LAS VEGAS (CN) - Attorney Yale Galanter gave O.J. Simpson bad advice that landed the football star in prison for robbery and kidnapping, Simpson testified Wednesday in his bid to have the convictions thrown out.
Simpson testified in Clark County Court that Galanter never told him about a possible plea deal that could have meant less prison time than the 9 to 33 years he got when he and some friends confronted a pair of sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2007. Simpson claims he was simply retrieving his own items.
"It was my stuff. I followed what I thought was the law," a graying and heavier Simpson testified. "My lawyer told me I couldn't break into a guy's room. I didn't break into anybody's room. I didn't try to muscle the guys. The guys had my stuff, even though they claimed they didn't steal it."
Simpson claims that Galanter told him he would not be breaking the law if he took back his possessions, so long as it was nonviolent and there was no trespassing. That led him to believe he could not be convicted, Simpson said.
Simpson did not testify during his 2008 trial.
On Wednesday he answered "yes" when asked if he would have testified had he known he could be convicted based on the evidence.
Galanter is expected to take the stand today or tomorrow.
Simpson's fate will be determined by District Judge Linda Marie Bell.
Simpson was acquitted in Los Angeles in 1995 in the stabbing deaths of his ex-wife and her friend.
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