It was heard that the former All-American hero and football star kidnapped two sports memorabilia dealers and robbed them at gunpoint in Las Vegas on September 13 last year. The prosecuter, District Attorney David Roger, also accused Simpson of leading a conspiracy and told the court that the men whom accompanied Simpson had next-to-little interest with the memorabilia in the room, suggesting that OJ had further plans.

OJ and his ‘forgotten’ co-defendant Stewart were both found guilty of all 12 charges, these were two counts of first degree kidnapping, two counts of armed robbery, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of coercion with a deadly weapon, burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit a crime, kidnapping and robbery.

Sucks to be you OJ :)

Last week, I held an anti abduction workshop for the Columbia community, teaching children what to do if approached by a stranger.  I covered topics including body language, using your eyes, power of your voice, use of passwords and techniques to use if a stranger tried to take them away. 

The world can be a dangerous place and it's important that we make our children aware of the threat without making them scared.  There are some basic tips to share with your children: 

A.  Teach your child to run away from danger, never towards it.  Danger is anyone or anything that invades their personal space.

 B. Teach them to yell loudly.  Their safety is more important than being polite. 

C.  Teach your children that if they are ever followed by a car to turn around and run the other direction to you or a trusted adult.

 Listed below is a more complete list of safety tips for you and your child to learn to help keep them safe.  At Samurai Karate Studio, we are dedicated to helping the lives of all our students and we treat stranger danger very seriously in our children's classes. 

1. Teach your child to run away from danger, never towards it.  Danger is anyone or anything that invades their personal space. Teach them to yell loudly.  Their safety is more important than being polite.  Teach your children that if they are ever followed by a car to turn around and run the other direction to you or a trusted adult.
2. Never let your children go places alone. And always supervise your young children or make sure there is a trusted adult present to supervise them if you cannot.  Make sure your older children always take a friend when they go somewhere.
3. At all times know where and who your children are with.  Remind children never to take anything or respond in any way if approached by someone they do not know.  Teach them to run as quickly as they can to you or a trusted adult.
4. Talk openly to your children about safety and encourage them to tell you or a trusted adult if anyone or anything makes them feel frightened, confused, or uncomfortable.  Discuss security issues with your children so they will understand the need for precautions. Advise your older children about steps they can take to help safeguard them. Know your children’s friends and their families. Pay attention to your children and listen to them.  If you do not, there is always some one else who will.
5. Practice what you teach by creating “what if” scenarios with your children to make sure they understand the safety message and can use it in a real situation.
6. Consider installing an alarm system in your home with a monitoring feature. Make sure your home is secured with deadbolt locks, and ensure that landscaping around it does not provide places for people to hide.  Check other access points, such as gates, and make sure that your home is fully secured before you go to sleep, and items such as; ladders have been stored inside.  Prepare a plan to vacate your home in case of any emergency. This should include but is not limited to a fire. Have a plan if an intruder tries or gets into your home.
7. Make your children part of securing your home.  If you have installed an alarm system, demonstrate it to your children and show them how to make certain that doors and windows are locked.  This will not only help calm their fears but will also help make them part of your “safety plan” at home.
8. Have a list of family members who could be contacted in case of an emergency.
9. Be alert to and aware of your surroundings.  Know the “escape routes” and plan what you would do in different emergencies.  Practice “what if” scenarios, so you will be well prepared.  Know the location of local hospitals and best routes to reach them. Know how to reach the nearest local law enforcement agency.
10. Know your employees and coworkers.  Do background screening and reference checks on everyone who works at home, particularly those individuals who care for your children. Their knowledge of your family is extensive so make sure that you have an equivalent understanding of who they are
11. Consider varying your daily routines and habits. Do not take the same routes or go at the same time on your regular errands. If you take your children to school change the route as well.
12. Take steps to secure personal information about yourself. Consider getting post office box and a safety deposit box. Have your personal bills sent to your place of work or post office box. Be discreet about your possessions and family’s personal habits and information.
13. Report any suspicious persons or activities to law enforcement. If you feel that you or your children have been targeted or are being stalked, report this information to law enforcement authorities immediately. Do not wait.
14. Remember that you are your best resource for better safeguarding your family. Do not become    complacent about personal issues.
15. Amber Alert internet site-www.codeamber.org

If you would like more information about our programs, please contact me, Sensei Feldt at 803-462-9425 or email me at samuraikarate@bellsouth.net.  Or you may visit my website at www.samuraikaratestudio.net.

Samurai Karate Studio is located at 2000 Clemson Road, Suite # 9, Columbia, SC 29229.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds defended his accusations of Obama terrorist ties by stating today:

"Americans need to ask themselves if they've ever befriended an unrepentant terrorist, or had a convicted felon help them buy their house -- because those aren't smears, those are true facts about Barack Obama."

Actually Tucker they are smears, as well as false and misleading.

See the CNN fact check story below to see for yourself.

