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Vote on Sidewalk Cafes Expected

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You may soon be seeing more outdoor, sidewalk cafes and restaurants in San Diego. The city council will vote on proposed changes that would make Al fresco dining cheaper for restaurants. NBC 7's Megan Tevrizian reports.

Ice-Age Bison Fossil Found in San Diego

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An ice-age fossil found recently in San Diego's North County was revealed Monday at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

A complete skull of a Bison latifron was found at a highway construction site on State Route 76 East Project near Pala Mesa.

“We thought there might be ice-age fossils there,” said Tom Demere, Curator of Paleontology at the San Diego Natural History Museum. “We didn’t even think we might find bison.”

Museum experts say it’s the first-ever fossilized bison found in Southern California. The bison is estimated to be roughly 100,000 to 200,000 years old.

The animal was an evolutionary cousin of the living plains bison standing 8-feet at the shoulders compared to the modern bison that may be 5 to 6-feet tall.

The fossil was really well preserved with both horn cores Demere said.

"We’ve know that Bison latifrons lived in the Southern California region but we’ve never been able to look at the skeleton as complete as this one is," he said.

In February 2009, construction crews in downtown’s East Village stumbled upon the tusk and skull of a mammoth believed to be 500,000 years old.

Those fossils were discovered at 11th and Island Avenues, at the construction site for the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Days later, that same construction site gave up another prehistoric find when excavators discovered the skeleton of a whale beneath the mammoth fossils.

Toddlers' Mother Lied to Protect Friend: Officials

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Investigators are searching for the man who fled after dropping off two critically-injured children at a La Mesa fire station Monday.

In the meantime, there are still questions about why the children’s mother risked their lives to help protect that friend.

A one-year-old girl has died and her 2-year-old brother was still hospitalized Monday night after both were found unconscious in a swimming pool.

Initially, deputies were looking for clues at the Lamplighter Village mobile home park in Spring Valley.

That was not where the two children were injured though. Investigators say the victim's mother lied to protect a friend.

The toddlers' mother was staying at a friend's home on Sunset Avenue near the base of Mount Helix. At around 9:45 a.m., she awakened and realized she couldn't find her children.

The two toddlers were then found unresponsive in a back yard pool officials said.

Instead of calling 911, the mother and a friend put the children in a pickup truck and decided to drive to a nearby hospital.

She and her friend drove the children to La Mesa Fire Station 13 approximately 15 minutes away. Paramedics treated the children and transported them and the mother to Grossmont Hospital.

Investigators are stilling looking for the pickup driver who disappeared from the firehouse on foot.

The children's mother later told investigators she lied to protect her friend from getting in trouble for failing to enclose the pool. That may not be the whole truth either.

Investigators arrested one man and confiscated thousands of dollars in unprocessed marijuana and all the equipment used in the sophisticated growing operation from the Sunset Avenue home.

The home is a rental and worth over a million dollars however investigators described it more like a greenhouse inside.

Neighbor Carmen Young walks her dog Spike daily and said she has always been suspicious of the house.

“It's really, really closed up all the time. The bushes are too high. It's not kept up like the rest of the homes here,” Young said.

At last check San Diego sheriff's investigators say the two-year-old boy survived the trip to Rady Children's Hospital but his condition is unknown.

WATCH: Holder Discusses AP Subpoena Investigation

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Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at the Justice Department in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. The U.S. government accused Standard & Poor's of inflating ratings on mortgage investments to boost its bottom line, taking aim at a key player in the run-up to the financial crisis. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WATCH: White House Press Briefing

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White House spokesman Jay Carney holds a Washington, D.C., press briefing.



Photo Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Firefighters Rescue Soot-Covered Man Stuck in Chimney

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Fire-rescue crews pulled a soot-covered man to safety early Tuesday, locating the 911 caller in a chimney after he initially told a dispatcher he fell in a hole at a Sylmar park.

The "hole" was actually the brick chimney stack atop the Sylmar Recreation Center at  Astoria Street and Borden Avenue. An urban search and rescue team -- trained in confined-space operations such as building collapses and trench rescues -- was called in after Los Angeles firefighters located the man in a search similar to a game of "Hot and Cold."

"The firefighters had to go around sounding their horns and sirens, and the individual would say 'close' or 'far' until they were able to locate him," said Capt. Ron Klamecki, of Urban Search and Rescue Team No. 88.

