I have written many commentaries on the infamous O.J. Simpson saga, including on the occasion of his first parole hearing in “O.J. Simpson: He’s Baaaack,” May 15, 2013.
In each I made clear my belief, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he is an unrepentant, even remorseless double murderer. This is why I greeted his conviction and incarceration on trumped-up burglary charges in 2008 with the proverbial: karma – it’s a bitch!
But I see no point in joining the commentariat in turning today’s parole hearing into another national spectacle.
A Nevada parole board granted O.J. Simpson [70] parole on Thursday after the former NFL star apologized for his role in a 2007 armed robbery, said he’d been a model prisoner, and promised that he’d have no conflicts if released. …
Simpson has served nine years of a nine-to-33-year sentence for an armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas. He is expected to be released as early as October, and said he plans to move to his home in Florida.
(CNN, July 20, 2017)
I agree with the board’s decision. And I wish OJ well.
Except that I fear he is far from rehabilitated. His apology was patently self-serving. After all, he insists that he has lived a “conflict-free life,” betraying that he has not come to terms with his well-documented history of domestic violence, let alone those two infamous murders.
Frankly, the only redemptive thing about his plea for parole today was his apparent health. He has obviously lost a ton of weight since 2013, and looks back in fighting form … to commit more narcissistic mischief.
For obvious reasons, I felt obliged to at least acknowledge this hearing. That done, I’m OJed out.
Related commentaries:
O.J. Simpson…