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Chicago Lawyer: O.J. Simpson Parole Likely, Justified

(CBS) -- A parole hearing scheduled for Thursday will determine if O.J. Simpson can walk out of a Nevada prison later this year, and a Chicago-based attorney is hoping that will happen.

Andrew Stoltmann with Stoltmann Law Offices in Chicago understands that many don't want to see the 70-year-old walk free, but he has some trouble with why.

"I think most people do think that he murdered two people in 1994," Stoltmann tells WBBM. "Most people think he should have been jailed for killing those two people in 1994. Unfortunately for those people, O.J. Simpson was not convicted of that crime."

Stoltmann believes granting Simpson parole for a release in October is the right thing to do, and something the former athlete and actor has earned.

"He has led various units in the prison in terms of other inmates, he has led a prayer group. He has truly been the model prisoner."

Stoltmann says the events of 1994 should not come into play during the hearing.

"If I was a betting man, I would say there's probably an 80 percent chance that O.J. gets granted parole and he gets released in October," Stoltmann says. "But given the strong feelings that some people have against him, there's certainly a chance he won't be granted parole, but I think it's a small chance."

Simpson was sentenced to between 9 and 33 years in prison back in 2008 for his involvement in a robbery at a Las Vegas hotel.

In 1995, he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.

 

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