After inspecting the chimney from inside the building, crews on the roof lowered a rope designed so the man could secure it to his wrists in the confined space.

"He was able to put around his wrists, and we pulled him up," said Klamecki.

A firefighter assisted the man down from the roof on a ladder. The individual was in custody on suspicion of trespassing early Tuesday.
 



Photo Credit: Newsreel

Charges Filed in Newtown School Shooting Fundraising Scam

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A grand jury in New York has indicted a 37-year-old Bronx woman accused of pretending to be a family member of a young child killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School last December and soliciting donations.

On Tuesday, the grand jury indicted Nouel Alba on one count each of scheme to defraud in the first degree and identity theft in the second degree, according to the Office of the Bronx District Attorney.

Alba was arrested at her residence on Tuesday morning after a five-month long investigation that began based on information that she was the subject of reports on CNN, according to the Office of the Bronx District Attorney.

Officials said Alba posted information on Facebook right after the Newtown, Conn., school shootings in which she falsely claimed to be an aunt of the deceased 6-year-old victim Noah Pozner, solicited donations to help pay for his funeral expenses and included instructions that the donations be sent to a specific Paypal account.

Days after the shooting, one of Pozner’s family members met with NBC’s Jeff Rossen and said Alba was not related to them.

When investigators learned that Alba was not related to the Pozners, the investigation began.

Investigators from the Office of the Bronx District Attorney and the United States Secret Service executed a search warrant at her residence recovered her computer.

Between December 14 and 20, 2012, four donations totaling $240 were sent to Alba’s Paypal account, according to officials.

Alba denied to Rossen sending any message through Facebook, claimed that someone else posted it and said she refunded the money.

A federal indictment also charges Alba with making false statements to the federal government about the alleged scam.

Alba was arraigned on Tuesday and bail was set at $10,000 bond or $1,000 cash.
 

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Photo Credit: Today Show

Deputies Rescue Hikers Lost Near Potrero

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Two hikers who said they were lost after hiking all night were rescued out of the East County Tuesday.

San Diego County sheriff’s deputies located the hikers near Potrero and State Route 94.

Deputies said the hikers called and asked for help around 6:30 a.m. after they became confused about their location.

They told deputies they had hiked for approximately 18 miles and had been moving all night.

The heat felt around the county was present in the area where the hikers were lost.

NBC 7’s meteorologist Jodi Kodesh said the area recorded anywhere from 98 to 100 degrees Monday afternoon. Temperatures dropped to a low of 53 degrees overnight and jumped back up to the low 80s by 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Ed. Note: An earlier version of this article showed images and video of a helicopter rescue. We now know that the person airlifted was a Chula Vista-based U.S. Border Patrol agent.

The agent was on patrol in Copper Canyon when he lost his footing and fell 15 feet down the canyon.

He suffered injuries to his wrist, leg and head. 

The image of the rescue is posted to the right.

We regret the error.


Attorney: OJ Simpson's Defense Operated "on Shoestring"

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A former OJ Simpson defense attorney testified that he wanted to put the former NFL Hall of Fame running back on the stand during a trial that ended with his conviction on robbery and kidnapping charges stemming from a 2007 hotel room raid in Las Vegas.

Timeline: OJ Simpson in Court

But attorney Gabriel Grasso told the court that it was another defense attorney, Yale Galanter, who was obsessed with cutting expenses to the detriment of Simpson's defense during the 2008 trial. During his first day of testimony Monday, Grasso said Galanter "controlled the purse strings."

"I was under the impression that we were operating on a shoestring," Grasso said Tuesday. "There were no experts to be had. We didn't have any money to hire experts."

The court proceeding called a writ of habeas corpus examines how Galanter handled the trial that led to Simpson's robbery and kidnapping conviction. Attorneys for the former USC Trojan are arguing this week in a Las Vegas courtroom that Simpson's conviction should be tossed.

The money spent on Simpson's defense was not Grasso's only criticism of Galanter.

"I had the distinct feeling that OJ had to testify in this case," Grasso said. "That was our only shot."

Simpson is expected to testify later this week, possibly Wednesday. He wants a new trial because he says his longtime lawyer Galanter failed to disclose that he knew about the hotel room raid in advance, told Simpson it was legal and provided bad advice at trial.

