O.J. Simpson jurors said Sunday night the Juice convicted himself with his own words - and they bristled at suggestions they are racists.
The panel said secretly recorded tapes of the football great discussing the botched gunpoint memorabilia heist in a Sin City hotel room sealed his fate.
“The laws that were laid out were the laws,” juror Dora Pettit said. “And they were clearly broken.”
The jurors also rejected complaints by Simpson’s lawyers that the panel was biased against Simpson because there were no blacks among them. One juror identified herself in a court questionnaire as Hispanic.
“We’ve been painted as an all-white jury who hates O.J., and that’s just not true,” said Pettit, adding that she prayed for Simpson and doesn’t care if he does a day in prison.
After deliberating 13 hours Friday, the jury of nine women and three men found Simpson, 61, and pal Clarence (C.J.) Stewart guilty of all 12 criminal charges stemming from the Sept. 13, 2007 holdup.
The memorabilia dealers told cops Simpson had robbed them at gunpoint.
Simpson unsuccessfully maintained that he never saw a gun and only wanted to retrieve family heirlooms stolen by a former manager.
The jurors said at an extraordinary news conference that they virtually discounted the witnesses against Simpson, whom they branded as unreliable crooks trying to save their own skins.
Juror Michelle Lyons, 41, said a key piece of evidence was a postrobbery recording made at a restaurant in which Simpson acknowledged his pal Michael McClinton was packing his “piece.”
“We heard it quite clearly,” Lyons said. “And we heard it more times than anyone else heard it.”
Without the tapes, jurors would have almost certainly acquitted Simpson, they said.
“It would have been a very weak case,” Pettit said. Juror David Wieberg, 51, chimed in, “Yes, a weak case,” and other jurors nodded in agreement.
Asked why they convicted Stewart, 54, whom some observers pegged as a bit player, juror Teresa Owens said, “The thing that clinched it for me is he drove the car. …He came out of that room with items that didn’t belong to him.”
Added juror Consuelo Saldivar: “He didn’t leave. If he walked in and saw what was going on, he could have walked out.”
The jury also emphatically denied that they convicted Simpson to make up for his controversial 1995 acquittal in the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
In pretrial questionnaires, five of the 12 seated jurors admitted they disagreed with Simpson’s 1995 acquittal.
“I think he did it,” wrote juror Sheridan Eckart, 55, when asked her opinion on the murder trial. “But I wasn’t there to hear the case, so I really can’t say.”
Still, all 12 said they could “set aside” personal feelings.
Simpson lawyer Yale Galanter vowed to appeal the verdict.
“We are going to fast-track it,” Galanter said. “Our notice will be filed 30 seconds after he’s sentenced.”
Simpson’s kidnapping charge carries a potential life sentence.
You had every chance to live a good life after the trial of the century O.J. You did this to yourself !!!
January 12th, 2009 at 11:28 am
what an appropriate name for a web site ! i say things too that other people won”t so you can dish it out ..let’s see if you can take it!get off the need to squeeze the juice .. i know him and he is the nicest man i know ..it is about pay-back and the need to profit off of O.J the crooks get probation… O.J gets the max!come on people !!! people are so happy about this conviction that they need to mark this a date to go down in the pages of your life as he got what he deserved day!!!karma means this simply K is for the real kookie people who are really one track minded…A is for the attidude that goes with that mind..R is for really know about the trial before you act as if you do M is many people are so full of it and needs to clean their own A SS OFF BEFORE DOGGING O.J
January 12th, 2009 at 11:29 am
what an appropriate name for a web site ! i say things too that other people won”t so you can dish it out ..let’s see if you can take it!get off the need to squeeze the juice .. i know him and he is the nicest man i know ..it is about pay-back and the need to profit off of O.J the crooks get probation… O.J gets the max!come on people !!! people are so happy about this conviction that they need to mark this a date to go down in the pages of your life as he got what he deserved day!!!karma means this simply K is for the real kookie people who are really one track minded…A is for the attidude that goes with that mind..R is for really know about the trial before you act as if you do M is many people are so full of it and needs to clean their own A SS OFF BEFORE DOGGING O.J !!!
January 12th, 2009 at 11:32 am
NOTE THAT THERE HAPPEN TO BE 2 COMMENTS THAT IS FOR THE DUMB EES WHO MAY FEEL THE NEED TO READ IT TWICE (i said twice ..not nice) see ya!
