Jury deliberations begin in Simpson case

Oct 3, 2008 - 6:49 PM LAS VEGAS (Ticker) -- O.J. Simpson's fate is in the hands of jurors who have begun deliberating whether the disgraced football star and a co-defendant are guilty of robbing and kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint.

Simpson and Clarence "CJ" Stewart each face five years to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge. They have both pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, including conspiracy, coercion and assault with a deadly weapon.

A court spokesman said the jury is expected to deliberate at least through Friday. It's uncertain if jurors also will deliberate Saturday.

Deliberations began 13 years to the day after Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles in 1994. After the "Trial of the Century," Simpson was found liable of the deaths in a civil suit and ordered to pay $33.5 million.

In his latest brush with the law, the 61-year-old Simpson is accused of walking into a Las Vegas hotel room on September 13, 2007 with Stewart and four other men and robbing the memorabilia dealers of items Simpson said had been stolen from him.

In closing arguments Thursday, the prosecution stated Simpson had recruited a pack of men to pull off the robbery. The prosecution also has argued that detaining the men with the intent to commit robbery is kidnapping.

Simpson's lawyer, Yale Galanter, has maintained Simpson's effort to get back the items was a mistake but not a crime.

Four other men who accompanied Simpson and Stewart - Charles Cashmore, Walter Alexander, Michael McClinton and Charles Ehrlich - pleaded guilty to lesser charges and testified for the prosecution during the 12-day trial.