By all accounts, O.J. Simpson has been on his best behavior during his time at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Las Vegas, and the prison’s biggest celebrity was really hoping that the parole board would notice and reward him by letting him out to pursue some TV projects. The Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners did, in fact, take notice and they indeed rewarded him by granting him parole for several of the counts that he was convicted of back in 2008. So the good news for Simpson is that the parole kicks in on October 2.
Simpson was convicted of charges including kidnapping, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and burglary in 2008 and was sentenced to nine years in prison, so the former NFL running back and one-time beloved American pop culture icon is definitely grateful for the board’s decision.
“We expected it,” Patricia Palm, one of Simpson’s current lawyers, told The Associated Press shortly after the order was issued. “There is no reason not to grant him parole. I’m glad they did what they should have done.”
Palm said Simpson called from prison to let her know of the board’s decision.
“He’s very happy and grateful,” she said. (Via the AP)
Of course, the bubble-bursting bad news is that even once the parole kicks in, he’ll still be facing the minimum time served for four other charges related to the 2007 robbery of two sports memorabilia merchants, and he won’t be eligible for parole on any of those counts for another year. So if Simpson was packing his bags and calling Kris Jenner for a couch to crash on, he might want to stop giving away his cartons of cigarettes and get back in line for some toilet wine.
But for the moral victory, he can go ahead and do a quick OJ shuffle. You know, for good behavior.