tv O.J. Simpson Chasing Freedom MSNBC July 23, 2017 7:00pm-8:00pm PDT
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here, just down the road from home in the old military graveyard under the black prairied so and the wind. that's all for this edition of "dateline extra." i'm craig melvin. thanks for watching. america is riveted again. >> o.j. simpson is going to be a free man. >> o.j. simpson released on parole. >> his life story is the american dream and the american nightmare. >> from superstar to pariah. >> he fell so hard. >> being accused of committing the most heinous of crimes. ♪ >> in this hour, the little known story of his life after the murder. >> he's a permanent figure of tabloid fascination. >> the botched robbery. >>e were just robbed at gunpoint by o.j. simpson.
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>> new details of life in lockup. >> the first time i really talked to o.j. he cut in line, but that doesn't work for everybody. >> i asked him many times, hey, did you kill ronald goldman and nicole? >> and what's next now that simpson has his freedom? >> thank you. >> what's at stake for o.j. is the rest of his life. >> all ahead on "o.j. simpson: chasing freedom." >> so gentlemen, if you'll go to your spots for me and bring mr. simpson, and i believe he has representation. >> you're seeing o.j. simpson for the first time in four years. >> you are orenthal james simpson? >> correct. >> and mr. simpson, will you please give me your ndoc number for the record. >> 1027820.
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>> he's at the lovelock correctional center in nevada about 90 miles north of reno. ready to make his case to the nevada board of parole commissioners. the four commissioners are about 120 miles away in carson city communicating with simpson via video conference. >> so my first question for you, mr. simpson, were you arrested for the first time at the age of 24 or older? >> i was arrested for the first time i think at the age of 46 or 47. >> outside both locations media from across the country wait for the decision. >> you saw four commissioners there in carson city. they must have a unanimous decision one way or the other. >> simpson has alrdy sved nine years of a 33 year sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping. >> don't let nobody out of here. >> now the 70-year-old football
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legend is trying to win his freedom. >> i've done my time. you know, i've done it as well and as respectfully as i think anybody can. >> within minutes o.j. simpson will learn the board's decision and how he'll be spending the rest of his life. >> thank you. >> we, the jury, in the above entitled action, find the defendant orenthal james simpson not guilty of murder. >> 22 years after his acquittal in the murders of his ex wife in nicole and her friend ronald goldman, the o.j. simpson saga still fascinates us. >> the o.j. case combines race, sports, sex, violence, celebrity. the notion to revisit it and rediscuss it is always tantalizing and exciting and polarizing, right? >> 2016 saw not one, but two award winning series on simpson's spectacular fall.
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>> these gloves are too small. >> the fx series "the people versus o.j. simpson" and espn's documentary series "o.j.: made in america." >> young people having seen the fx series, having seen the espn documentary, they may not have known him when he was on trial but they know him now. >> the greatest running back of all time. >> america first gets to know orenthal james simpson in the late '60s when he explodes on to the national scene in a college football star rushing his way to aoveted heisman trophathe university of southern california. >> it was ry evident early on that he had a gift for sports. he was someone who in that sense lived the american dream. he came out of poverty and to his abilities he made it to the top of his profession. >> the buffalo bills select as their first choice in the first round half back o.j. simpson. >> in the nfl simpson's fame only grows. by the mid '70s the football star is also a pitch man for
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companies like hertz rental car. >> here's a few tips on how to get out of an airport fast. >> it was ground breaking for america to look up and see any black person representing a major brand. >> i'm a big sports fan. >> a black man in a traditionally white role which some say describes the complex makeup of o.j. simpson who shatters color barriers while shunning civil rights activism. >> o.j. seemed to want to be among white people, be accepted among white people and be the nonthreatening negro. >> like the o.j. simpson we see in the "naked gun" movies the campy comedy classic starring simpson as a bumbling detective. >> he was funny and he was likeable and he was loveable and it's, like, you know, o.j. is cool. he could be silly without seeming like a total clown.
