OJ witness 'talked to God'
2008-09-25 09:57
Las Vegas - A former defendant in the OJ Simpson kidnapping and armed robbery case testified on Wednesday that he decided to take a plea deal and accuse Simpson in court after God answered his prayers with a revelation telling him to do the right thing.
Walter "Goldie" Alexander, who meticulously recounted events surrounding the September 13, 2007, Las Vegas hotel room confrontation, said Simpson told him and another friend to carry guns when they went to take back allegedly stolen memorabilia from dealers Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong.
"He said, 'Just bring guns so they know we mean business," Alexander said.
Alexander, the first witness to admit carrying a weapon into the Palace Station Casino hotel room, faced a pounding cross-examination by Simpson's lawyer, Yale Galanter, which led him to complain that maybe he should not have taken a deal and remained a defendant.
"Then I would not have to say anything, and I would not have to be badgered by this man," Alexander said.
Judge Jackie Glass told jurors to disregard the remark, but Alexander and Galanter continued to clash. The judge warned Galanter to back off after he leaned toward Alexander with a transcript and asked him whether he had tried to "shake down" Simpson's friend Thomas Scotto.
"Can you get away from me? I don't like the way you smell," Alexander snapped.
'Call OJ. He needs your help'
Glass told the defence lawyer to keep his distance from witnesses and tone down his attacks.
Simpson, a former golfing buddy of Alexander's, has said he saw no guns in the hotel room and did not ask anyone to bring weapons.
Alexander, 47, and Simpson were in Las Vegas for Scotto's wedding. Alexander said that when he arrived, Clarence "CJ" Stewart, who was acting as the wedding planner, told him to contact Simpson.
"He said, 'Call OJ. He needs your help,"' Alexander said, implicating Stewart - Simpson's only remaining co-defendant - in the hotel room plan for the first time.
Alexander said he and a friend, Michael "Spencer" McClinton, met with Simpson, who told them he was going to try to reclaim some items stolen from him.
"He said, 'Do you think you can get some heat?"' Alexander said.
"My friend, Spencer, spoke up and said, 'No problem. I got plenty of heat. I'm licensed to carry a gun,"' Alexander said.
Chaotic scene
He said Simpson told them to bring the guns but not take them out.
Alexander said McClinton gave him a .22-calibre pistol that he carried in his waistband while the other man carried a larger gun.
He described a chaotic scene inside the room, with Simpson yelling at the memorabilia dealers, McClinton waving the gun and telling everyone to freeze, and Stewart frisking everyone. At one point, he said, Simpson told McClinton to put down the gun.
Alexander said he quickly realised he was in trouble.
"I was involved in an armed robbery. It wasn't what it was, but that's how it was going to look to the public," he said.
Later he said Simpson told him: "Just say there's no guns, and there won't be any trouble."
He said Simpson also joked, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, unless you're OJ Simpson," and advised him to get out of town.
Revelation
After Alexander was arrested at the airport, he said prosecutors offered him a deal to testify for reduced charges. After accepting, he said he tried to back out because he heard that another witness had been given immunity from prosecution and he wanted that, too.
Asked why he finally accepted the plea deal, he said, "I prayed on the matter and I had a revelation that I did something wrong, and the Bible told me I should go tell the truth."
Galanter asked whether God had spoken to him, and he said yes.
"So you needed divine intervention to take the deal?" asked the lawyer.
"I sure did," Alexander said.
Later, Glass ruled that Alexander could not keep a Bible with him in the witness box. She also told defence lawyers they could not question him about whether he told authorities he was a real estate agent.
Galanter argued it was important to show that Alexander lied, because he allegedly made a living as a pimp, but the judge wouldn't allow it.
Simpson and Stewart have pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, including kidnapping, armed robbery, coercion and assault with a deadly weapon. They face prison if convicted.
- AP