Celebrity News September 20, 2007
O.J. Flies to Florida, Appears 'Relaxed' on Flight
O.J. Simpson has left Las Vegas and flown to his Florida home hours after a judge granted him $125,000 bail.
With his girlfriend Christine Prody by his side, Simpson arrived in Fort Lauderdale just after midnight.
The Associated Press reports that Simpson smiled and nodded as passengers took photos of him on the flight to Florida.
A reporter from the New York Post, who was on the same U.S. Air flight as Simpson, says that Simpson appeared “relaxed” and not the least stressed – and that he watched the movie “Ocean's 13” between naps!
Simpson, 60, is facing 11 charges, including 10 felonies stemming from an alleged Las Vegas hotel break-in. Among the charges are assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, conspiracy and kidnapping. The two counts of first-degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon could bring a life sentence if he's convicted.
Simpson's attorney said yesterday that he will plead not guilty to all the charges at an arraignment scheduled for the week of October 22.
Four other men have been accused of entering the hotel room and pointing guns at two men – Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong – as they allegedly ordered them around and took sports memorabilia that Simpson claimed was his. The men also allegedly took Fromong's cell phone as well as Beardsley's hat and sunglasses.
The kidnapping charge stems from Simpson and the four defendants – Walter Alexander, Clarence Stewart, Michael McClinton and Charles Cashmore – allegedly using a deadly weapon to hold the men against their will.
Beardsley is considered a key witness in the case and was arrested yesterday on a previous fugitive warrant. The other witness, Fromong, is in critical condition at an L.A. hospital after suffering a heart attack in the days following the incident.