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did o.j. want to transcend race? did he want to be seen as not like those other ones? it seems like yes, he did. you know, there's this great moment on the new jay z. album, the story of o.j. he says i'm not black, i'm o.j. ♪ i'm not black i'm o.j. okay ♪ >> okay. his voice in that okay. the okay brings multitudes, but it's, like, good luck with that. and how did that work out for you? >> what the song is really about is no matter who you are, you're still black in america. >> the body of 34-year-old nicole brown simpson, ex-wife of o.j. simpson was found after midnight on a sidewalk outside her west los angeles home. >> in june of 1994 the nation is caught off guard when nicole brown simpson and her friend ron
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goldman are found murdered and o.j. simpson is the prime suspect. >> the los angeles police department right now is actively searching for mr. simpson. >> live cameras catch the now infamous white bronco with the reportedly suicidal simpson in the back seat. friend al cowlings behind the wheel. >> this is a.c. i have o.j. in the car. he has a gun to his head. >> thousands pour into the streets to cheer the bronco on. and the double murder trial that follows is truly the trial of the century. >> if it doesn't fit, you must acquit. >> the verdict watched by upwards of 100 million people. >> we the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant orenthal james simpson not guilty of the crime of murder.
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>> shockwaves over o.j. simpson's acquittal ripple across the country revealing a distinct racial divide. many white americans expressed outrage given the scientific evidence seeming to incriminate simpson. >> that fueled a huge sense of injustice not justmong the famili of victims but among the american public who thght justice had not been done. >> while many in the black community see simpson's acquittal as a justified response to institutional racism including trial evidence of racist language from an lapd officer. >> you cannot understand that verdict without appreciating the context of those times. >> black people have been so wronged by the criminal justice system -- >> o.j. is innocent! >> that's my boy, that's my boy! >> -- that they saw the trial of
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o.j. simpson as righting the wrongs that have been done to them for decades in los angeles and hundreds of years in this country. they felt justice finally came their way. it was almost as if they didn't care whether o.j. was guilty or not. >> the strident o.j. simpson we saw in 1994 -- >> did not, could not and would not commit this crime. >> -- is now a much older man. but has nine years behind bars made him any more contrite? >> it was my property. i wasn't there to steal from anybody. >> coming up -- >> there are a million things he could have done. >> is it you? i trusted you, man! >> and instead he just gets in a whole bunch of trouble. but why? you haven't noticed me in two years. i was in a coma. well, i still deserve appreciation. who was there for you when you had amnesia? you know i can't remember that. stop this madness. if it's appreciation you want you should both get snapshot from progressive. it rewards good drivers with big discounts on car insurance.
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not guilty of the crime of murder. >> the families of nicole brown simpson and ron goldman say they struggle with the question, how did he get away with it? >> it was such a shock, such a stab in the gut. >> i could not believe that i had actually heard those words not guilty. >> simpson himself attempts to resume a normal life. >> the o.j. post trial pretty much went about life as he did before. with a huge sense of entitlement, with a huge sense of self and with an arrogance that his charisma, that his abilities could carry him through any problems. >> the day after the acquittal, october 4th, 1995, simpson makes a surprise phone call to cnn larry king live. >> throughout this case there's been this misrepresentation time and time again. people come home from work and they hear e punds elaborating on these misrepresentations. >> many in the public appear unconvinced.
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in a demonstration sponsored by the national organization for women, 1,500 protesters march past simpson's rockingham estate. in the weeks that follow, he stays in the media spotlight. >> it was my impression that after simpson was acquitted, he actually thought he could reclaim his place in society and become a celebrity again. he loved being a celebrity and probably still harbors hope that he can be loved again by the public. >> simpson makes a direct appeal the following february with o.j. the interview. >> i realize now that it's the story, the ratings are more important than the truth. >> instead of press tours, the brown and goldman families want to put simpson back in court. this time on the witness stand. within a year, they get their wish. >> this time o.j. simpson's
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freedom is not at stake because he was found not guilty of murder in his criminal trial. >> simpson can't be tried for murder a second time in criminal court, but in civil court the families of nicole brown simpson and ron goldman can seek financial damages for the loss of their loved ones. the burden of proof is much lower than in a criminal trial. >> in the civil trial, the plaintiff, the goldman family and the brown family, only have to prove more likely than not. more likely true than not true. >> before the trial even begins, simpson submits to 11 days of videotape depositions. >> did you spend a whole day following nicole? >> no. >> anybody who would say that would be lying. is that right? >> correct. >> do you know why the blood on the panel of the bronco was consistent with the mixture of ron goldman's and your blood? >> no. >> i knew going into this deposition one thing was certain. that he was not going to admit to these killings.
