O.J. Simpson Enters Not Guilty Plea

O.J. Simpson pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, coercion and conspiracy at his arraignment in Las Vegas. Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass accepted his plea and set a trial date of April 7, 2008.

The trial date was earlier than expected and came as a surprised to the prosecution and the defense, who expected it might be up to a year before the trial would be scheduled.

Simpson and his co-defendants -- Clarence "C.J." Stewart and Charles "Charlie" Ehrlich -- face a total of 12 charges stemming from a Sept. 13 confrontation between them and two sports collectibles dealers in a casino hotel room.

Simpson has said that he intended only to retrieve items that had been stolen from him, including photographs, football awards and the suit he wore the day he was acquitted in 1995 of murdering his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

However, prosecutors say there were hundreds of items removed from the hotel room that had no connection whatsoever to Simpson.

See Also:
O.J. Simpson Pleads Not Guilty

Background:
The Legal Saga of O.J. Simpson

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