Alleged O.J. Simpson robbery victim testifies
It's the first day of trial. Simpson faces more than a dozen charges, including kidnapping, in connection with a 2007 Las Vegas hotel episode.
LAS VEGAS -- Expecting to sell a wealthy buyer O.J. Simpson collectibles in a hotel room here, memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong was instead shoved, patted down and threatened with a gun by associates of the former NFL star, Fromong testified today.
During the confrontation, Fromong said Simpson shouted: "Don't let anybody out of this room. Nobody gets out of here." Simpson, Fromong added, accused him of stealing the memorabilia, yelling "I thought you were a good guy!"
Fromong described the chaotic alleged robbery during the opening day of Simpson's trial -- a muted event compared to his "Trial of the Century" in Los Angeles, where Simpson was acquitted in the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Unlike his murder trial, which attracted huge crowds outside the courthouse, Simpson arrived in court today to a handful of reporters and the shouts of a man carrying a banner reading "Jesus saves sinners from hell."
"The problem is not that you got your stuff back. The problem is you killed your wife," the man screamed.
Simpson, 61, faces a dozen charges in connection to the alleged robbery of Fromong and another collectibles dealer at Palace Station Hotel & Casino. The most serious of the charges, kidnapping, carries a potential life sentence.
Simpson maintains he went to the hotel to retrieve items stolen from him, including pictures of his children and his late parents. He has said he never used or saw others use weapons during the incident.
"This was a recovery; this wasn't a robbery," said Simpson attorney Yale Galanter in his opening remarks.
Five men accompanied Simpson to the hotel room. Four of them are cooperating with prosecutors and expected to testify against the onetime actor and pitchman. Galanter said the witnesses are only looking to make a buck off Simpson and characterized the alleged victims as "hustlers."
"The only person on the planet that wanted all this property is this man here," Galanter said, walking behind Simpson and resting a hand on his shoulder. "You can think whatever you want about his past and you have been sworn to ignore it."
On Sept. 13, 2007, Fromong expected to meet a wealthy buyer in Room 1203. He had brought 700 to 800 items, including signed footballs and baseballs and three of Simpson's ties.
Instead, Fromong said, "the door burst open . . . and then people started rushing in."