January 14th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
After reading an article “Last Stand Part 2″ by Peter T. Haven, attorney for the Goldman family I concluded that Peter T. Havan is another angry white American celebrating the downfall of OJ Simpson why? Because two white people were killed Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman. And he’s an advocate for the Goldman family. I have always held the belief that OJ is innocent of the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman because a court said so, and the botched up evidence presented by the LA DA was exposed. OJ was found not guilty of murder because the prosecution, Coroner, LA Police department, and a proven racist cop who planted planted bloodly gloves at the murder cite was exposed. Face it, Los Angeles did a botched up job in presenting their case against OJ Simpson. As I watched the 1995-murder trial I saw a botched up job by the Police, and the Coroner’s office. It looked like a circus of racists and incompetent officials coming together to plant evidence against OJ Simpson, a black man. That’s why OJ’s legal team was very effective in getting him acquitted of murder. If OJ really committed the murders of his ex wife, and her friend (I don’t believe he murdered anyone) the LA Police, and DA was so eager to rush the wheels of justice in a terrible way to hang a black man.
As for OJ’s convictions of armed robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy the prosecution screws up again, and as a result, OJ Simpson may win his apeal in the appellate process to the Supreme Court. First of all, there was an all white jury. Secondly, two African American jurors were removed, which clearly show that OJ was not judged by jury by his peers. All white jurors and black defendants have never worked historically, and to the present. Remember it was an all white jury that found OJ Simpson guilty in a civil trial for the deaths of Nicole Simpson, and Ron Goldman. Furthermore, it was reported that a Juror Forman who is white in the robbery case against OJ stated publicly that he wanted to see OJ rot in jail, the juror were given questionairs about OJ’s 1995 aquittal and five of the juror stated that they didn’t believe OJ was innocent of murder. I don’t think this questionare should have been brought to this trial. Also, it’s rather funny, and odd that the conviction of OJ Simpson came 13 years later of his acquittal it looks like some body was sending a horrible message of revenge here. And lastly, it was also reported that this judge, Judge Glass also mentioned his acquittal before rendering her sentence. Later, all of the remanding accomplices of OJ Simpson except Clearance Stewart were given 8 years probation and set free for testifying against OJ including two defendants who “banished guns” at their victims. Judge Glass clearly showed her bias toward OJ Simpson when she addressed him as “ignorant and arrogant” and refused to let him, and his co-defendant Clearance Stewart come to court in suits. She ordered them to come to court shackled and in prison attire because she wanted the public to see these two men as criminals. According to Peter Haven’s articule he believe OJ Simpson staged this botched up robbery to gain media attention for himself, and wanted the FBI to televise this event. In my opinion whether OJ wanted the spotlight is not an important issue here. I believe he wanted his items back, he was obviously set up when he was invited to this auction under false pretenses. It is reported that one of the dealers tape recorded the transaction of this entire crocked deal and another recording was made at a resturant of OJ ranting to one of his acomplices about a gun.
In conclusion,
OJ Simpson’s lengthy prison sentence is payback for his 1995 acquittal of murder. “Karma is working, here” according to White America.
OJ Simpson is given a lengthy sentence of 9 to 33 years at age 61. While OJ’s lawyers were happy that he didn’t get a life sentence, but if one clearly look at 9 to 33 years for a 61 year old African American male than one can also see that this was a life sentence for OJ Simpson. I note that according to the experts the life expectancy of an African American male in the U.S.A is 71 years of age so in my view OJ Simpson was given a life sentence. Do you really believe the parole board will free OJ in nine years? Suggested answer NO. Such lengthy sentences of this sort are usually handed down to people who commit crimes of murder so in my view OJ Simpson was given too much prison time. As for any deals offered to OJ Simpson by the DA in this case, I strongly believe that OJ Simpson made the right decision when refusing to accept any deals from this prosecution when he believes he’s innocent. If you remember in his 1995 acquittal OJ was told to confess to the murders of Nicole and Ron for a lighter sentence by his own attorney, Robert Shapiro, OJ refused, and was found innocent of murder and freed. So to white America and your version of “Karma.” Karma may once again back fire in your faces at OJ’s appellate appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court because once again, you’ve vindictively and recklessly rushed to justice. My only hope is that if OJ Simpson is freed on his appeal that he doesn’t act stupid again and get himself in trouble with the law after this experience.
As for the Goldman family my heart goes out to them. I don’t blame Mr. Fred Goldman for feeling anger, and hurt. His persued quest to bring closure to this matter through his rigorous efforts in the civil courts is quite understandable, after all this father lost his son through a senseless and brutal murder. He also watched a man whom he believes killed his son get aquitted of the murder of his son and 12 year later see the same man whom he believe kill his son gloat about murder his son when writing a piece of trash/book entitled “If I Did It.” In my view I hardly call this father who lost his son to a murderer “A greedy Pig.” (Last Stand Part 2 Peter T. Haven). It was also reported that Fred Goldman hired a private investigater and tapped OJ Simpson’s telephone, a move that helped the Police in the arrest of OJ Simpson for armed robbery.