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>> the jury isn't swayed by simpson's denials. after a five month trial, he's found liable for the deaths of nicole brown simpson and ron goldman. he's ordered to pay a staggering sum, $33.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages. for the goldman and brown families, it is finally a measure of justice. >> our family is grateful for a verdict of responsibility which is all we ever wanted. and we have it. thank god. >> but as far as paying the damages is concerned, is o.j. simpson worth anything close to $33 million? the plaintiff families argue that he's still a wealthy man. >> he was receiving royalties from his movies, from television. he had a pension from the nfl. so he was someone who had multiple streams of revenue. >> but simpson says he's
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$850,000 in debt and unable to pay the damages. the goldmans go after his current and future assets. >> the goldmans, undaunted, continued to pursue collection of that judgment, not so much because they wanted simpson's money, but to prevent simpson from attempting to reacquire wealth and live a good life. >> o.j. obviously did not want to pay it and so he embarked on a number of schemes to hide his assets. >> although simpson later denies it, several business acquaintances say that he stashes valuables away in storage or with friends. two and a half years later he buys a house in florida where lenient state bankruptcy laws will protect his home and other assets from seizure by the goldmans and browns. according to plaintiffs' attorneys, simpson also takes step to shelter his future income. >> simpson effectively went underground and sold
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memorabilia, signed autographs and lived in a kind of cash world to avoid earning income of record. >> if you were to have a live signing with o.j. there would still be with a pack of people that would pay $150, $200 to see him live, get a picture with him. maybe not the thousands there were before, but there would still be a nice crowd. >> acquaintances say after so many years of fame and feign fame and later infamy, simpson craves the attention. >> he loves fans saying hey, juice, you're my hero. he loves signing autographs. he loves that. >> it did seem that his thirst for that adulation was something that never ceased and he always tried to recapture some of that. i according to observer, simpson's lifestyle was nothing
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like what he was accustomed to in hollywood, surround by movie stars and sports heroes. >> he gets into a whole different circle of friends. >> we were hanging out in the nightclubs and hanging out in the gentlemen's clubs. there was always women around. he was a magnet. >> he has kids, so i thought well, with his kids maybe he'll turn it all around, but instead he continued to act like a playboy. which is a shame. ♪ why do people wonder about my intentions ♪ >> in 2006 simpson stars in "juiced," a straight to dvd reality show featuring o.j. pranking unsuspecting people on the street. >> he would go up to the people that were being pranked and go hey, do you recognize me? i'm o.j. things like that were kind of telling moments of kind of a person like really starved to be back in the spotlight. >> the show was recognized by critics today as perhaps the strangest and lowest point of o.j. simpson's on screen career. he follows it up with another media bombshell later that year
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in october. book publisher judith reegan announces the release of simpson's book, "if i did it," exploring how he would have hypothetically carried out the murders. >> people took it as well, here's -- this is an admission of guilt. you know, he was really pushing it a bit far there, you know, of, like, talking about the way it would have been if -- i mean, that's kind of -- it's kind of disgusting. >> after a firestorm of negative publicity, the book is withdrawn from publication. but in a twist, the ron goldman's family assumes the rights to "if i did it" and they release the book with a revised cover and an added subtitle, "confessions of the killer." coming up -- >> we were just robbed at gunpoint, man. we were just robbed at gunpoint by o.j. simpson.
