US:THIRTEEN YEARS after being cleared of murdering his ex-wife and her friend, OJ Simpson returned to a criminal court yesterday to face charges that, if convicted, could see him jailed for the rest of his life.
Facing 12 charges, including kidnap, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, Simpson sat in a Las Vegas court as the assistant district attorney Chris Owens told the jury: "We are going to spend the next few days finding which may be the true face of ... Simpson, not necessarily the one he tries to put out to the world."
The prosecution's presentation of its case relied heavily on indistinct audio recordings of conversations between Simpson and a group of men who were allegedly plotting to seize property from two sporting memorabilia sellers.
Simpson claimed that the items being hawked from room 1203 of the Palace Station hotel in Las Vegas last September were his. Together with five accomplices, he went there to retrieve the items, which included autographed footballs and baseballs, family photographs and the suit he wore to court the day he was acquitted of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Robert Goldman.
The men selling the items allege that Simpson and his accomplices stole their property at gunpoint. Simpson claims that the items were his property, and that he was not aware of any weapons being used during the confrontation.
"My client was recovering personal property that was stolen from his home many years prior," Simpson's lawyer, Yale Galanter, said during the defence's opening statement. "These are pictures that were hanging on the wall, pictures of his deceased mom. These were items that had been missing for years and years."
Four of the men who accompanied Simpson have agreed to testify against him, including two who are alleged to have carried handguns during the incident.
Analysts say the reliance on indistinct audio tapes could benefit both sides. In early portions of the recordings, Simpson is heard to refer to "Goldman", apparently a reference to his desire to keep his assets away from Goldman's family. After being acquitted in the criminal trial, Simpson was found liable for Goldman's death - and that of his former wife - in a subsequent civil case, and was ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages.
- (Guardian service)