Editor’s Note:

O.J. Simpson is on trial for robbery and kidnapping charges nearly a year after police arrested him in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prosecutors say Simpson and five other men stormed into a Las Vegas hotel room last September 13 to recover sports memorabilia that Simpson said belonged to him. They say at least two men with Simpson had guns as they robbed two sports memorabilia dealers. The following dispatches come from our Paul Vercammen covering the trial.

——————————————————————————–

Paul Vercammen
CNN Senior Producer

7:55a PT

O.J. Simpson entered the courthouse in Las Vegas Friday for what’s expected to be an all out attack on him from the witness stand.

The prosecution in the Simpson armed robbery and kidnapping trial is looking for one of its final witnesses, gunman Michael “Spencer” McClintion, to blast away at the celebrity defendant.

Witnesses in the case say McClinton pulled a gun and threatened victims in the alleged armed robbery at the Palace Station Hotel.

The prosecution is looking for McClinton to testify he was simply following a plan laid out by Simpson.

The defense has maintained Simpson knew nothing about guns and had no control over McClinton heard swearing and screaming and during the secret audio recording of the incident.

When Simpson arrived at the courthouse Friday, he said “all is sad in Mudville, mighty USC struck out.”

Simpson was alluding to his alma mater’s stunning loss Thursday night to Oregon State in a nationally televised college football game.

Editor’s Note:

O.J. Simpson is on trial for robbery and kidnapping charges nearly a year after police arrested him in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prosecutors say Simpson and five other men stormed into a Las Vegas hotel room last September 13 to recover sports memorabilia that Simpson said belonged to him. They say at least two men with Simpson had guns as they robbed two sports memorabilia dealers. The following dispatches come from our Paul Vercammen covering the trial.

——————————————————————————–

Paul Vercammen
CNN Senior Producer

4:15p PT

Alfred Beardsley called his arch enemy Tom Riccio a con man, a rat and a knucklehead and that was just for starters.
   
What the defense team hopes is more damaging, the afternoon witness called into question the authenticity of a secret recording Riccio made during the alleged O.J. Simpson armed robbery in Las Vegas.
   
“It’s a work of art,” Bearsley testified.
    
Beardsley said he could not authenticate the recording and implied it was doctored.
    
“Mr. Riccio’s conduct immediately after was suspicious,” Bearsley testified.
   
“He took a recording with him back to L.A where they have nothing but production houses that can change or alter the recording to his liking.”     

Beardsley is suing Riccio in civil court and has testified Riccio has counter sued.

Riccio has called Beardsley criminally insane and has said he burned him in a prior business dealing.

Bearsley is currently imprisoned on a parole violation that his lawyer says stems from him trying to contact Riccio through a third party.

Beardsley stated he did not want to testify in the Simpson armed robbery trial.

He added that Simpson was targeted by Riccio.

Beardsley said he is not a victim.

Editor’s Note:

O.J. Simpson is on trial for robbery and kidnapping charges nearly a year after police arrested him in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prosecutors say Simpson and five other men stormed into a Las Vegas hotel room last September 13 to recover sports memorabilia that Simpson said belonged to him. They say at least two men with Simpson had guns as they robbed two sports memorabilia dealers. The following dispatches come from our Paul Vercammen covering the trial.

——————————————————————————–

Former O.J. Simpson agent Mike Gilbert points to Simpson as he testifies during Simpson's trial.

Paul Vercammen
CNN Senior Producer

Former O.J. Simpson agent Mike Gilbert testified briefly Thursday that he was given sports memorabilia by the ex football star.

Judge Jackie Glass limited Gilbert’s testimony to extremely narrow discourse about receiving footballs and related material linked to Simpson allegedlly masterminding an armed robbery last year.

But outside the courtroom, Gilbert sounded off.

“This (Simpson) is a really bad guy who has lived down to the lowest expectations of America.”
Gilbert went on to say that Simpson was given a second chance in life by being acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, but did nothing with the opprtunity.

“Everything from drug use to the way he talks to his kids,” Gilbert said leaving the courthouse.
Gilbert also said he was not concerned with his limited testimony Thursday in the current robbery case, but is “more concerned that the State of Nevada get a fair trial.”

Editor’s Note:

O.J. Simpson is on trial for robbery and kidnapping charges nearly a year after police arrested him in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prosecutors say Simpson and five other men stormed into a Las Vegas hotel room last September 13 to recover sports memorabilia that Simpson said belonged to him. They say at least two men with Simpson had guns as they robbed two sports memorabilia dealers. The following dispatches come from our Paul Vercammen covering the trial.

——————————————————————————–

Paul Vercammen
CNN Senior Producer

10:54AM PT

A middle-aged man was ejected from the courtroom in the O.J. Simpson armed robbery and kidnapping trial after he took a step toward the witness stand.

Courtroom Marshals said the man in the gallery walked up and said I have a question.

While being escorted in handcuffs to the elevator, the man said “yes, I realize now I crossed the line.”

He is the second person in the gallery ejected from the courtroom since the trial began.

On deck to testify is Simpson’s former manager, Mike Gilbert. Gilbert has dealt in Simpson memorabilia and his name has come up occasionally in testimony.

