O.J. Simpson, the Hall of Fame running back-turned-murder suspect-turned-felon, stands a good chance of being released early when he comes up for parole this summer after serving nine years of a 33-year sentence stemming from his attempts to take back by force memorabilia he said belonged to him, Sports Illustrated reported.
Simpson, 69, has been inmate No. 1027820 at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada since 2008, thirteen years after being found not guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in what was dubbed the “Trial of the Century.”
The former Buffalo Bills star was found guilty in 2008 on 12 counts including kidnapping, assault, robbery, burglary and conspiracy.
In 2013, Simpson fared well in the point system the parole board uses to determine if an inmate should be released, according to Michael McCann, a law professor at the University of New Hampshire and co-author with Jon Wertheim of the Sports Illustrated article.
Simpson scored three points in 2013, and is expected to score low again when he comes up for parole, which could be this summer. Inmates who score fewer than five points have a good shot at being released.
The point system, according to SI, is comprised of eleven factors -- including age at time of arrest, gender, gang activity while behind bars and disciplinary write-ups.
According to McCann’s analysis, Simpson garners between 0 and 2 points.
"He's the kind of person who gets paroled. He has done a significant amount of time and, by all accounts, hasn't caused any problems [while in prison]," Daniel Hill, a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney, told Sports Illustrated.
Simpson is eligible for parole on Oct. 1, so a hearing is likely to occur around July 1, just days before his 70th birthday, which will be July 9.
To be freed, Simpson will need recommendations from at least four of the seven parole board commissioners. The Nevada parole board reportedly grants release to about 50 percent of the inmates whose cases it hears.
If Simpson is granted parole, he could be gone from Lovelock by the fall. If he is denied, he could stay in prison until 2022.
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