"If it really did happen, I would hope that OJ gets a new trial," said attorney Eric Brent Bryson, who represented one of Simpson's co-defendants. "If not, I would really feel sorry for Mr. Galanter getting drug through the mud like this."

Simpson, in prison since his conviction about four years ago, appeared in court wearing blue prison clothes and shackles. Simpson was allowed to have one hand uncuffed Tuesday, allowing him to take drinks of water and write notes on a legal pad.

The 65-year-old former Heisman trophy winner appeared weary as he listened to attorneys argue over issues that could determine whether he spends the remainder of his life in prison. He has already served four years in prison, but must serve nine of the maximum 33-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Simpson's daughter Arnelle and Grasso were among the first witnesses to testify in the proceeding.

Simpson's attorneys must prove that his trial lawyers botched the 2008 trial, stemming from a confrontation at the Palace Station hotel. Simpson has claimed he was not aware two of the five men with him brought guns during the caper, which involved sports memorabilia dealers who Simpson thought had personal belongings he lost following his acquittal in 1995 in the slaying of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

Crowds at the courthouse Monday morning were small, unlike the 1995 murder trial in Los Angeles and the 2008 robbery and kidnapping trials.

The new challenge follows the Nevada Supreme Court's denial of Simpson's 2010 appeal, also handled by Galanter. Simpson's new attorney filed the writ of habeas corpus in May 2012, seeking her client's release from prison and reversal of the conviction.

As for the sports memorabilia that was the subject of the hotel room raid, the items were delivered to Simpson's civil case attorney.

Man, 75, Ran Prostitution Ring in NJ Senior Complex: Cops

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A 75-year-old resident of a New Jersey senior citizen housing complex is suspected of running a prostitution ring that employed some elderly residents as sex workers, NBC 4 New York has learned.
 
The suspect, James Parham, 75, was also accused, along with Cheryl Chaney, 66, of allowing residents and visitors to use crack in their apartments, police said.
 
Both are charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a nuisance, and Chaney is also charged with possession of crack cocaine.
 
In Parham's case, the nuisance charge relates to allowing prostitution in his apartment and in Chaney's case, it relates to allowing drug use in hers.
 
Englewood Police Chief Arthur O'Keefe told NBC 4 New York on Tuesday that Parham ran the prostitution ring through his apartments, and employed a mix of young women and older residents. 
 
None of the alleged prostitutes were arrested.
 
O'Keefe says there was also sex and drug use going on in common areas of the complex, and that some seniors were afraid to venture into certain areas because they were afraid for their lives.
 
Richard Allaway, a resident, says he and others were aware of "a lot of nonsense going on."
 
A lack of security in the building is believed to have contributed to the problem.
 
Kevin Thomas, who has loved ones living in the complex, said he couldn't understand why older people were turning to crime.
 
"Why they wait so late in life to start doing stuff they should have did years ago, or shouldn't have touched period, why do you wait this late?" he said.
 
Information about attorneys for the suspects was not immediately available.


Photo Credit: NBC 4 New York/Englewood, N.J. Police

Students Carry Pepper Spray Following Attacks

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San Diego State University and San Diego police are warning students in the College Area about another attempted abduction near campus.They're hoping a composite sketch will help identify the suspect. NBC 7's Nicole Gonzales talks with students about the third reported attempt in the past month.

Authorities ID Bones of NJ Teen Who Went Missing in 1972

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For 40 years, Ron Soden and his sisters have been haunted by a painful family mystery: their 16-year-old brother's disappearance from a New Jersey orphanage.

With each year that passed without finding Steven Soden, their expectations faded — but never entirely.

"We always had hopes that we'd somehow find him alive," Ron Soden, 73, told NBC 4 New York Tuesday from his home in Tacoma, Wash. "In this day and age, it's so much easier to find someone over the Internet."

They also had to be realistic. That is why, when Soden saw on the news last year that Illinois authorities were looking for help identifying the remains of several possible victims of 1970s serial killer John Wayne Gacy, he dialed the hotline. It was just a hunch.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office arranged for Soden and his sisters to give DNA samples, which would be sent to a lab to see if their genetic material matched those taken from the remains.

The results came back: no hit.

