The former NFL star O.J. Simpson will stand trial in the court on
various charges, like conspiracy, kidnapping, robbery, burglary,
that could send him to prison for life, media reported Thursday.
Las Vegas Township Justice of the Peace Joseph Bonaventure
announced this decision on the fourth and final day of evidentiary
hearings in a case stemming from a confrontation in a Las Vegas
hotel room on September 13.
Prosecutors allege Simpson and five other men burst into a room
at the Palace Station Hotel, held two memorabilia dealers -- Alfred
Beardsley and Bruce Fromong -- against their will and flashed at
least one gun while removing items.
Simpson said he was merely taking back items that belonged to
him, but one of the two alleged victims described it as a
"military-style invasion."
Three other men initially charged along with Simpson in the
incident -- Walter Alexander, Charles Cashmore and Michael
McClinton -- testified against him during the preliminary hearing
under the terms of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Alexander and McClinton testified Simpson requested they carry
guns and "look menacing" during the incident.
According to earlier testimony, Fromong and Beardsley were
offering more than 600 Simpson-related items for sale, including
ties Simpson wore during his criminal trial for the 1994 murders of
his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.
Simpson was acquitted after one of the most sensational trials
in American history, but a civil jury later found him liable for
their deaths, slapping him with a US$33 million judgment.
(Agencies via Xinhua?November 15, 2007)