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>> he said the weapon looked menacing. that's exactly what the man said. you're not taking these. hey, hey, hey! you're not taking those. whoa, whoa! you're not taking that. come with me. you're not taking that. you're not taking that. you're not taking that. mom, i'm taking the subaru. don't be late. even when we're not there to keep them safe, our subaru outback will be. (vo) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. if you have moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or crohn's, and your symptoms have left you with the same view, it may be time for a different perspective. if other treatments haven't worked well enough, ask your doctor about entyvio, the only biologic developed and approved just for uc and crohn's. entyvio works by focusing right in the gi-tract to help control damaging inflammation and is clinically proven to begin helping many patients achieve both symptom relief as well as remission.
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as o.j. simpson turned 60 in 2007, he's been struggling for a decade under the weight of the goldman family's $33.5 million civil judgment against him. back then simpson makes a decision that would have far reaching consequences. >> when he was losing the rockingham estate he began to move a lot of his personal items out of the estate. >> he had been hiding it from the goldmans. that's what he was doing. he was hiding some of his assets, stuff that he just didn't want sold. >> so he put these all in a storage locker and somebody took them. >> ten years later memorabilia dealer tom riccio who occasionally does business with simpson hears through the grapevine that someone is trying to sell simpson's stolen items. >> i call mr. simpson. first i told him about the footballs and pictures of your mom. he's like really? >> simpson wants these items back but he chooses not to go the conventional route. >> why didn't o.j. go to the police? well, o.j. claims he had asked
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the police to help him get his stuff back on several occasions and they refused to help him. >> according to tom riccio, simpson comes up with an alternative plan. a sting designed to flush out whoever took his prized possessions and get those items back. simpson asked riccio to set up the sting. >> he goes tell these guys you got a buyer, a rich buyer who is a big o.j. fan and i'll come there and i'll say listen, guys, this is my stuff, give it to me or i'm calling the police. i guarantee you there'll be no altercation, no nothing. they'll apogize and they'll give the stuff back. >> riccio agrees to help simpson. he calls the source of the original tip about simpson's stolen items. a man named al beardsley and asks him to arrange a meeting in with the seller in las vegas the evening of september 13, 2007. the seller will bring the items for inspection. the afternoon of the meeting
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simpson decides his plan needs reinforcement. he talks to friends at his hotel and rounds up a group of five men to take with him that night. including michael mcclinton. >> simpson says you've got to conceal a weapon for me. he said i want you to go with me as security. sure, i'll go with you. >> at 7:30 that night o.j. simpson's sting goes into motion. at the palace station hotel and casino in las vegas, tom brings the sellers to his hotel room so they can display their merchandise. what no one but riccio knows is that he plans to record everything. >> i had a little recorder up there on the armoire and i had it there for the whole time. >> riccio then leaves the room to meet simpson in the hotel lobby, who has been drinking all
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day. the hotel and casino security cameras capture images of the group as they move through the premises. >> five people go with o.j. to the hotel which i don't think tom riccio, the middleman, expected. >> and two of simpson's men have come with guns. >> simpson said show your weapon and look menacing. that was exactly what the man said. >> riccio leads simpson's entourage back to his room where the tape recorder is rolling. about to capture the voices of nine men in the small room when o.j. simpson's sting goes terribly wrong. >> what's up, guys? >> oh, no, oh, no. >> o.j. simpson is face-to-face with the person who's selling some of his stolen items. and simpson is shocked. the seller is bruce framal, a collectibles dealer simpson knows and has worked with many times in the past. with him is al beardsley, who has come to broker the sale.
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>> mother [ bleep ], you think you can sell my [ bleep ] and sell it? don't let anybody out of here. >> everybody's blaming, pointing fingers at everybody else at this point. >> i'm cool, i am. >> stand up. stand up stand your mother [ bleep ]. >> i had nothing to do with it. >> i trusted you, man. >> bag this [ bleep ] up. bag it up. >> and then all these guys grab pillowcases, and they're stuffing the pillowcases with the stuff. >> it was only six minutes and 38 seconds from the time we walked through that door until the time we walked out. >> we were just robbed at gunpoint, man. we were just robbed at gunpoint by o.j. simpson. >> beardsley immediately calls the police and the media. >> hello, guys. >> two days later in las vegas, simpson attends his best friend's wedding. he publicly dismisses rumors he may have been involved in a robbery. >> i ain't got nothing to say. i didn't do nothing wrong.