Simpson and Gilbert have had a falling out. Gilbert wrote the damning book, “How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder: The Shocking Inside Story of Violence, Loyalty, Regret and Remorse.”

In the book, Gilbert alleged that a a groggy Simpson, high on marijuana, confessed to killing his ex-wife after he was acquitted. He also claims that he helped his former friend wiggle out of the murder charges by suggesting how to bloat his hands so they wouldn’t fit the notorious bloody gloves.

None of this will come in at the trial, though, because Judge Jackie Glass has not be allowing testimony about Simpson’s previous criminal and civil trials at the armed robbery trial.

Editor’s Note:

O.J. Simpson is on trial for robbery and kidnapping charges nearly a year after police arrested him in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prosecutors say Simpson and five other men stormed into a Las Vegas hotel room last September 13 to recover sports memorabilia that Simpson said belonged to him. They say at least two men with Simpson had guns as they robbed two sports memorabilia dealers. The following dispatches come from our Paul Vercammen covering the trial.

——————————————————————————–

Paul Vercammen
CNN Senior Producer

O.J. Simpson ambled into the Clark County Regional Justice Center, cup of coffee in hand, for what could be another bruising day of testimony.

Charles Cashmore, a minor character in the alleged armed robbery and kidnapping, will finish testifying this morning

But waiting their turn in the trial, two potentially explosive witnesses, Michael McClinton and Alfred Beardsley.

Several players in the case have testified McClinton pointed a gun at sports memorabilia dealers during the Palace Station Hotel Room sting.

Beardsley is one of the alleged victims, but says Simpson is innocent.

Alfred Bearsley is sitting in the Clark County Detention Center waiting to walk across the street to testify in the O.J. Simpson robbery and kidnapping trial.

Beardsley considers himself to be a friend Simpson’s despite being an alleged victim in a complex case.

“Al wants to help Simpson,” his lawyer Jack Neil Swickard told CNN.

“And he thinks his testimony will help O.J.”

But the prosecution is going to call Beardsley and bring up the fact that the Simpson fan and memorabilia collector told police right after the incident — “we just got robbed by O.J. Simpson.”

Keep reading

Editor’s Note:

O.J. Simpson is on trial for robbery and kidnapping charges nearly a year after police arrested him in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prosecutors say Simpson and five other men stormed into a Las Vegas hotel room last September 13 to recover sports memorabilia that Simpson said belonged to him. They say at least two men with Simpson had guns as they robbed two sports memorabilia dealers. The following dispatches come from our Paul Vercammen covering the trial.

——————————————————————————–

Paul Vercammen
CNN Senior Producer

5:12PM PT

The 13th prosecution witness testified Wednesday afternoon in the O.J. Simpson armed robbery and kidnapping case and spun more tales of guns being present at the incident.

Charles Cashmore, one of four men to make a plea deal in the case, testified he saw two men in the Simpson entourage had guns during the sting at the Palace Station Hotel.

Cashmore will resume testifying tomorrow morning.

Next up on the stand is expected to be either Michael McClinton or imprisoned Alfred Bearsley.

McClinton, according to testimony, pointed a gun at the alleged victims’ heads during the incident.

McClinton made a plea deal with the prosecution.

Bearsley is the Simpson collector who told police he was robbed by O.J. Simpson but now says he is not a victim.

Bearsley was thrown into a California prison on a parole violation.

Editor’s Note:

O.J. Simpson is on trial for robbery and kidnapping charges nearly a year after police arrested him in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prosecutors say Simpson and five other men stormed into a Las Vegas hotel room last September 13 to recover sports memorabilia that Simpson said belonged to him. They say at least two men with Simpson had guns as they robbed two sports memorabilia dealers. The following dispatches come from our Paul Vercammen covering the trial.

——————————————————————————–
Prosecution witness, Walter Alexander, says he “truly believes now” that he and O.J. Simpson were participating in a robbery.

Did he really ask him to back away? did he really say “because you smell?”

Check out the video below of Walter Alexander on the witness stand:

Editor’s Note:

O.J. Simpson is on trial for robbery and kidnapping charges nearly a year after police arrested him in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prosecutors say Simpson and five other men stormed into a Las Vegas hotel room last September 13 to recover sports memorabilia that Simpson said belonged to him. They say at least two men with Simpson had guns as they robbed two sports memorabilia dealers. The following dispatches come from our Paul Vercammen covering the trial.

——————————————————————————–

O.J. Simpson's attorney Yale Galanter speaks during Simpson's trial in Las Vegas, Wednesday.

Paul Vercammen
CNN Senior Producer

3:30PM PT

O.J. Simpson’s defense attorney unleashed a scorching cross examination of prosecution witness Walter Alexander, but was unable to delve into questions about possible unsavory business activity.

Simpson attorney Yale Galanter says Alexander made money as a pimp.

Judge Jackie Glass did not allow the Simpson defense to pursue the alleged pimp angle.

In a heated exchange, when Galanter was grilling him about previous testimony, Alexander told the Simpson lawyer to “back away from me.”

Galanter tried to show the jury Alexander was once facing 11 criminal counts in the case, but has thus far spent just 12 hours in jail in exchange for his cooperation.

Earlier in the day, Alexander said Simpson tried to cover up that he and another former co-defendant in the armed robbery trial brought guns to the sports memorabilia sting.