But hey Tucker? Since we are discussing associations with felons, what about:

Robert Asher - PA Republican and convicted felon. Convicted of public corruption charges and a member of the McCain campaign. That's a fact Tucker.

Raffaello Follieri- convicted con man. Posed as Vatican CFO in order to dupe the wealthy and influential. McCain spent his 70th birthday with him. Check out the link below the video for the full story in the Nation magazine. That's a fact Tucker.

Oh, and let's not forget Charles Keating of the Savings and Loan scandals of the 1980's.

You remember that one Tucker?  - www.keatingeconomics.com

The one where Senator John McCain (who was one of the Keating Five) was admonished by the Senate Ethics committee for using his "poor judement" in that scandal. He didn't understand finances back then and he still doesn't.   

And how about John McCain taking donations from, and appearing on, the radio talk show of G. Gordon Liddy? Remember him?

Liddy is an unrepentant felon from years as a dirty tricks agent for Richard Nixon. He has plotted murders and kidnappings of American's and is a convicted felon, yet McCain has appeared regularly on his show during the presidential campaign and accepts donations to his campaign from Liddy.

They are very close. Much closer then Obama ever was to Ayers.

Liddy referred to McCain as an "old friend" when they saw each other last year and McCain said to Liddy "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family."

McCain went on to say "It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great."

Wow...never repentant...McCain supports his principles and philosophies...I'm almost speechless. Except for my surprise that McCain thinks its ok to pal around with him. That's a fact Tucker.

Come on Tucker, aren't you guys being a bit too hypocritical?????

Related articles:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080929/berman_ames

By KEN RITTER – 2 hours ago

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jurors had been told to ignore what they knew about O.J. Simpson's past, but for many observers, the line connecting the former NFL star's murder acquittal last decade and his new conviction for robbing memorabilia peddlers couldn't have been clearer.

The attorney for the family of Ronald Goldman — who was killed along with Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson in Los Angeles in 1994 — said he thought his hounding of Simpson for years to collect a $33.5 million wrongful death judgment pushed him to a desperate gambit to recover personal items he had lost.

"We drove him into that room to grab the sports memorabilia before we could seize the stuff," said David Cook, who represents Goldman's father, Fred. "Going to jail for beating Fred Goldman out of footballs and family mementos. Is this closure for Fred Goldman? No. Is this closure for America? Yes."

Simpson lawyer Yale Galanter said Saturday, the day after Simpson and Clarence "C.J." Stewart were convicted of all 12 charges against them in the hotel room confrontation, that the Las Vegas jury was "on an agenda" to make up for Simpson's murder acquittal. The two face up to life in prison.

"This was just payback," Galanter said.

"A lynching from the first second to the end," agreed Thomas Scotto, a close Simpson friend who testified and was overcome by emotion in the courtroom after the verdicts were read. "It's a total injustice."

Scotto later told reporters he would remain in Las Vegas to seek out witnesses and show they were forced into their testimony.

"I need these witnesses to come forward and start telling the truth," he said.

The case against Simpson was won the moment the jury was chosen, according to the consultant who helped prosecutors pick the panel.

"That was the best possible jury prosecutors could ever have," said Howard Varinsky, who drafted a questionnaire for the prosecution that formed the basis of a survey used to cull 12 jurors and six alternates from a pool of 500 prospects.

"I was surprised that we got all the counts," he said Saturday. "But it wasn't an accident that the jury wound up looking like that."

Whatever the jury was thinking, Fred Goldman praised the verdict.

"We're absolutely thrilled to see the potential that he could serve the rest of his life in jail where the scumbag belongs," he told CNN.

Brown Simpson's relatives said in a statement that they want to be left alone as they "work through many mixed emotions." They said they are primarily concerned about the children from the marriage, Sydney and Justin.

The jury that convicted Simpson consisted of three men and nine women, including one woman who identified herself as Hispanic, a court spokesman said. The jury contained no blacks, the race of both defendants.

Jurors declined interviews and avoided the media after the verdicts were read.

According to jury questionnaires released Saturday, five of the 12 jurors wrote that they disagreed with the 1995 verdict that cleared Simpson of murder. Most others claimed to be uncertain or did not answer the question.

Redacted versions of the questionnaires were made public by Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass after The Associated Press and Stephens Media LLC, owner of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, petitioned for their release.

Prosecutors have declined to comment throughout the trial.

Lawyers and jury analysts recalled that prosecutors succeeded in removing two black jurors from the final panel.

Varinsky insisted that Simpson and Stewart got fair trials, saying jurors answered several questions attesting to their ability to set aside their feelings about the Los Angeles case.

But he acknowledged the questions also reminded jurors about that case.

