O.J. Simpson looks older, thicker, grayer

O.J. Simpson appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom today hoping to win a new trial in his 2008 conviction for sports memorabilia robbery and kidnapping. Simpson, now 65, walked in shackled and in a blue prison outfit. He exchanged looks with family members in the audience but they were not allowed to communicate verbally, the LA Times says. Simpson, who is serving nine to 33 years in a Nevada prison, is expected to argue in testimony Wednesday that his lawyer had a conflict of interest and never informed him that a plea bargain was offered in the case. From Associated Press:

Simpson later conferred with his lawyers and listened intently to testimony from his daughter Arnelle Simpson and other witnesses.

Simpson, now more than four years into a minimum nine-year prison term, will be in court all week to claim that he had poor legal representation in the trial involving the gunpoint robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers in 2007 in a Las Vegas hotel room.

Simpson’s drab appearance contrasted with the fancy clothing he wore during his acquittal in his historic, high-profile 1995 murder trial in Los Angeles. The suit he wore then is now part of the Newseum collection in Washington, D.C.

The courtroom on Monday was partly empty, and an overflow room with closed-circuit hookups wasn’t needed.