OJ Simpson has been granted parole from prison after serving nine years for a botched armed robbery and will be released in October.
Key points:
- OJ Simpson told parole board robbery would not have happened if he had better judgment
- Parole board said Simpson posed minimal safety risk to the public
- Observers thought ahead of the trial that his famously violent history might plague his case
A four-member Nevada parole board voted to release the 70-year-old former star athlete after an often emotional hearing that included testimony from his daughter and one of the victims.
Simpson, who was acquitted in a sensational double-murder trial that gripped America two decades ago, was jailed in 2008 for armed robbery and assault with a weapon after he tried to take back sports memorabilia from dealers that he claimed was rightfully his.
He participated in the parole hearing by live video feed from Lovelock Correctional Centre, about 161 kilometres from the board’s office in Carson City.
He bowed his head and appeared to be in tears as the four-member board voted unanimously to grant him his parole. He then stood and clasped his hands as he thanked the members.
“I’ve done my time, I’ve done it as well and respectfully as anyone can,” Simpson said during his testimony.
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