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch and writers Kathleen Hennessey in Las Vegas and Christina Hoag in Los Angeles contributed to this report. ]]> http://epicponyz.wordpress.com/?p=1717 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:59:11 +0000 epicponyz http://epicponyz.com/2008/10/05/owned-j-simpson/

Just 13 Years after being acquitted by a jury, OJ Simpson finds himself facing life in prison. On Friday, the verdict was read that literally floored people in the court room. On ALL 12 counts, OJ was found guilty, and seemed stoic to say the least. After the verdict was read, he was hauled away in handcuffs and straight to prison. The 61 Year old will likely face life in prison with his sentence hearing on December 5,2008. Well....What goes around, comes around.

Former professional football star O.J. Simpson has been found guilty on all charges relating to his armed robbery and kidnapping case in a Las Vegas court.  The 12 charges he and his co-defendant C.J. Stewart are facing could lead them to a sentence of life in prison.

The verdict came 13 years to the day Simpson was acquitted of double murder in the highly publicized case in Los Angeles.  This time around, it didn't turn out as fortunate.  Simpson showed little emotion before he was handcuffed and led away from the courtroom.  He now awaits a sentencing date on December 5 to find out whether or not he'll spend the rest of his life behind bars. 

The tumultuous case has been quite intriguing from the beginning.  First it involves the public figure O.J. Simpson and his disputed history.  Then you have a number of people involved rolling over, making deals and testifying against Simpson.  People are selling their accounts for six figures, victims are not really agreeing on Simpson's guilt and law enforcement officers are being called out of character.  Whether or not the victims, witnesses, deputies, or law and order system is "out to get" Simpson, this whole thing had to have been slanted from the start even if he was innocent. 

Not for nothin', but because many people are still feeling pretty raw about how his last trial ended up, there was no way he was going to get a fair trial.  Not saying that he's was innocent, that's not for me to decide, but if strong evidence showed his innocence I doubt it would have made a difference.  People were involved in this case to the degree they were involved in it because it was O.J. Simpson they were dealing with.  Some type of notoriety would be to gain for anyone involved.  I'll leave it to the sentencing to be proven right.  With O.J. technically being a first time offender, then he probably shouldn't get the max penalty.  His chances of fairness increase as the number of people's opinions decrease.

Click here for source.

O. J. Simpson, the former American Football star and actor, has been found guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery, 13 years to the day when he was acquitted by a Los Angeles jury of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
 
Simpson and his co-defendant Clarence Stewart were found guilty last night by a Las Vegas jury on all 12 counts.  They will be sentenced on December 5.
 
Simpson, 61, is facing the prospect of life imprisonment for a six-minute confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers last year at the Palace Station hotel and casino in downtown Las Vegas.
 
Simpson's attorneys pledged to appeal. His longtime lawyer, Yale Galanter, cited jury selection as one basis for a new trial. The defense has charged that prosecutors purposefully excluded African Americans.

"His only hope is the appellate process," Galanter said at a late-night news conference.

Although none of the 12 jurors was black, two of the six alternates were. The panel of nine women and three men deliberated more than 13 hours after listening to nearly three weeks of testimony. Their discussions had begun Friday morning.
 
Prosecutors painted Simpson as masterminding the alleged robbery of two sports collectibles dealers in a hotel room last year. The Hall of Fame running back, the prosecution contended, rounded up five cohorts, told two of them to bring guns and ordered one of the armed men to brandish his weapon and "look menacing."

Simpson and Stewart, 54, were charged with a dozen crimes, including armed robbery and kidnapping, which carries a potential life sentence. Four of their former codefendants agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges and testified for the prosecution.
 
Simpson, who did not take the stand, was here in September 2007 to take part in a friend's wedding. Simpson has said he and his associates were trying to retrieve stolen mementos from collectibles dealers Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley in the Palace Station hotel room.

"We may quibble with how it was done, what was done," said Simpson attorney Galanter in his closing argument. "You may all say he didn't use common sense. But the real issue is whether he had criminal intent to commit a crime."

Prosecutors, however, say the group stole up to $100,000 in footballs, plaques and baseballs at gunpoint from the dealers, who had been tricked into thinking they were meeting a wealthy buyer.

Simpson and his associates "thought they could spin it that, 'It's all OK; it was my stuff,' " said prosecutor Chris Owens in the state's final rebuttal. That mind-set, he said, showed the football icon's "arrogance."
 
Simpson, wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and gray tie, blew out his cheeks and nodded as the verdicts were read out.
 
The second he was convicted, the lights in Clark County District Court went out, the automatic timer is set to switch them off at 11 p.m.  They came back on after a few seconds.
 
Later, Simpson's hands were cuffed behind his back and he was led out of the court by a Clark County marshal.

[Based on reports by the Los Angeles Times and The Daily Telegraph.]

"Guilty!"

A panel of nine women and three men deliberated more than thirteen hours before rendering their decision.

Mr. Simpson, and his accomplice - Clarence Stewart - were convicted on twelve counts stemming from a much-publicized armed robbery and kidnapping incident which took place last year in Las Vegas (NV).

