OJ Simpson to Go to Trial

After a preliminary hearing into the 12 charges, a Las Vegas judge has recommended that OJ Simpson will go to trial on all twelve counts. Las Vegas Justice Of the Peace Joe M. Bonaventure ruled on Wednesday that NFL Hall Of Famer OJ Simpson will face 12 criminal charges stemming from a September 12th robbery of two sport memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel.

No trial date has been announced at this time.

Despite some back-peddling by his co-defendants turned witnesses for the prosecution, the judge saw fit to proceed to trial on all twelve counts, including kidnapping, armed robbery, coercion, conspiracy, and assault with a deadly weapon, as detailed by NBC. Prosecution will push heavily on the charges of kidnapping and armed robbery, as they will carry with them guaranteed prison time with the possibility of life in prison, although parole can be granted. They are also likely to drudge up the spirits of Simpson's previous brush with the law when he was found not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

Simpson's defense team has already seemed so show its strategy. The Associated Press is reporting, as seen here on MSNBC, that Simpson's assertion that he had no idea that guns were at the scene and that he never told any of his co-defendants to bring weapons, shows that he is trying to distance himself from the kidnapping and armed robbery charges as much as possible. If he can prove he had no role in the use of weapons, Simpson could play himself down to some of the lesser charges like conspiracy, which carry smaller penalties.

Simpson's attorneys are continuing to paint the picture that Simpson was simply trying to reclaim items that were stolen from him by a former business partner and that there was no intention to kidnap or cause harm to the victims here. According to the same Associated Press report, Simpson's defense team is also attempting to show that prosecution is simply "piling on" charges, figuring that if they the more charges they add, the more likely that they will win at least one conviction against Simpson. They also were quick to point out that while Simpson and the other unarmed men at the scene were facing the full load of charges, both of the individuals that carried weapons at the scene were offered plea deals to testify against Simpson.

Asked for comment on his way out of the courtroom, Simpson told Associated Press reporters "this is what I expected." "If I had any disappointment, if I have any disappointment it's that I wish a jury was here. As always, I rely on the jury system."

Associated Press Stories
Simpson To Face Trial In Memorabilia Heist, ABC News
OJ Ordered To Face Trial In Alleged Vegas Heist, MSNBC
OJ In Court To Face 12 Charges, NBC Sports