Simpson accuser in Las Vegas robbery now on O.J.'s side
Alfred Beardsley, one of the men accusing O.J. Simpson of armed robbery, now claims that he is on Simpson's side and wants the case dropped. Beardsley, a former real-estate agent and Simpson memorabilia collector from Burbank, California, has cited health problems and said that he is unwilling to travel to Las Vegas to testify. After the robbery, he told police that Simpson and several other men broke into a hotel room at Palace Station and stole several memorabilia items at gunpoint.
Simpson denied that weapons were involved and claims he was retrieving items which were stolen from him. Although he was named a suspect in the robbery, no arrests have been made and no weapon has been retrieved. Police are still trying to determine what took place in the room before Simpson and his companions left with the items and are currently reviewing hotel surveillance tapes.
Another sports collector who was in the room, Bruce Fromong, has not indicated that he wants the charges dropped.
Simpson told the Associated Press on Saturday that he did not consider calling the police because he says they have been unresponsive to his requests for help since the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1994. Although acquitted of the murders in 1995, he was liable for the deaths in a civil case in 1997. The judge in that case awarded a civil judgment of $33.5 million to the Goldman family.
Among the memorabilia were several personal items of Simpson's, including photographs of his first wife and the suit he was wearing when he was acquitted of murder.
Fromong said that he considered Simpson a close friend and testified for his defense during the 1997 wrongful death trial. Beardsley had collected Simpson memorabilia for years and has spoken with him about the incident. He told celebrity gossip website TMZ.com that Simpson apologized and regretted the incident. Although he confirmed that the two spoke on the phone, Simpson denies being friends with either man.
"None of these guys are friends of mine," Simpson declared on Saturday.
On Saturday, Simpson's book, "If I Did It: The Confessions of the Killer," was the number one seller on Amazon.com. However, Simpson will not profit from the sales; after failing to secure a deal to publish the book, a federal judge awarded the rights to the Goldman family.
Comments
I almost think OJ had a right to get his things back IF they were truly stolen from him. however, being the thug he is, he could easily have notified LVPD , gone to meet them at the hotel and let them sort it out.
Posted by: Suzan Pulsifer | September 17, 2007 04:34 PM
Blatant racism.... they are trying to lynch a black man again.
Posted by: trem | September 18, 2007 07:46 PM