After the verdict was read, the Heisman Trophy winner was cuffed by a deputy and led away to await sentencing.

Although there were three weeks of testimony to sift over, insiders say it was a handful of secret audio recordings, that probably turned the screws on O. J. Simpson and his partner in crime, Clarence Stewart.

The tapes were damning, for sure.

The defense attorney's argument that the altercation - which took place in a hotel room in the gambling mecca in the desert oasis - was simply a botched attempt to recover memorabilia stolen from Mr. Simpson just didn't fly.

"You may all say he didn't use common sense. But the real issue is whether he had criminal intent to commit a crime," attorney Yale Galanter argued in closing statements.

The prosecutors, on the other hand, managed to convince the jury that the armed robbery was masterminded by Simpson who called upon five disreputable ruffians to carry out his nefarious plan.

The state established in the eyes of the jury that Simpson and his cohorts robbed the victims at gunpoint after they were tricked into thinking they were going to savor a windfall sale with a wealthy collector.

Chris Owens, the State prosecutor on the case, convincingly argued that "they thought they could spin it" because - after all - it was Simpson's stuff anyway.

The jury found differently.

O. J. maintained he never saw any guns during the shake-down - in spite of the fact witnesses testified at trial that they packed two revolvers that day - a .45 caliber Ruger and a .22 caliber Beretta - at Simpson's request.

But, it was probably a twenty-six minute encounter which was slyly taped after the ballsy robbery, that probably did the former NFL player in.

One of the gunman met with Simpson at a local restaurant after the robbery and was questioned as to whether he "pulled out the piece" in the hotel hallway.

Simpson was anxiety-stricken over the possibility that the overt act may have been captured on the Hotel's security cameras for future referenc.

Clearly, Simpson was trying to determine if there was any evidence on tape establishing the brandishing of guns, so he could tailor his defense accordingly.

During the course of the trial, friends and business associates turned against Simpson to protect their own hides.

In return for becoming state witnesses, four of the accused were permitted to plead guilty on lesser charges.

The counts of armed robbery and kidnapping against Simpson and Stewart carry potential life sentences.

I goofed! ]]> http://thebruceblog.wordpress.com/?p=2269 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:27:41 +0000 Bruce http://thebruceblog.de.wordpress.com/2008/10/04/oj-simpson-found-guilty-could-face-life-in-prison/ Simpson will get at least 7 years in prison. Conventional wisdom is predicting a minimum of 15.

O.J. Simpson Guilty of Armed Robbery & Kidnapping

Linda Deutsch/Huffington Post:

LAS VEGAS — Thirteen years to the day after being acquitted of killing his wife and her friend in Los Angeles, O.J. Simpson was found guilty of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room.

The 61-year-old former football star was convicted of all 12 counts late Friday after jurors deliberated for more than 13 hours. He released a heavy sigh as the charges were read and was immediately taken into custody.

Simpson, who went from American sports idol to celebrity-in-exile after his murder acquittal, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

His attorney said he would appeal.

Many people considered the four-week trial justice delayed. Simpson was cleared in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in one of the most sensational trials of the 20th century, but was later found liable for the deaths in a civil case.

"I don't like to use the word payback," defense attorney Yale Galanter said. "I can tell you from the beginning my biggest concern ... was whether or not the jury would be able to separate their very strong feelings about Mr. Simpson and judge him fairly and honestly."

The Hall of Fame football star was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges for gathering up five men a year ago and storming into a room at a hotel-casino, where the group seized several game balls, plaques and photos. Prosecutors said two of the men with him were armed; one of them said Simpson asked him to bring a gun.

Simpson's co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, 54, also was found guilty on all charges and taken into custody.

Jurors made no eye contact with the defendants as they entered the courtroom. They declined to answer questions after the verdict was read.

Galanter said his client had expected the outcome, and in a courthouse conversation with an Associated Press reporter on Thursday, Simpson had implied as much.

Simpson said he was "afraid that I won't get to go to my kids' college graduations after I managed to get them through college."

Galanter said it was not a happy day for anybody. "His only hope is the appellate process," he said.

Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said prosecutors would not comment until the case was "completely resolved."

Judge Jackie Glass made no comment other than to thank the jury for its service and to deny motions for the defendants to be released on bail.

She refused to give the lawyers extended time to file a motion for new trial, which under Nevada law must be filed within seven days. The attorneys said they needed time to submit a voluminous record.

"I've sat through the trial," Glass said. "If you want a motion for new trial, send me something."

Stewart's attorney, Brent Bryson, also promised to appeal.

"If there was ever a case that should have been severed in the history of jurisprudence, it's this case," he said of unsuccessful attempts to separate Stewart's case from Simpson's because of the "spillover" effect.

From the beginning, Simpson and his lawyers argued the incident was not a robbery, but an attempt to reclaim mementos that had been stolen from him. He said he did not ask anyone to bring a weapon and did not see any guns.