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hi, god bless. >> but las vegas metropolitan police come to a different conclusion. >> we recovered two firearms and some clothing. >> the las vegas metropolitan police department decided to affect the arrest of o.j. simpson. >> no johnnie to save you this time, o.j. guilty! >> a year later in 2008 with the world watching, o.j. simpson goes back on trial. this time accused of multiple counts of conspiracy, robbery and kidnapping. but is his case purely about what happened in that las vegas hotel room? michael mcclinton has written a book called "the truth about the o.j. simpson robbery." >> i had the gun in the commission of a robbery. i could have got more time than him. but then again that started showing me they don't want me. they felt that they had the hooks and they were going to drive them in him as deep as they could so he couldn't get off. >> but this will be nothing like his los angeles murder trial. >> he didn't have the resources
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this time around. the first time around he spent every dollar he had defending himself and beyond that. >> in nevada the jury deciding o.j. simpson's fate is mostly white. in stark contrast to the predominantly african-american jury that found him not guilty in california. >> that jury was carefully selected and it really made a difference. >> another problem for simpson's defense team, four of the five men from simpson's entourage the night of the crime plead guilty to reduced charges and agree to testify for the prosecution. crucial to this case, the video from the hotel security cameras and tom riccio's audiotape 1 hos worth including o.j. talking about the incident before, during, and after it happened. >> unfortunately for o.j. he says nobody can leave this room.
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>> you think you can steal my [ bleep ] and get away with it? don't let nobody out of here. >> and they brandished the gun. those two things sealed o.j.'s fate. >> on october 3rd, 2008, after 13 hours of deliberating, the nevada jury reaches its verdict. >> the state of nevada plaintiff versus orenthal james simpson defendant. we the jury in the above entitled case find the defendant guilty. >> on all 12 counts of robbery, kidnapping and conspiracy. >> the verdict came down 13 years to the day of his acquittal in the murder trial. make of that what you will. >> at his sentencing simpson faces judge jackie glass. >> i said to mr. simpson i didn't know if he was arrogant or ignorant or both and during the trial and through this proceeding i got the answer. and it was both. >> i wasn't there to hurt anybody. i just wanted my personal things
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and i realize now it was stupid of me. i am sorry. i didn't mean to steal anything from anybody. and i didn't know i was doing anything illegal. i thought i was confronting friends. and retrieving my property. >> most legal analysts say to this day that this was a two year crime, maybe three. >> during the trial he could have negotiated that case. >> there was an offer made that would have given himrobably less time than what he's already spent. and no deal. >> i think the idea was i'm o.j. simpson and i'm not going to get convicted. >> instead, o.j. simpson receives a sentence of nine to 33 years in prison. >> everybody else got off. he's the only one that wound up going to jail. >> i argue it was designed to echo the $33 million verdict that was rendered against him in the santa monica jury trial.
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hi, i'm richard lui with your hour's top stories. president trump's son-in-law jared kushner will be interviewed by staffers of the senate intelligence committee behind closed doors on monday. this is part of their russia investigation. and a truck driver was arrested in san antonio after nine undocumented immigrants were found dead in an overheated trailer that 18-wheeler was abandoned in a walmart parking lot. authorities believe it was part of a human smuggling operation. 30 others are being treated in area hospitals. for now back to "o.j. simpson: chasing freedom."
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in late 2008 o.j. simpson is transferred to lovelock serve his nine-year sentence for the palace station robbery and kidnapping. for a man accustomed to trading off talent and charm for privilege, simpson's life is about to change drastically. >> in 2001 i was incarcerated. i was doing my time. a few years later o.j. simpson rolled in. >> greg lewis is assigned to the same cell block as simpson and considers himself a wisened veteran compared to the famous inmate. >> a fish is a new one in the system. you can be the smartest doctor in the world, but you step in the joint, you can be as ignorant as a baby. you know what i mean? everybody has fish status. >> after running for touchdowns as number 32 for the buffalo bills and san francisco 49ers, simpson is now assigned a different number, 1027820.
