In the first two days of a preliminary hearing for O.J. Simpson on charges of kidnapping and armed robbery, one witness testified that Simpson may have never seen any guns drawn during the hotel room incident because he was standing in front of the men with the guns. The question is whether or not he knew there were going to be guns used, however.
Thomas Riccio, who set up the meeting on Sept. 13 so that Simpson could confront the dealers who supposedly had sports memorabilia stolen from Simpson, told the judge that Simpson told him that he never saw a gun during the confrontation.
"O.J. made it clear to me he didn't see a gun," Riccio said. "I made it clear to him I did."
Two other witnesses -- the two men who were holding the guns -- are expected to testify this week that Simpson not only knew about them, he requested that they bring the guns.
No Turning Back When Guns Came Out
Riccio said that the meeting between Simpson and memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong was going well until the guns came out and the men begin removing items that did not belong to Simpson. There were more than 600 items removed from the room.
But once the guns came out Riccio said "things went crazy. There was no turning back."
The preliminary hearing is for the judge to decide if there is enough evidence to hold Simpson over for trial on the kidnapping and armed robbery charges. The threshold for evidence is much lower than it would be to be found guilty by a jury.
The hearing is scheduled to continue Monday.
See Also:
One Simpson Witness Contradicts Another
Background:
The Legal Saga of O.J. Simpson
Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
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