A few months ago, we told you that O.J. Simpson would be up for parole this year.
The parole proceedings took place today.
He’s been in jail for nine years, having run into some trouble in Los Vegas in 2007.
That year, Simpson had a meeting with a few memorabilia dealers who he believed had stolen several items from him. The meeting turned violent, and Simpson ran off with the disputed items in his possession.
Days later, Simpson was arrested, and later convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping.
Simpson was reportedly a model prisoner while in jail, and many felt sorry for him.
Some believed that he was given a longer sentence than anyone else would have gotten facing the same charges given that he’d dodged jail time twice before.
Even one of the victims of his crime was in this camp — one of the dealers, Bruce Fromong, testified on Simpson’s behalf during today’s proceedings.
He’d announced that he wanted to testify on Simpson’s behalf months ago, saying that he felt the former NFL player “deserved one to thee years” in prison at most.
Today, CNN reports, he told the parole board that although Simpson did leave their meeting with items that did not belong to him, “[Simpson] never laid a hand on me.” He also backed up Simpson’s version of events.
Members of Simpson’s family were on hand. His daughter, Arnelle Simpson, said, “As a family, we realize he is not the perfect man.” Still, she called him “my best friend and my rock.”
Simpson himself told the board, “I am sorry that things turned out the way they did,” and owned up to his actions. “I spent nine years making no excuses about anything.”
He also said that he served his time humbly and without causing any trouble, “I told the warden when I got here … that I would be no problem. I think I kept my word.”
The parole board agreed with him, and after deliberating for around half an hour, granted Simpson parole.
He will become a free man this October.