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>> basically, he had to learn that he was just a number. and that was really difficult for him. former associates tell me he went into a state of depression almost immediately after he landed in prison. he basically kept to himself. he gained weight. he was out of shape. he was in a really bad state and it was really hard for him those first months. >> i think what noorpd o.j. is something clicked, and it became clear that his goal was to get out of prison. and that became his kind of motivating factor. >> retired corrections officer jeffrey felix is a long time o.j. simpson fan for whom the celebrity prisoner meets all expectations. >> i thought he was the most charismatic man i had ever met. >> at lovelock, simpson's first job is cleaning up at the prison gym. but he is eventually promoted to supervisor and is said to be a conscientious worker, despite his stark differences from the other inmates.
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>> they won't even let o.j. have an id because somebody wants to steal it and get a million dollars. >> at times he occupies a cell by himself. at other times he's given a cell mate. >> over the years when o.j. simpson would get a cell mate more than likely his celly would be his housekeeper, cook the food, keep the house clean, make sure everything is in there. and o.j. would always buy the food from the canteen for both of them. >> in many ways o.j. hasn't changed at all. he's still an arrogant man who sees himself kind of above people like you and myself n. prison he rubbed people the wrong way. >> everybody knows o.j. cuts in front of lines, at the clinic, at the culinary, wherever he goes, the canteen, he cuts in front of line. the juice doesn't wait in line. he is a heisman trophy winner. >> yet he can't escape the constant reminders of the trial of the century. >> i was at work and came back and there was a little ruckus going on, some laughter. and this and that. what's going on, boys? oh, you missed it, man. they set o.j.'s cell up like it
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was a crime scene. they put a plastic knife with ketchup on it and a brown glove. >> i asked him many times did you kill ronald goldman and nicole and he would just look at me. he would never answer like i went there and i shouldn't have. >> at lovelock simpson is often cautious about sharing too much of himself. >> he didn't really have an ace deuce, a go-to guy, a best friend. >> he had a sign on the outside of his cell, please don't ask, i don't want to have to say no. >> yet there is one place in lovelock where simpson is known for his generosity. the softball field. where he coaches and supervises the intramural prison league. >> o.j. is a great coach, super competitive, this guy. we were the giants because o.j. of course is from san francisco. the two years i played with him we took the championship. >> because of knee problems related to his nfl career, simpson is unable to engage in athletics himself which means he
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spends long periods in his cell while other inmates are exercising. >> o.j.'s weight fluctuates a lot. he can get up to 290, 300, drop back down to 260. >> o.j. didn't go to supper a lot. but i'll guarantee you, man, if there was cookies being served, that man was going to chow. it's hard to eat healthy in there. especially if you like cookies. >> and then when he starts getting too heavy, he goes back on his rice and seafood diet that he buys in the canteen. does his walking, loses 40, 50 pounds. he wants to be able to walk out of prison, go on the golf course and play golf. >> hey, panama city. >> but as he anticipates his prospects on the outside, he's avoided citations for even minor infraction >> doing nine years in a prison without getting a write-up is very hard to do. he is focused on getting his parole and getting freedom. >> in 2013 simpson begins making the case that he hopes will lead to his release appearing in front of the nevada parole board.
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>> and do my time as best as i can do. >> to observers who haven't seen simpson since he was locked up, the sight of the graying, bloated former celebrity is jarring. >> o.j. is an old man now. he's a senior citizen. he didn't grow old in the public eye. i think that's what is shocking to a lot of people. >> i'd like to feel that i kept a lot of trouble from happening since i've been here by getting involved in some conflicts with some of the individuals here i've had. >> it might be true. but i also think that's a sign of the boastful o.j. coming through. o.j. is a very, very boastful man. there is not a modest bone in his body. >> in a heartfelt tone simpson expresses remorse for the 2007 robbery. >> i wish i'd never gone to that room. make no mistake. i would give it all back to these guys. they can have it all to get these last five years back. >> although he's granted parole on five of the 12 charges in the case, he's not released from prison.
