America’s most infamous inmate might be coming home soon.
O.J. Simpson will reportedly have a parole hearing July 20 and could be out of prison by Oct. 1. He will appear before a panel of parole commissioners in Carson, City, Nevada, who will determine whether to let him out of Lovelock Correctional Facility. This is Simpson’s first parole opportunity.
Nevada parole hearing for O.J. Simpson has been set for July 20, NBC News confirms
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 20, 2017
Simpson has served more than eight years after being convicted in 2008 of armed robbery, kidnapping and other charges. More than a decade after his acquittal in the murder of his wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman, the Pro Football Hall of Famer was arrested in Las Vegas in late 2007 after allegedly storming into a hotel room with several co-conspirators to recover merchandise he claimed was stolen from him. Prosecutors pursued charges that many observers felt were unduly harsh, and Simpson wound up sentenced to nine-to-33 years in prison.
In February, Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann and L. Jon Wertheim examined Simpson’s chances of release based on Nevada’s parole criteria and found that the soon-to-be-70-year-old scores well on most of the measures.
Indeed, Las Vegas criminal defense attorney Daniel Hill, who is representing antigovernment protest leader Ammon Bundy, predicts Simpson, who is likely to represent himself before the board, will fare well. “He’s the kind of person who gets paroled,” says Hill. “He has done a significant amount of time and, by all accounts, hasn’t caused any problems.” Hill also notes that paroling Simpson would be consistent with the underlying principles of “encouraging low-key, peaceful behavior within a penitentiary”—something that Simpson appears to have maintained.
…
All of which is to say: Indications are strong that this will be the year O.J. Simpson will be released from prison. As for just how free he will be, that’s another matter entirely.
If O.J. is released, he’ll still need to meet with a parole officer and submit to several other conditions. His lawyer told the Associated Press that if he’s released, “my prediction is he’s going to want to live a quiet life.” That makes some sense, as his life thus far has certainly been loud enough.
