DRAMA AT SIMPSON TRIAL
O.J. SIMPSON’s robbery and kidnapping trial descended into chaos on Thursday (25Sep08) when an alleged victim dismissed a main piece of evidence, and stated he did not want to press charges against the former American footballer.
Alfred Beardsley is one of two memorabilia collectors Simpson and a group of other men are accused of robbing in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2007.
But when called to give evidence against the 61-year-old on Thursday, Beardsley told the Las Vegas court, "I do not want to be here, I’ve made that clear for the past year. I have been going round and round the past year trying to get my name off of that complaint." And when asked to authenticate a tape recording of the alleged heist, Beardsley accused Simpson’s former friend Thomas Riccio - who handed the tape to the police - of editing it to remove chunks of dialogue.
Beardsley - currently serving a prison sentence for domestic violence - told the court, "I’m not authenticating it, considering the source. I can’t authenticate it." He did testify that Simpson and five men burst into his room at the Palace Station Hotel, when he was expecting to meet a wealthy buyer. He also confirmed two of the men were armed.
In his defence, Simpson claims he was retrieving stolen memorabilia and did not know the two men had guns.
He is facing twelve robbery and kidnapping charges and faces a life sentence if convicted. The trial continues.
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
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