Former U.S. football star O.J. Simpson was on Thursday granted parole after spending nine years in prison for a botched armed robbery of his own sports memorabilia in a Las Vegas hotel room.
Simpson apologised for his crime during his parole hearing and asked a Nevada state parole board to set him free after almost a decade in prison.
The 70-year-old Simpson, acquitted in a sensational double-murder trial that gripped America two decades ago, appeared before the board by live video feed from Lovelock Correctional Center, about 100 miles (161 km) from the parole board’s office in Carson City.
“I’m sorry it happened… I thought I was glad to get my stuff back but it just wasn’t worth it. Nine years away from your family is just, just not worth it and I’m sorry,” he said during a hearing that lasted for more than an hour and 15 minutes.
He was joined by supporters including his daughter, sister and one of his robbery victims. The board, which normally takes days to render a decision, had said it would take about 30 minutes to deliberate and would announce its ruling on the same day in light of the high-profile nature of Simpson’s case.
