O.J. Simpson is now a free man. The 70-year-old former professional football player was released from Lovelock Correctional Institute today after serving a nine-year sentence there. Lovelock is located in Pershing County in the state of Nevada and holds approximately 1,680 inmates. Simpson left the correctional facility in the middle of the night in hopes of not creating a media frenzy.
Robbery gone wrong put Simpson behind bars
In October of 2008, O.J. Simpson was convicted of felony robbery charges, as well as kidnapping and assault charges. There was a total of 12 charges that he was convicted of, and a judge sentenced him to 33 years for the crimes.
Simpson was released early after serving the minimum sentence of nine years.
The crimes that Simpson was convicted of took place in Las Vegas in September of 2007. During the botched robbery, O.J. entered into a Vegas hotel room and where two men were staying and took off with some of their sports memorabilia. There were other men that assisted Simpson with the crimes, and some of them admitted to being under the influence when the robbery took place. Some of the accomplices were carrying weapons on them. O.J. said that he believed some of the memorabilia items belonged to him and he wanted them back.
Parole granted in July
On July 20 of this year, O.J. went in front of the Nevada parole board.
The parole board was made up of a four-person panel, and they voted unanimously to grant Simpson parole. O.J. was able to address the panel, and he told them that he has been a model inmate. He also told the panel that he regrets what he did that night in Las Vegas.
During the hearing, Simpson spoke about some of the courses he was taking in prison.
One of the classes taught him some verbal conflict resolution strategies and another was a computer class. Simpson's 48-year-old daughter, Arnelle, read a statement during the hearing and told the panel that she just wants her father to come home.
It is not known where Simpson was going once he exited Lovelock. He had mentioned in the past that he may want to move to Florida.
A spokesperson for the Nevada Department of Corrections said that she has no information on Simpson's intended destination.
Simpson has four children. His two youngest children, Sydney who is 31-years-old, and Justin who is 28, reside in Florida, so it is very likely that O.J. will make his way there to spend some time with them.
