O.J. Simpson, the ex-football star acquitted of murder in 1995, appeared in court on Monday in hopes of seeking a new trial in a Las Vegas armed robbery case that sent him to prison, Reuters reported. In this hearing, he is hoping to present a new case since his representation made blunders the last time around. .
Simpson was brought to court from a Nevada prison where he is serving up to 33 years for the 2007 incident in which he and five other men stormed into a room at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino and took thousands of dollars in memorabilia from a pair of sports collectors at gunpoint. Defense lawyers argued unsuccessfully that Simpson was only trying to retrieve his own stolen memorabilia, and was not aware that an accomplice had brought a gun along.
Simpson had been found guilty on 12 charges, including armed robbery and kidnapping.
Simpson's current attorneys have asked a judge to throw out his 2008 conviction, saying his trial lawyer, Yale Galanter, had a conflict of interest because he knew in advance that Simpson planned to confront the sports dealers at the hotel, Reuters reported.
They also argue that Galanter never told Simpson that prosecutors had offered a plea deal in which he would have been sentenced to two to five years in prison.
Simpson's 43-year-old daughter, Arnelle, took the witness stand shortly before the lunch break, testifying that her father had been drinking heavily during the weekend of the incident. That testimony was expected to be used by Simpson's lawyers to suggest that he was not aware that guns were drawn at the hotel, news reports said.