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>> i think it was a good sign for him. i think it showed that the board had confidence in him that he could reform, that he was a good candidate for parole. >> it's an opinion shared by many who come to know him during his long stretch at lovelock. people who say the media will never capture a photo of a paroled o.j. simpson in police custody again. >> i think he's got a pretty good idea of what lockdown is now. you know what i mean? >> coming up, the day of decision. and what it means for o.j. simpson. where you can compare multiple quote options online and choose what's right for you. woah. flo and jamie here to see hqx. flo and jamie request entry. slovakia. triceratops. tapioca. racquetball. staccato. me llamo jamie. pumpernickel. pudding. employee: hey, guys! home quote explorer. it's home insurance made easy. password was "hey guys."
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mr. simpson, you are getting the same hearing that everyone else gets. i want to make that clear from the get go. >> it's been 22 years since simpson's acquittal in the double homicide highlighted how americans really felt about race, class, and the fleeting nature of fame. but the commissioners emphasized that this hearing will be decided on its own merits. >> we received hundreds of letters of support and
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opposition. while we always encourage public input, the majority of the opposition letters are asking us to consider your 1995 acquittal and subsequent civil judgment. however, these items will not be considered in this case. >> as the four nevada parole commissioners watched simpson over a live video feed, his sister, daughter, and victim gather in the small hearing room at lovelock correctional center to listen to what he has to say. >> mr. simpson, i'll declare for the record that you've been properly noticed and will go forward. >> with the media camped outside in the 100 degree heat, simpson starts the hearing by exhibiting some of the charm that made him a celebrity. >> you are currently -- very recently turned 90 years old. i'm sorry about that. >> i feel like it, though. >> in reality simpson aparompar last parole board appearance four years ago.
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when he starts detailing the crime, though, he casts much of the blame on his associates. >> i should have never allowed these alleged security guys to help me because it turned out they were only trying to help themselves. >> that was classic o.j. simpson. not taking complete responsibility for his own conduct. >> i'm no danger to pull a gun on anybody. i never have in my life. i've never been accused of it in my life. nobody has ever accused me of pulling any weapon on them. >> simpson's demeanor stands in stark contrast to that of the contrite inmate who addressed the same parole board in 2013. >> so you believe that the property was yours? >> it's been ruled legally by the state of california that it was my property and they have given it to me. i have it. >> many observers are surprised by simpson's combative tone with the commissioners. >> they want you to express remorse and they need to believe that you truly feel remorse. >> so what were you thinking when the guns were being brandished?
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>> well, i didn't see the guns brandished. you say guns. as i understand it, one guy who's behind me somewhere pointed a gun at him, so i never saw him brandish a gun. i wasn't aware until i was in the car driving back to our hotel that this guy had actually pointed a gun. >> right. well, now your version differ a little bit about the official records, mr. simpson, but -- >> but simpson does stress that he never intends to break the law again. >> i'm at a point in my life where all i want to do is spend time with my -- as much time as i can with my children and my friends. i've done my time.>> as his old year-old arnelle rises to speak about the kind of life the family hopes to lead, the football hall of famer flashes his celebrated smile. >> my experience with him is
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he's like my best friend and my rock. >> as a family we recognize that he is not the perfect man, but we want him to come home and i know in my heart that he's very humbled. we want him to come home and i know in my heart that he's very humbled. >> memorabilia dealer uses his victim's impact statement to say he forgives simpson for robbing him in that las vegas hotel room in 2007. >> there was a lot of commotion going on in a very, very small room. real small room. and a lot of things happened very quickly. >>s in a good man. he made a mistake. and if he called me tomorrow and said, bruce, i'm getting out, will you pick me up?