The defense portrayed Simpson as a victim of shady characters who wanted to make a buck off his famous name, and police officers who saw his arrest as an opportunity to "get" him and avenge his acquittal.

Prosecutors said Simpson's ownership of the memorabilia was irrelevant; it was still a crime to try to take things by force.

"When they went into that room and forced the victims to the far side of the room, pulling out guns and yelling, `Don't let anybody out of here!' _ six very large people detaining these two victims in the room with the intent to take property through force or violence from them _ that's kidnapping," prosecutor David Roger said.

Kidnapping is punishable by five years to life in prison. Armed robbery carries a mandatory sentence of at least two years behind bars, and could bring as much as 30. Sentencing was set for Dec. 5.

Simpson, who now lives in Miami, did not testify but was heard on a recording of the confrontation screaming that the dealers had stolen his property. "Don't let nobody out of this room," he declared and told the other men to scoop up his items, which included a photo of Simpson with former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

Four other men charged in the case struck plea bargains that saved them from potential prison sentences in return for their testimony. Some of them had criminal records or were otherwise compromised in some way. One, for example, was an alleged pimp who testified he had a revelation from God telling him to take a plea bargain.

Memorabilia dealer Thomas Riccio, who arranged and secretly recorded the hotel-room confrontation, said he netted $210,000 from the media for the tapes.

Similarly, minutes after the Sept. 13, 2007, incident, one of the alleged victims, sports-memorabilia dealer Alfred Beardsley, was calling news outlets, and the other, Bruce Fromong, spoke of getting "big money" from the case.

Simpson's past haunted the case. Las Vegas police officers were heard in the recordings chuckling over Simpson's misfortune and crowing that if Los Angeles couldn't "get" him, they would.

During jury selection, Simpson's lawyers expressed fears that people who believed he got away with murder might see this case as a chance to right a wrong.

As a result, an usually large pool of 500 potential jurors was called, and they were given a 26-page questionnaire. Half were almost instantly eliminated after expressing strong feelings that Simpson should have been convicted of murder.

The judge instructed the jurors to put aside Simpson's earlier case.

In closing arguments, Galanter acknowledged that what Simpson did to recover his memorabilia was not right. "But being stupid, and being frustrated is not being a criminal," he said.

He added: "This case has taken on a life of its own because of Mr. Simpson's involvement. You know that. I know that. Every cooperator, every person who had a gun, every person who had an ulterior motive, every person who signed a book deal, every person who got paid money, the police, the district attorney's office, is only interested in one thing: Mr. Simpson."

___

Associated Press writers Ken Ritter and Kathleen Hennessey contributed to this report.

Amazingly, that turned into a kidnapping charge! How is that even possible? Is a schoolteacher "kidnapping" children when she says, "Don't leave the room until the bell rings"? I think not. (To not leave anything out, a couple of the guys may have been brandishing guns when OJ made the statement but I don't really see how that matters.)

However, due to the gun thing, he was hit with armed robbery. First of all, it was his stuff! The fact that it was stolen (or maybe OJ sold some to have some golfing money) is irrelevent. OJ had every right to ask for his stuff back. And, besides, how in the world is OJ charged for "armed" robbery when he wasn't holding a gun? Anyway, everyone in the world knows that OJ is much more of a knife man when it comes to criminal endeavours.  

So now that he is convicted on these ridiculous charges who will scour the golf courses of the world to find the real killers? I think OJ was getting real, real close. He had so entered the mind of the killer that he wrote that book, "How If I did it". I am telling you, he had almost solved the crime.

Somewhere, Johnnie Cochran is rolling over in his grave. Sure it might be from laughter but that doesn't change the facts. The Po-Po have been after the Heisman Trophy winner for years and they finally got their man. I hope that they are happy with themselves. Who are they going to go after next? Michael Jackson? Notice how they are always going after the black man? (Or at least kind of black. Actually, more off-white in Mike's case). Next you will be hearing how Michael Vick is running a kitty fighting ring in jail. 

Don't worry OJ. You will be a huge celebrity in jail and get your pick of "girlfriends". Just remember, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit use more lubricant".

(Oh look. There go a bunch more readers never to return. Honestly, I just can't help myself).

O.J Simpson and co-defendant Clarence Stewart have been found guilty of all twelve charges stemming from a confrontation in a Las Vegas hotel room. He alleged he and his friends were only trying to recover his property from a former colleague. The charges included kidnapping, armed robbery, use of and assault with a deadly weapon, and could get him life in prison. The all-white three male, nine female jury deliberated 13 hours. He will be formally sentenced on December 5th.

They have been dying to lock OJ up since he was found not guilty (I actually believe that he was responsible for their deaths) of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman (RIP).

From the moment they selected an all white jury in this case it was over for OJ!

