The Murder Trial of O.J. Simpson

By Rachael Bell

It was bad news all around for O.J. Simpson on October 23, 2007 when his former golfing buddy Walter Alexander, 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and accepted a plea deal to testify for the prosecution against him in exchange for a reduced sentence in the armed robbery case. Alexander's testimony damaged Simpson's case when he told jurors that his former NFL star friend asked him and the five other men involved in the case to "just bring some firearms" not to use but "to look tough" so that sports memorabilia collectors Beardsley and Fromong would know they were there "for business," Alexander was quoted by the Associated Press as saying in a taped statement. Alexander previously "admitted he carried a .22-caliber handgun in his waistband and said co-defendant Michael McClinton carried an even bigger pistol and pulled it out during the confrontation" that occurred on September 13, 2007, Nancy Dillon reported for the New York Daily News.

Forty-year old restaurant worker and co-defendant Charles Cashmore also accepted a plea deal in exchange for a reduced sentence. Like Alexander, he pleaded guilty to accessory to robbery and agreed to testify on behalf of the prosecution against Simpson, contradicting the former NFL star's earlier statements to police that no guns were used during the September 13^th confrontation. Cashmore's attorney said that his client had "no knowledge" that there would be a robbery on the day in question and that Cashmore cowered in fear in the corner by the hotel room's bathroom door during the incident when guns were brandished, Harriet Ryan reported for Court TV.

On October 3, 2008 — exactly 13 years after his Los Angeles murder trial ended in acquittal — Simpson was convicted of armed robbery, kidnapping and assault charges for the 2007 hotel room incident. On December 5th, 2008, Simpson was sentenced to at least 15 years in prison, with the possibility for parole after about nine years.