CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — O.J. Simpson won a small victory Wednesday in his bid for freedom as Nevada granted him parole on some of his 2008 convictions for kidnapping and armed robbery involving the holdup of two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas hotel room.
But the decision doesn't mean Simpson will be leaving prison anytime soon. The former NFL star was convicted on multiple charges and still faces at least four more years behind bars on sentences that were ordered to run consecutively.
The Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners released its decision in favor of Simpson's parole request Wednesday. Commissioners noted Simpson's "positive institutional record" and his participating in programs addressing "behavior that led to incarceration."
"We expected it," Patricia Palm, one of Simpson's current lawyers, told The Associated Press shortly after the order was issued. "There is no reason not to grant him parole. I'm glad they did what they should have done."
Palm said Simpson called from prison to let her know of the board's decision.