted in the double-murder case.
Despite the 1995 not-guilty verdict, a civil court jury held O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of Brown Simpson and Goldman, awarding $33.5 million to their families.
A lawyer representing Ron Goldman’s family told Associated Press this amount had nearly doubled with interest under Californian state law, and that the family would continue to seek payment from O.J. Simpson after his release.
O.J. Simpson has expressed his desire to move to Florida after leaving jail.
On September 27, his lawyer Malcolm LaVergne said that he was feeling “very upbeat” ahead of the release.
O.J. Simpson is appearing before a parole board to ask to be released after nine years in a Nevada prison.
The former football star, who was acquitted for a double murder in 1995, is serving time for armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and 11 other charges.
The sentence, which carries a maximum of 33 years, stems from a 2007 confrontation at a Las Vegas hotel.
O.J. Simpson, 70, had said he was only trying to reclaim his possessions.
He was found guilty in 2008 – exactly 13 years to the day after he was famously acquitted for the killings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
O.J. Simpson and a group of five others stormed into a hotel room to confront two sports-memorabilia collectors to seize items that he claimed belonged to him from his own career.
The hearing for Prisoner 1027820 is happening at the Lovelock Correctional Facility, a medium security prison in the Nevada desert.
Parole panelist Connie Bisbee told him as July 20 hearing began: “Mr. Simpson, you are getting the same hearing that everyone else gets.”
“Sure,” he replied in a husky voice with a shrug and a smile.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
O.J. Simpson told parole officials that the objects he took from the Las Vegas hotel room were later ruled by officials to legally belong to him.
One panelist asked: “So you believe that the property was yours?”
“It’s been ruled legally by the state of California,” he responded, leaning forward and raising his voice.
O.J. Simpson said the belongings, which he described as images of his family and friends, was later handed over to him by officials.
“It’s kind of mind-boggling that they turned over to me property that I’m in jail for, for trying to retrieve.”
If four out of seven members of the parole board vote in favor of his release, he could be free by October.
Experts believe O.J. Simpson is likely to be approved for release, after a record of good behavior at the Lovelock prison.
Another panelist asked the former football star if he had completed a specific self-improvement course since his last parole hearing.
O.J. Simpson said he had not, but that he had taken another course called “alternative to violence”.
“I think it’s the most important course anyone in this prison can take because it teaches you how to deal with conflict through conversation,” he said.
“I’ve spent a conflict-free life,” he continued, when asked if he had completed an anti-violence course.
O.J. Simpson also told the commissioners he had had helped establish a Baptist prayer event, adding: “I could have been a better Christian.”
He also rejected the suggestion that he had an alcohol problem.
In 2013, the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners granted O.J. Simpson parole on some of his convictions, but for not the more violent charges.
Bruce Fromong, who one of O.J. Simpson’s victims in the robbery, is expected to testify in favor of his release.
A knife reportedly found near OJ Simpson’s former property is not a murder weapon, tests have shown.
Despite a large amount of evidence, OJ Simpson was acquitted in the stabbing deaths of his ex-wife and her friend in 1995.
Police never found the murder weapon in that high-profile case, which captivated the US for more than a year.
OJ Simpson was later found legally responsible for the deaths of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman in a civil case.
The former football star, who is currently serving a 33-year sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas, cannot be prosecuted again under US law for the murders.
LAPD had been skeptical that the weapon was tied to the Simpson and Goldman murders.
Police said at the time that the knife was a utility-type knife and was not consistent with the one used in the crime, but still ordered forensic tests.
The case recently returned to prominence with the airing of the TV mini-series American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson.
According to police, someone claiming to be a construction worker found the knife at OJ Simpson’s former home when it was razed in 1998.
The man gave the knife to a police officer who was working on a film set near the property.
The police officer kept it, thinking the case was closed. However, the officer, now retired, recently told a colleague about the weapon, as a result of which the current investigation was launched.
A knife allegedly found at a former home of OJ Simpson is now being tested by LAPD.
OJ Simpson’s was acquitted in 1995 following a murder trial that captivated the US.
Someone claiming to be a construction worker gave an off-duty police officer the knife some years ago and he kept it, thinking the case was closed.
Police recently recovered the knife and are testing it for DNA and hair samples.
OJ Simpson had been accused of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend Ronald Goldman in June of 1994.
However, a jury found the former American football star not guilty after a dramatic televised trial.
OJ Simpson cannot be prosecuted again for the same charges under US law.
Police cast some doubt on whether the knife was connected to the OJ Simpson case at a news conference on March 4, saying it could be “bogus”.
“If this story is accurate, you’d think anytime you come into contact with evidence that you should submit it to investigators,” said Captain Andrew Neiman of the LAPD.
“I don’t know why that didn’t happen.”
Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were found stabbed in the head and neck in the yard of Brown’s home.
Authorities asked OJ Simpson to turn himself in after the murders, but he failed show up at the police station.
He was spotted inside a White Ford Bronco hours later, leading to a slow-speed pursuit across Los Angeles’ highways.
The pursuit was broadcast on live television to millions of viewers.
OJ Simpson eventually surrendered after 90 minutes in which crowds gathered to watch along the road and news helicopters flew overhead.
He later assembled a “dream team” of highly paid lawyers for the case, including Johnnie Cochran and Robert Kardashian.
The trial, which lasted for 10 months, created huge media frenzy. TV networks reaped high ratings from airing trial proceedings and many magazine covers were devoted to it.
When OJ Simpson was found not guilty, Americans were divided on the jury’s decision – mostly along racial lines.
He later lost a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the victims’ families. His property, where the knife was found, was razed in 1998.
In 2007, OJ Simpson was sentenced to a 33-year prison term on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping.
The case recently returned to prominence with the airing of the TV miniseries American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson.
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