O.J. Simpson’s parole hearing is next week, and according to the Bleacher Report, numerous networks will be airing it live.
On July 20, Simpson will appear in front of the Nevada Board of Parole via video, and after reviewing his prison record, they’ll determine if he’s to be set free. If given parole, Simpson could be released by October.
Simpson has been in prison for the past nine years on kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon charges, after he burst into a Las Vegas hotel room in 2007, and demanded a collector give him back sports memorabilia that Simpson claimed belonged to him. He’s been serving his time at the Lovelock Correctional Facility in Lovelock, around 440 miles away from Las Vegas.
O.J. Simpson's parole hearing will be televised live on multiple networks, per @Yahoo https://t.co/xcaENtCsvo pic.twitter.com/nqr0ssfSZ3
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 15, 2017
According to Yale Galanter, an attorney who represented the former NFL star during his 2008 trial, Simpson will likely walk free due to his exceptional behavior behind bars.
“He’s going to get parole. Parole in the state of Nevada is really based on how you behave in prison, and by all accounts he’s been a model prisoner…..There are no absolutes anytime you’re dealing with administrative boards, but this is as close to a non-personal decision as you can get.’’
USA Today reports that the parole is mostly determined by a “points system,” and any personal feelings the parole board has about Simpson’s past murder trial involving Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman will be ignored.
“It really is based on points,’’ Galanter said. “How long have you served, what your disciplinary record is, what the likelihood of committing another crime is, their age, the facts and the circumstances of the case.’’
Although Simpson’s disciplinary record isn’t available for public view, his parole hearing in 2013 indicated he was a model prisoner who never broke rules. Simpson was granted parole on a few charges in 2013, but was sentenced to return to prison for other charges that he was not yet eligible for parole for.
“They were trying to steal other people’s property,” Simpson told the commissioners in 2013. “They were trying to steal other people’s money. My crime was trying to retrieve for my family, my own property.”
Simpson will have the opportunity to speak directly to the parole board on July 20, and try to convince them that he should be released.
[Feature Photo: Nevada Department of Corrections]
