Simpson One Hand Free In Court, Hey, It’s A Start [Video]

O.J. Simpson has one hand free in this week’s hearings where he is appearing all week in a Las Vegas courtroom to fight for a retrial in his conviction for a robbery in hotel room at the Palace Station Casino.

As I previously reported for The Inquisitr, the 65-year-old Simpson, with the help of attorney Patricia Palm, is presenting Clark County District Court Judge Linda Bell with 19 different motions. Most of the “Hail Mary” last-chance case for freedom will rest on their argument that his former attorney Yale Galanter provided inadequate or even dangerous representation.

After four years in prison, O.J. Simpson is grayer and chubbier than the man we knew. He arrived in court on Monday morning in shackles, cuffs, and jailhouse blues.

However, on Tuesday morning, the judges agreed to allow an officer to uncuff Simpson’s right hand so that he could more easily take notes and drink water.

Simpson, who didn’t testify in his own defense in the original trial for robbery and kidnapping, still hasn’t spoken. He is currently serving a nine to 33 year sentence for the 2008 conviction and won’t be eligible for parole until he’s 70.

And he’s blaming Yale Galanter for making multiple mistakes in the original trial.

Yale Galanter’s co-counsel, Gabriel Grasso, testified Tuesday that Simpson was extremely dependent on Galanter and would do whatever he advised. And it was Galanter’s decision that Simpson not testify in his own behalf — advice that Simpson now feels is wrong.

According to court documents, Simpson will likely also claim that it was Yale Galanter who told him that it was legal for him to visit the hotel room at Palace Station to reclaim his own memorabilia from the sports dealers who were selling it there.

The trouble is that Simpson tried to reclaim the items with guns, goons, and f-bombs — and the whole sorry saga was caught on audiotape, causing a jury to find him guilty of felony robbery and kidnapping.

You can get a look at the grayer, heavier Simpson here:

Simpson filed a writ of habeas corpus in order to win this week’s hearings. It’s his final chance to overturn his conviction. And it’s a long shot to work.

For now, only Simpson’s right hand is free.

[1990s era O.J. Simpson photo by Gerald Johnson via Wikimedia Commons]