But the search didn't end there. A Cook County detective enlisted an investigator from the New Jersey State Police, who went through old missing persons files. The lab, at the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, ran the DNA samples through a national database.

In March, Soden got another call. Finally, the mystery, at least part of it, had been solved.

It turned out that the siblings' DNA matched a different set of remains, bones found in 2000 by an off-duty New Jersey trooper walking in Bass River State Park — not far from the campground where, in April 1972, Steven Soden had traveled with a group from his Paterson-based orphanage. Steven and a friend bolted from the group and were never seen again.

Arthur J. Eisenberg, co-director of the Center for Human Identification, said the only reason his lab matched the DNA was that New Jersey had sent samples of the bones years earlier for placement into the national system.

"That's the power of this testing," he said. "Once you get the samples into the system, who knows who can be identified."

Ron Soden and his sisters struggled with the news of the identification made 40 years after their brother's disappearance. Steven was now officially dead, and they still have no idea how his life ended.

"You always hope for the best," he said. "But when you finally get an answer, a partial answer…" He trailed off.

"It's sad," he continued. "The sense of him being so young, and the way it happened, and where it was. He probably ran away because he thought nobody cared about him. It's just not a good story."

The Soden children grew up in a small apartment in Paterson, a struggling factory town on the Passaic River, Ron Soden said. They shared the same mother but had different fathers. Ron was 15 years older than Steven and left for the Army while Steven was still young. Steven's dad died, and their mother met another man.

Some time after that, Steven and one of his sisters ended up in an orphanage. Their mother never said why, and the other siblings didn't ask. "Things were just not good back there," Ron Soden said.

Ron Soden and his wife began the process of arranging to bring Steven and his sister to live with them in Washington state. Then Steven disappeared. Their mother died several years ago without revealing anything more.

Now that they know their brother is long gone—and they have to decide what to do with his remains—the Soden siblings are having a hard time adjusting. The tragedy of Steven's life weighs on them.

Ron Soden was the only one who felt strong enough to speak publicly.

He decided to do so, he said, to encourage other families of missing children to keep looking.

"Maybe it will give hope to some other families," Ron Soden said. "Maybe they still have a chance of getting answers. If there's any chance that it will help someone else, I'll talk about it."

In Illinois, meanwhile, authorities are still trying to identify the remains of the suspected Gacy victims. And New Jersey authorities are seeking information about the friend who disappeared with Steven Soden four decades ago.

His name is Donald Caldwell. Anyone with something to share is urged to call 1-800-THE-LOST.

Thief Blames Zombies for Crash

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A driver who stole a big rig truck and crashed it on Interstate 15 near Temecula says the "walking dead" made him crash. NBC 7’s Catherine Garcia reports.

Chargers' Chuck Muncie Dies

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Former San Diego Chargers running back, Chuck Muncie, has died at the age of 60.

Harry Vance “Chuck” Muncie died Monday evening of a heart attack according to a statement from the family.

His daughter, Danielle Ward, said Muncie was a great man, a loving father and doting grandfather to three.

"His work with at-risk youth, the Boys and Girls Clubs and his foundation were the things that really made him shine," Ward added.

The Chargers posted images of Muncie on to their Twitter account  saying, "Very sad news of the passing of former Chargers RB Chuck Muncie. Our thoughts are with the whole Muncie family." 

The star of the New Orleans Saints was traded to the Chargers in 1980. NBC Sports reports the he was even better in San Diego than he had been in New Orleans.

 

In 1989, Muncie was sentenced to 18 months in prison for selling cocaine but later turned his life around and worked with others struggling with addiction and young people facing the pressure to join street gangs.

Former San Diego Charger and NBC 7’s Sports Director Jim Laslavic played with Muncie and said he was one of the veterans he always looked forward to seeing when Bolts got together.

Muncie made such a remarkable turnaround, Laslavic said he once asked him what prompted him to change his life for good. Watch video

Sports radio talk show host Steve Adler had this to say about the Chargers running back, “Sad to hear Chuck Muncie passed. The few times I met him, he was a very humble man.”

The running back's former wife Robyn Hood said the former NFL star changed the lives of hundreds of kids.

"His most impressive work was done in the second chapter of his life where he lived his life with great transparency. His life became that of an open book. He simply wanted others to learn from his mistakes," Hood said in the family's statement.