From the New York Times:

The items were in the possession of two memorabilia dealers, Bruce L. Fromong and Alfred Beardsley, who were led to believe a prospective buyer was coming to browse the goods. Instead, Mr. Simpson and his group burst into the room and, according to several witnesses, at least one gun was brandished.

The jury of nine women and three men mulled weeks of testimony as well as hours of surreptitious audio recordings of the planning and execution of the event by Thomas Riccio, a memorabilia auctioneer who arranged the confrontation.

Here is a timeline of the major events dating back to the death of Nicole Brown Simpson from Fox News:

June 12, 1994 -- O.J. Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman found dead in Los Angeles.

Oct. 3, 1995 -- Simpson acquitted of two counts of murder in Los Angeles.

February 1997 -- Simpson found liable for compensatory and punitive damages in wrongful death civil lawsuit; ordered to pay $33.5 million to Goldman, Nicole Brown Simpson estates.

July 1997 -- Bank claims Simpson's Brentwood mansion in foreclosure sale. Goldman family lawyers seek Simpson assets to satisfy civil judgment.

September 1997 -- Simpson moves out of Brentwood house.

Feb. 16, 1999 -- Simpson's Heisman Trophy, other memorabilia auctioned; bidder later sets them afire.

Oct. 24, 2001: Simpson cleared of all charges in a Florida case involving an alleged road-rage incident. He is represented by attorney Yale Galanter.

Nov. 20, 2006 -- Publisher cancels book, "If I Did It," amid controversy. Simpson calls ghostwritten book a fictional account of how he might have killed his ex-wife and her friend.

July 30, 2007 -- Federal bankruptcy judge in Miami awards the rights of Simpson's canceled "If I Did It" book to the Goldman family to satisfy wrongful death judgment.

August 2007 -- Simpson fan, memorabilia dealer Alfred Beardsley calls collectibles broker Thomas Riccio to arrange sale of Simpson items in Las Vegas.

Aug. 21, 2007 -- Riccio tells FBI that Simpson plans to confront a collector he believes is peddling stolen Simpson memorabilia; testifies the FBI told him it was a civil matter.

Sept. 12, 2007 -- Simpson arrives in Las Vegas for friend Tom Scotto's wedding.

Sept. 13, 2007 -- The Goldmans publish Simpson's book under the title: "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer."

Sept. 13, 2007 -- Simpson, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, Walter "Goldie" Alexander, Michael "Spencer" McClinton, Charles Ehrlich and Charles Cashmore confront memorabilia dealers Beardsley and Bruce Fromong in Riccio's room at Palace Station casino hotel. Riccio secretly records it. Beardsley, Fromong report an armed robbery.

Sept. 14, 2007 -- Simpson tells The Associated Press no guns were involved and some of the items taken had been stolen from.

Sept. 15, 2007 -- Police arrest Alexander at McCarran International Airport. Simpson attends Scotto's wedding in Las Vegas.

Sept. 16, 2007 -- Simpson arrested at The Palms.

Sept. 17, 2007 -- Stewart surrenders to police, turns over items taken from hotel room. Fromong hospitalized in Los Angeles after suffering heart attack.

Sept. 18, 2007 -- McClinton surrenders to police. Simpson, McClinton, Stewart, Alexander charged with nine felonies, including kidnapping.

Sept. 19, 2007 -- Simpson freed on $125,000 bail, returns home to Miami. Beardsley arrested on California parole violation. Cashmore surrenders to police.

Sept. 21, 2007 -- Ehrlich turns himself in at court.

Oct. 15, 2007 -- Cashmore, Alexander take plea deals, agree to testify against Simpson.

Oct. 29, 2007 -- McClinton takes plea deal, agrees to testify against Simpson.

Nov. 14, 2007 -- Las Vegas judge binds Simpson, Stewart, Ehrlich over for trial in state court on 12 charges, including kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery. Alexander depicts Simpson as mastermind of scheme to recover possessions. McClinton testifies he brought two guns, wielded one, gave another to Alexander. Cashmore testifies he went along to help Simpson carry items.

Nov. 16, 2007 -- Simpson leaves recorded phone message with bail bondsman Miguel Pereira to tell Stewart about how upset Simpson is about preliminary hearing testimony.

Nov. 28, 2007 -- Simpson, Stewart, Ehrlich plead not guilty to all 12 charges.

Jan. 11 -- Pereira retrieves Simpson from Miami, brings him to Clark County jail pending hearing on whether the Nov. 16 message violated court order not to contact co-defendants.

Jan. 16 -- Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass reprimands Simpson, doubles his bail to $250,000.

March 7 -- Glass postpones trial from April 7 to Sept. 8.

Aug. 4 -- Ehrlich takes plea deal, agrees to testify against Simpson.

August -- Nevada Supreme Court denies several requests by Stewart's lawyers to sever his case from Simpson's or to delay trial.

Sept. 8 -- Jury selection begins for Simpson, Stewart on 12 charges, including kidnapping, armed robbery, conspiracy, coercion, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon.

