Legal analyst Mari Henderson joins LawNewz to discuss the latest legal headlines, including the Frank Bybee trial out of Florida and OJ Simpson's release next week from prison.
Bybee faces 18 charges, including attempted murder, for allegedly befriending and exploiting an 80-year-old woman before trying to force pills down her throat and smother her. In day three of the prosecution's case in chief, the victim's doctor testified that she had attempted suicide before meeting the defendant, and that he received a letter after she met the defendant where she again tried to kill herself. In a coup for the prosecution, they were able to prove through a computer forensic expert that the email sent to the victim's doctor was actually traced back to the defendant's IP address, and prosecutors argue that he wrote the email so that she could be committed as he continued to spend her money.
Meanwhile, OJ Simpson is set to be released from prison as early as Monday. Once released, a parole board will have to approve any request to move out of Nevada. Simpson likely will look to relocate to Florida because his children with Nicole Brown are there, a fact the parole board will take into consideration. The big question is who will land the first post-prison interview with Simpson and what deals he will get after his release.
However, Simpson still owes a massive monetary judgment to the Goldman family stemming from a civil verdict finding him liable for Ron Goldman's death more than twenty years ago. The verdict was for $33 million, which, with inflation, has now ballooned to close to $100 million. Simpson's pension fund from the NFL cannot be collected as part of the judgment, and Simpson is expected to receive approximately $25,000 a month from that fund, as well as a pension with the Screen Actors Guild. According to the Goldmans, Simpson has barely made a dent in the judgment he owes, paying off about 1% of what's owed. Their attorney has said he's paid in the six digits. As a result, Simpson's next moves outside of prison will not only be watched closely by his parole officer, and by the media at large, but also by the attorney looking to collect for the Goldman family.