Only one person, a 26-year-old man, has bee

LAS VEGAS -- More than four years after the world last heard from O.J. Simpson in court, one of the nations most famous prisoners spoke again Wednesday in a bid to win freedom from a sentence that could keep him behind bars until he dies. Simpson took the stand to testify about his legal representation by attorney Yale Galanter in the case involving a strange hotel room confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers that led to a robbery-kidnap conviction. Under questioning by his co-counsel, Patricia Palm, Simpson began discussing his background with Galanter. "Yale had a good relationship with the media," Simpson said. "I was in the media a lot. He was able to refute many of the tabloid stories," Simpson said with a laugh. "He sort of liked doing it; he told me he did." The 65-year-old former football star and actor, now with short greying hair, receding hairline and dressed in drab prison blue scrubs, spoke clearly and confidently as he also recounted events leading up to the confrontation in a hotel room where the dealers had Simpson footballs and family photos. He became a bit emotional as he talked about the items. In 2008, he was near tears as he told a judge: "I didnt mean to steal anything from anybody. ... Im sorry. Im sorry for all of it." There is no jury in the hearing and his fate will be determined by Clark County District Judge Linda Marie Bell. Unlike previous days of the hearing, the courtroom was full, with Tracy Baker, daughter of Simpson sister Shirley Baker, Charles Durio, husband of Simpsons deceased sister, Carmelita, in the second row. Also on hand was Tom Scotto, a Simpson friend from Miami whose wedding brought Simpson to Las Vegas. A marshal turned people away, sending more than 15 people to an overflow room where video was streamed live. When he went to trial in 2008, Simpson did not testify -- a decision that one of his lawyers said was pushed upon him by Galanter. With 19 points raised to support reversal in the writ of habeas corpus, Simpson was expected to answer many questions from his lawyers and then undergo cross-examination by an attorney for the state who wants to keep him in prison. Simpson is serving nine to 33 years in prison for his conviction on armed robbery, kidnapping and other charges. Simpson has said, and was likely to repeat, that he never saw any guns. Earlier, attorney Gabriel Grasso was Simpsons star witness, the Las Vegas lawyer who joined the case when his old friend, Galanter, called and said, "Hey, Gabe, want to be famous?" He said he soon realized he would be doing most of the behind-the-scenes work while Galanter made the decisions. "I could advise O.J. all day long, and he was very respectful of me," Grasso told the court. "But if I advised him of something different from what Yale said, he would do what Yale said." It was Galanters decision not to have Simpson testify, Grasso said. Under questioning from H. Leon Simon, attorney for the state, Grasso acknowledged the trial judge, Jackie Glass, specifically asked Simpson if he wanted to testify and he said no. "Mr. Galanter told him, This is the way its going to be," Grasso said, adding he would have put him on the stand. He said Simpsons confidence in Galanter was born of the acquittal he gained for Simpson in a road rage case in Florida five years after his 1995 acquittal on murder charges in the stabbing deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Galanter is now the focus of Simpsons motion claiming ineffective assistance of counsel and conflict of interest. He has declined to comment until he takes the stand Friday. There are questions of money, too. Grasso accused Galanter of lining his own pockets while telling him they were "operating on a shoestring" and couldnt afford to hire expert witnesses. Simpsons business attorney, Leroy "Skip" Taft, testified by phone Tuesday that he kept getting big bills from Galanter but no explanation of what costs were eating up hundreds of thousands of dollars. Witness after witness spoke of a proposed plea bargain that Galanter turned down on Simpsons behalf but no one was sure the defendant knew about it. There were rumours that Galanter gave his blessings to Simpsons plan to show up at the hotel room and reclaim his memorabilia, which two dealers were trying to peddle. Retired Clark County District Attorney David Roger, who prosecuted Simpson, was asked whether investigators determined if Galanter helped Simpson plan the hotel room confrontation. "He said he did not advise Mr. Simpson to commit armed robbery," Roger said. "And he said he wasnt there?" asked Simpson attorney Ozzie Fumo. "Yes," Roger replied. Others have testified that Galanter was in Las Vegas and had dinner with Simpson the night before. The other prosecutor, Chris Owens, testified about discovering phone calls between the two but hiding that fact from the judge. He identified at least 10 calls in the days preceding and on Sept. 13, 2007. Both prosecutors described an agreement with the Simpson defence that was read to the jury saying there were no calls. "So you stipulated to events that werent true?" Fumo asked Owens. "It was in the form of a legal construct," Owens replied and said the judge encouraged it because she didnt want to confuse the jury with another issue. This is Simpsons last chance under state law to prove that he was wrongly convicted. A federal court appeal is still possible. Al-Farouq Aminu Jersey . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. 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B.C.s Criminal Justice Branch says that so far, police have recommended charges against a total of 325 people and that charges were not approved against 40 of them. To date, 149 people suspected of participating in the riot have entered guilty pleas and 102 of them have received sentences ranging from discharges to more than a year in jail. Only one person, a 26-year-old man, has been convicted after onliine video footage showed him using a street barricade to smash a storefront window during a rampage in the June 2011 riot.dddddddddddd Trials are currently scheduled for 15 people accused in the riot that saw people setting cars on fire, smashing windows and looting stores after the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins. In March, the B.C. Court of Appeal rejected a bid by the Crown to get tougher sentences for two men -- one of whom was handed a 60-day jail sentence and 18 months probation and while the other received a 90-day sentence to be served on weekends. 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