Sept. 15-Oct. 1 -- Trial testimony.

Oct. 2 -- Closing arguments.

Oct. 3 -- Jury returns verdict.

If this is karma then it certaintly came back around after being acquitted in the murder case that involved the kiling of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson is back in the court room after 13 years and is now on trial for robbery and kidnapping in connection with a bizarre confrontation in a Las Vegas hotel room allegedly involving guns and pillow cases stuffed with sports memorabilia.

My comments as a white collar crime and ethics speaker have little to do with his guilt or innocence, that decision will soon be in the hands of the jury. Rather, O. J. like many people, myself included, have or have had a pattern of behavior that is destructive to those connected to us. As a result of O. J.'s choices, he has faced the possibility of some very serious consequences, and as the days pass will find out - yet once again - what the outcome or consequence of his most recent past choices will be.

O. J.'s past is public knowledge. There is no sense in reviewing the past. The only thing that is significant is the pattern. Every choice has a consequence. Make no mistake, the preceding sentence is true and a universal law - although many want to believe otherwise. I have experienced this law in action and, fully aware, witnessed many others who find out the truth of the law.

Every choice has a consequence. This case, soon to be before a Nevada jury, is no different. On one hand, O. J. would declare that he was just going to retrieve what was his - nothing more. Others, facing demands and a gun, would declare otherwise. Regardless of intent, O. J. will face the consequences of his choices and either be judged guilty or innocent.

Now many would say that O. J. is covered in lard - in that he had slide through what to many should have been obvious consequences. Let me point out - the consequence that we face as a result of the actions we take is not for us to choose. What should be an obvious consequence to many may not be the most significant consequence to the person who made the choice. Being stripped of a good name and reputation - a consequence that O. J. has faced - may be far more devastating than time in prison where he might be a hero.

Whatever the outcome, the single biggest question to me is - what next. O. J. has the name and fame to turn his choices (most perceived negative) into lessons and opportunities to show others the direct effect of choices and consequences. Will that happen? I would love to say yes, but past history shows that O. J. has not yet gotten off of the merry-go-round of ego driven bad choices. Perhaps this time will be the charm.

Meanwhile, there are those of us who know better and use past experience to help others. I use the experience of my past to help college kids see the direct connection between choices and consequences. Visit my web site and click on the Business Week tab on the home page for more information.

From WESH:

Zenaida Gonzalez first spoke with WESH 2 News two weeks ago, but she declined to show her face on television at that time.

Gonzalez was implicated in the case when the toddler’s mother, Casey Anthony, told investigators she had last seen Caylee when she left her with her nanny, a woman named Zenaida Gonzalez, at the Sawgrass Apartments. Casey Anthony said Gonzalez kidnapped Caylee.

Gonzalez maintains that she was never Caylee’s baby sitter, but that the accusation has caused her serious distress.

"I’m still scared, don’t get me wrong, I’m still scared, but now I got somebody who is going to help me clear my name," Gonzalez said.That someone is Gonzalez’s attorney, John Morgan.

She has now filed a defamation lawsuit against Casey Anthony."She threw me into this mess. I didn’t ask to be brought into this," Gonzalez said.

"Do you think I like this, being in the media? No, no, no. That’s not my life. My life is quiet. Stay to myself with my kids."It is still unknown how Casey Anthony came up with Gonzalez’s name.

Although Gonzalez does not live at the Sawgrass Apartments, records at the complex do indicate that she visited.

I

Keuchend vor Anstrengung stürzte sie durch das Unterholz. Äste, an denen sie hängen blieb, zerrissen ihr das Kleid und ritzten ihr die Haut auf. Aber sie bemerkte keinerlei Schmerz. Gehetzt übersprang sie einen Bach und verlor dabei das Schwert. Blutbefleckt und rostig wie es war, fiel es in den Bach.

„Dort!" hörte sie die raue Stimme Rîmirns.

Erschrocken blickte sie zurück. Tatsächlich waren die Drei nicht fern.

„Bleib stehen!" rief Scôval ihr nach.

„Schnappt sie euch!" befahl dagegen der Mahaccar.

Keine Zeit das Schwert zu holen. Doch das kam ihr sowieso nicht in den Sinn. Schnell drehte sie sich um und rannte, immer weiter, über Stock und Stein, durch Büsche und über Abgründe, nicht mehr zurückblickend, nur noch voraus. Doch bald schon konnte sie nicht mehr und rutschte an einer Grube aus. Sie stürzte schwer, ihr Kopf schlug auf einen Stein. Blut lief ihr in die Augen, bevor es schwarz wurde.

~

„Wir müssen sie finden", sprach der Mahaccar, „sucht dort!"

Aber sie hatten die Spur verloren. Er musste es sich eingestehen. Deshalb war er auch nicht überrascht, als Scôval und Rîmirn achselzuckend und kopfschüttelnd zurück kamen.

