O.J. Simpson Ordered to Stand Trial

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe M. Bonaventure has ordered O.J. Simpson and two co-defendants held over for trial on charges of kidnapping and armed robbery in connection with a confrontation in a casino hotel room between the men and two sport memorabilia dealers. Simpson will appear in court again Nov. 28 for a brief hearing at which he will enter a plea. No date has been set for the trial.

After hearing three days of testimony during a preliminary hearing, Bonaventure ruled that there was enough evidence to show that a crime had been committed. In Nevada, criminal defendants can request a public preliminary hearing rather than having their case hear by a grand jury behind closed doors.

At the close of the hearing, Simpson's attorney argued that the kidnapping charges were "clearly overcharging" and should be dropped. He said prosecutors did not demonstrate if the charges stemmed from the act of luring the dealers to the hotel room or from the events that took place after the confrontation in the room.

Asked to Bring 'Heat'

Simpson, Clarence (C.J.) Stewart and Charles (Charlie) Ehrlich are facing 12 charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery. If found guilty, they could face up to life in prison on the kidnapping and mandatory prison time for the armed robbery.

Although none of the defendants testified during the hearing, Simpson has said in the past that no guns were displayed, he didn't ask anyone to bring guns and he didn't see any guns during the confrontation.

Both Walter (Goldie) Alexander and Michael (Spencer) McClinton testified during the hearing that Simpson asked them to bring "heat" to the meeting. McClinton said Simpson told him to use them to intimidate Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong.

See Also:
Judge Orders O.J. Simpson to Stand Trial

Background:
The Legal Saga of O.J. Simpson

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