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juice, i'll be here tomorrow for you. i mean that, buddy. >> tears form in the trophy winner's eyes as addresses the commissioners one final time. >> and i am sorry that things turned out the way they did. >> o.j. simpson, about an hour five minutes in finally uttered the words so many had been waiting to hear, i am sorry. >> to some it's unclear if simpson has done enough to convince the commissioners. coming up, the parole board decision and what it might mean for the o.j. simpson legacy. i call this parole hearing the opportunity of the year is back: the mercedes-benz summer eve. get to your dealer today for incredible once-a-season offers, and start firing up those grilles. lease the e300 for $569 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing.
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time in prison on this case. considering all of these factors, my vote is to grant your parole effective when eligible. >> and i concur with commissioner courta and grant parole. >> i concur with commissioner courta and agree to grant parole. >> i do vote to grant parole. and that will conclude this hearing. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> the nevada parole board heard his plea and granted him parole on his 2008 robbery conviction. >> once out of camera range a relieved o.j. greets arnell and sister shirley with the words i'm coming home. i'm coming home. they spend the next four hours making plans about his future as a freeman. which for o.j. are simpson could start as soon as october 1st.
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once free, simpson hopes to live in florida, pending the state's approval. >> i have reached out to my counterparts in florida, and they're waiting for their investigation to make the determination on whether or not they're willing to accept his case for supervision. >> the jury is still out if it will be a welcome homecoming for simpson. >> i have no problem with it. you know everybody deserves a second chance. >> i prefer not to see him. i prefer to continue to see him in carson city nevada. >> yeah i hope i run into him. who doesn't. >> he is one of the greatest running backs to play the games in the 70s. >> if he chooses to work there may be legal issues involved with his income. simpson still owes more than $30 million to the brown and goldman families. >> if he earns money and the goldmans can identify the funds, they have the right to seize the funds to satisfy the judgment. >> by law, simpson is allowed to keep his nfl pension. but the goldmans are keeping a close eye on any other possible income streams.
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>> fred goldman has been stalking simpson, making sure if there is anything he can can do to make one minute of simpson's life more miserable than it is he is going to do it. in flora,oldman c't pursue any home simpson might buy. >> nef laws that allow him to keep a house. it can't be seized in a civil judgment. >> though his home may be safe from seizure. he may face other other possible pitfalls like the mistakes in judgment that led to the robbery in las vegas. >> we do not look kindly upon parole violations. our expectation would be that you not violate even the sifrpest condition of parole. >> what's at stake is what he can do to make amends to make some sort of contribution in the years he has left and to stay out of trouble. >> as for sifrmz's career in entertainment. some report he may start a reality show about his new life.
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but is america ready for an being o.j. comeback. >> who is going to buy an ad on his show? how successful is that going to be? >> hard to guess given the wietd spectrum of reactions people have to simpson. >> mr. simpson is obviously a very polarizing figure. he is well loved but held in contempt by a lot of people. >> simpson is still a polarizing and to many fascinating figure, more than two decades after his acquittal in the trial of the centsry. >> there will always be people that want to be around him. and he'll always be the kind of person where someone, even now, will come up to him asking for his autograph. >> i consider o.j. a good friend. and i would do anything i could to help o.j. because i think he is a good person. and i think he has had a rough
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ride. >> but to a great number of americans simpson remains a fallen hero who got away with a double murder. >> simpson deserves like no other person deserves to be in jail. >> ronald goldman lies deceased as well as nicole brown simpson. he will bear the burden of that for the rest of his life. >> there is this ogtle o obsession with o.j. he's a shakespeare character. we want to unravel that, unpeel that onion. there will always be that fascination with the evolution from young o.j. to now. s life sry is the american dream and the american nightmare. >> you had someone who reached the top of his career who had this enormous gift and celebrated by the american public only to stupidly lose it all.
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a and that kind of trajectory, the meteoric rise and tragic descent is classic and universal. >> i am sorry that things turned out the way they did. due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. an inmate assaults a prison staff member. >> hold on to him. hold on. >> [ bleep ]! rip my [ bleep ] guts out when i'm getting ready -- [ bleep ]. >> while other inmates turn the violence against themselves. >> i cut my vein. >> i have a daughter that just turned 13 years old and she's my pride and joy.
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