A Judge ordered Simpson to be held without bail. He's being held in a small cell. His arraignment was set for Wednesday, with a bail hearing to be held after that.
Apparently part of the "break in" is on audiotape! The tape was made by Thomas Riccio, co-owner of the auction house Universal Rarities. He's the guy who set up the meeting with the guys who were auctioning off the OJ memorabilia. He's also the one who secretly invited OJ to show up. But he didn't expect OJ to show up with armed thugs. On the 38-second tape Simpson can be heard repeatedly yelling, "Don't let nobody out of here." The tape is laced with profanity. Simpson shouts, "Think you can steal my s--- and sell it?".
Bruce Fromong, one of the collectors in the hotel room said this morning on Good Morning America, "The door burst open and they came in almost commando style, O.J. Simpson and some of his people, I guess you would call it, with guns drawn. O.J. at that time was saying, 'I want my stuff. I want my stuff.'" Fromong added, "The thing in my mind as soon as I saw him, I'm thinking, 'O.J., how can you be this dumb? You're in enough trouble.'" As for the items that were taken from the room, Fromong said that they likely belonged to Simpson at one point, “but these were things that belonged to him a long time ago.”
Simpson has said he was accompanied by men he met at a wedding cocktail party, and that they took the collectibles. Some of those men have since been described as his "golfing buddies".
Apparently some of the items taken never belonged to Simpson. The thugs who accompanied Simpson removed a number of items that seem to have no connection to Simpson, such as Joe Montana cleats. At least two of the men were armed with guns. Two guns have been recovered thus far. Apparently Simpson did not carry a gun, and he claims he never saw any guns.
Police acknowledge a dispute over who owned the items that were stolen from the room, but say in either case, the manner in which the items were removed from the room breaks the law. OJ will also face charges of armed robbery with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to commit a crime and burglary with a firearm, regardless of whether or not he himself had a weapon, because his accomplices were armed.
"We believe it is an extremely defensible case based on conflicting witness statements, flip-flopping by witnesses and witnesses making deals with the government to flip," Simpson's lawyer said Sunday. Personally I suspect that part of OJ's legal defense will be that he was totally unaware that his "friends" were armed, and in no way intended that the items be stolen. In other words, he'll try to blame it on his friends in hopes of getting off scot-free.
Walter Alexander, 46, of Mesa, Ariz., was arrested Saturday night on the same charges as Simpson. Alexander, who was described as one of Simpson's golfing buddies, was released without bail Saturday night.
Police are seeking four other men: Las Vegas residents Clarence Stewart, 53, and Michael McClinton, 49; Tom Scotto, of unknown age and hometown, and another man who was not identified.
Ron Goldman, the father of one of Simpson's murder victims, appeared on The Early Show" this morning. "How wonderful," he said. "A lot of years too late, however. I would have much preferred him found guilty of Ron and Nicole's death and then put either to death or in jail then. But frankly to see him ultimately or potentially go to jail - that's great."
Simpson is escorted Sunday to Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas where he is being held without bail.
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