Former COO of the Chargers Jim Steeg posted this update to Twitter Tuesday, “Lost a good friend, great player & person who used his struggles to help others straighten out their lives, RIP Chuck Muncie.”

The family asked that those looking to honor Muncie's memory support their local Boys and Girls Club or any other youth related program.

Muncie was a member of the 1975 Pac 8 Championship Golden Bears.

"We were Florida State and Miami of our era, without all the hype and the self-promotion," Muncie once said of his teammates. "We had so many guys performing at such a high level, nobody was concerned about their individual statistics. It's not like that anymore. That was a special football team." 



Photo Credit: AP

Maryland Bar's Hand Stamp Sparks Controversy

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A hand stamp used by a bar in College Park, Md., was pulled after students protested that it condoned sexual assault.

The stamp applied by front door security at the popular Barking Dog Restaurant and Pub on Route 1 read “Shut up and take it.” Facebook images of the stamp touched off a controversy and a petition drive.

Josh Rather, of the Student Government Association, said the issue went beyond a hand stamp. The university community realizes that more student-involved sexual assaults -- many of them alcohol-fueled -- occur off campus rather than on campus.

The university recently amended its code of conduct to include assaults that occur off campus.

The Barking Dog's owner said that when he learned of the hand stamp he immediately terminated its use, had a talk with his employees about the seriousness of the matter and offered to host a sexual assault awareness fundraiser.

The Barking Dog has been widely credited with improving a property that had been cited frequently for alcohol violations over the years.


Body Found in Fiesta Island

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A body was found in Fiesta Island on Tuesday night, according to officials.

Police said a person called and reported a body inside a vehicle around 5:40 p.m. Officials arrived to the scene and confirmed the person had died.

Lifeguards and fire officials also responded to the scene. 

Police at the scene said the death appears to be from natural causes. 



Photo Credit: NBC

Staff Slams Trustee Over Twerking Comments

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The scandal surrounding a controversial “twerking” video that led to the suspensions of more than 30 Scripps Ranch High School students just will not go away.

NBC 7: Students Suspended Over Twerking Video

The San Diego Unified school board met Tuesday in closed session. Parents of Scripps Ranch High School students were waiting to speak at an open session scheduled this afternoon.

NBC 7 San Diego has obtained a letter addressed to San Diego Unified School Trustee Kevin Beiser and the school board from the counselors and counseling staff at SRHS demanding that Beiser retract his recent criticism over how administrators handled the punishment.

“When you voiced your opinion against the school the parents and students felt vindicated, further encouraging them to continue the fight, which has now gained negative global attention,” the memo states.

The link to the controversial video has gone viral with websites all over the world covering the April 30 suspensions for the 31 students involved.

The memo was sent from the email account of Jane Morrill according to Beiser.

Morrill is listed on the Scripps Ranch HS website as Head Counselor for A - Br and Field Hockey Coach. Her bio states she has been a school counselor for 21 years.

The memo goes on to describe the staff as having compromised and damaged reputations and says if the board rescinds the punishment handed to the students involved, students will get the message that they don’t have to follow rules.

To add fuel to the fire, the statement on school letterhead describes the moves on the video clip as “p-ssy poppin” and includes the Urban Dictionary definition of the phrase.

Read Entire Memo Here

The author maintains administrators followed proper procedure under district policy and feel their actions will teach those responsible a lesson as well as their classmates.

Beiser believes the memo was the act of one person on the staff. He said the local newspaper report that quoted him as saying the girls involved were just moving their hips didn't include the reasons he found the video appalling.

He also pointed out that he has been supportive of the school in the past.

Scripps Ranch High School suspended 31 students for two school days. Their ages ranged from freshmen to seniors.

Because of the school’s special rules regarding senior activities, some of those suspended were also banned from attending prom or walking at graduation.

On Monday night the San Diego Unified School District said they cannot overturn the suspensions, because they said it is not their purview. District officials said California code makes it so that only the principal can overturn the decision.

Man Arrested for Suspected Animal Abuse

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A man in Spring Valley was arrested on Monday for allegedly beating a dog to death, according to animal services.

Charles Dudley, 69, has been accused of beating a 2-year-old miniature pinscher dog in his backyard home on the 3500-block of Bentley Drive.

Animal Control officers were called to the scene yesterday night when a neighbor called saying he witnessed Dudley striking the dog. When officers arrived at the scene they found an 8-pound female miniature pinscher injured, according to animal services.

The dog was rushed to the emergency veterinary hospital, but succumbed to its injuries.

Dudley was arrested later than night on one count of felony animal cruelty. Animal services said Dudley admitted to the crime and allegedly hit the dog because it dug up a tree he had just planted.

“Basically this dog lost her life because she didn’t intuitively know the newly-planted tree was off limits,” said Animal Services Director Dawn Danielson in a statement. “She paid dearly for doing what dogs naturally do. We cannot thank the person enough who spoke up regarding this horrific case and we encourage everyone to report cases of animal abuse.”

Dudley faces a fine up to $20,000, time in state prison, or both, according to animal services.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Police Conduct Undercover Massage Parlor Sweep

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Two people were arrested after law enforcement officials conducted a sweep of four massage parlors in La Mesa last week.

Officials arrested Xiaoyan Cao, 43, at Mesa Spa, in the 8000 block of La Mesa Boulevard and Ivy Lihui Sun, 41, at Transcend Spa, in the 7900 block of University Avenue on May 9. Authorities said both suspects are believed to be Chinese nationals.

Multiple law enforcement agencies teamed up for the operation, including La Mesa police, San Diego Sheriff’s Department and the FBI. Officials said the purpose of the operation was to identify criminal activity in the area, including prostitution. Police said previous undercover operations had been conducted at these businesses, leading to last week’s investigation.

Victim assistance services will be provided to anyone identified as a subject of human trafficking, according to police.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

WATCH: OJ Simpson Testifies at Las Vegas Hearing

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O.J. Simpson is testifying Wednesday in court -- something that one of his former defense attorneys said he should have done four years ago to avoid a sentence that might keep him in prison for the rest of his life

Simpson will testify Wednesday about events surrounding the 2007 Las Vegas hotel room raid that led to a robbery and kidnapping conviction. The former NFL Hall of Fame running back did not testify during the trial -- a move that one of his trial attorneys characterized Tuesday as a major mistake by his legal counsel.

That testimony came from attorney Gabriel Grasso as part of a hearing in which Simpson is attempting to prove that he did not receive adequate legal representation from lead attorney Yale Galanter during the 2008 trial. Simpson wants a new trial because he says his longtime lawyer Galanter failed to disclose that he knew about the hotel room raid in advance, told Simpson it was legal and provided bad advice at trial.

The sports memorabilia dealer in the hotel room during the raid told NBC4 he believes Simpson was a "pawn." Bruce Fromong said one of the men pointed a gun to his head and told him he would be shot if he did not cooperate.

"OJ was stupid that night," said Fromong. "In many ways, OJ Simpson was a pawn just as I was."

It's likely Simpson, 65, will repeat his assertion that he was not aware two of the men who accompanied him on a mission to retrieve sports memorabilia at the Palace Station hotel had guns. The former USC Trojans star and Heisman trophy winner said the items went missing after his acquittal in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

A judge eventually ruled that the items should be delivered to Simpson's civil case attorney.

The new challenge follows the Nevada Supreme Court's denial of Simpson's 2010 appeal, also handled by Galanter. Simpson's new attorney filed the writ of habeas corpus in May 2012, seeking her client's release from prison and reversal of the conviction.

He has already served four years in prison, but must serve nine of the maximum 33-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Galanter drew criticism Tuesday from a Grasso, who said he was contacted to work on the robbery-kidnap case.

"I was under the impression that we were operating on a shoestring," Grasso said Tuesday. "There were no experts to be had. We didn't have any money to hire experts."

He also told the court he thought Simpson should have testified at trial.

"I had the distinct feeling that OJ had to testify in this case," Grasso said. "That was our only shot."

Crowds at the courthouse have been small, unlike the 1995 murder trial in Los Angeles and the 2008 robbery and kidnapping trials. Simpson has appeared in court in blue prison clothes and shackles, although the judge Tuesday allowed him to uncuff his right hand so he could take notes during testimony.

Four Simpson co-defendants pleaded guilty to felonies and testified for the prosecution. A fifth defendant, Clarence "C.J.'' Stewart, was convicted and served more than two years in prison before the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that Simpson's fame tainted Stewart's conviction.
 

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