„Nichts - Sie ist weg", berichtete Scôval.

„Verdammt!" entfuhr es dem Mahaccar - und als er sich beruhigt hatte: „Gehen wir zurück."

„Wartet, da - in der Grube - was ist das?" machte Rîmirn sie auf etwas aufmerksam.

~

Erst als es dunkel wurde, wachte sie auf. Neblig war es, doch sie hörte den nahen gurgelnden Bach. Nach dem sie sicher war, dass die Drei verschwunden waren, lehnte sie sich erschöpft zurück. - Doch nein, nicht ausruhen. Die lange nächste Zeit schonte sie sich nicht, schlief auch nicht, ging immer vorwärts, Tag um Tag; soweit weg wie nur möglich und zurück Richtung Daheim.

Am Morgen des zweiten Tages erreichte sie die Ausläufer des Moores. Diesen folgend, kam sie bald in die Nähe von Scittz. Erst hier fand sie die Straße nach Hause. Es würde nur noch wenige Stunden dauern, dann sollte sie endlich wieder Zuhause sein. Ob man sie so aber erkennen würde? Ihr Kleid war zerrissen, ihre Haare zerzaust und zudem war sie verschmutzt wie noch nie. Halb verrückt vor Angst und Erschöpfung schleppte sie sich den Weg entlang.

Die Sonne stand tief und rot, die Schatten wurden lang - doch endlich, endlich war sie da! Niemand von denen, die ihr begegneten, schenkten ihr auch nur die geringste Beachtung, doch sie konnte es ihnen auch nicht verdenken. Sie musste aussehen wie eine Landstreicherin. Bald schon bog sie auf eine Straße, die aus dem Dorf wieder herausführte und gerade als Dunkel wurde, hatte sie es geschafft. Daheim. In Sicherheit!

II

„Ich möchte noch etwas!" verlangte Dittoril habgierig.

„Tut mir Leid; es ist nichts mehr da", sprach Attahir.

„Geh spielen!" sprach da Hoccamar und Dittoril folgte dem Befehl.

„Sei nicht so hart, er ist doch nur ein Kind", rügte Attahir da.

„Ich weiß, aber wir können ihn nicht alles durchgehen lassen", sprach Hoccamar, doch grinste.

„Ach, ich liebe dich", sprachen sie fast gleichzeitig und lachten.

Draußen wurde es gerade Dunkel.

~

Dittoril lief lachend durch das Unterholz und stöberte Schmetterlinge und Vögel auf, derweil Attahir tiefer im Wald nach Pilzen und Beeren suchte. Es war ein friedlicher Tag und die Sonne schien.

Doch plötzlich tat sich der Boden auf. Mit einem überraschten Aufschrei erwartete Attahir einem schwarzes Loch der Bewusstlosigkeit einen Besuch ab.

~

„Los, wach auf!" sprach jemand und die Worte knallten förmlich.

Mühsam den Schleier der Ohnmacht von sich schiebend wurde bald klar, dass ein Mann Attahir ins Gesicht geschlagen hatte.Ein abstoßendes zahnloses Gesicht grinste.

„Willkommen zurück", sprach der kleine hässliche Mann mit den verfilzten Haaren.

„Scôval, geh zur Seite!" forderte da eine weitere Stimme und die magere Gestalt gehorchte, weiterhin grinsend.

Dem Blick freigegeben war nun ein Mann in den mittleren Jahren, die verfilzten schwarzen Haare schulterlang, das Gesicht unrasiert. Gelassen lehnte er an einem Baum. Man hätte sein Äußeres ansprechend finden können, wäre er nicht zerlumpt wie ein Bettler gewesen. Nun kam er näher.

„Guten Morgen, habt ihr gut geschlafen?" fragte er spöttisch.

Attahir versuchte zu antworten, doch ein Knebel verhinderte diesen Versuch.

„Wir können dich doch hier nicht alles zusammenschreien lassen", sprach er und unerwartet traf eine Ohrfeige Attahirs Gesicht. Kurz darauf ergänzte er, nun herablassend und abschätzend schauend: „Du brauchst nicht zu antworten - jedenfalls... - du kommst mit uns."

Attahir versuchte sich zu bewegen, doch Fesseln verhinderten dies.

„Rîmirn, schneide unseren Gast von diesem Baum, dass wir los können. Ich möchte Borhatt ungern warten lassen", sprach der Mann herrisch und ungeduldig.

Hinter Attahir raschelte es, dann folgte ein kurzes Hackgeräusch und die Fesseln fielen. - Aber nicht alle, die Hände waren weiterhin verbunden.

„Vorwärts!" bellte eine raue Stimme von hinten, gefolgt von einem spitzen Pieksen in den Rücken.

Den Anweisungen lieber folgend, stolperte Attahir voran.

„Borhatt wird erfreut sein", sprach der herrische Mann nach einem abschätzenden Blick Attahir gegenüber.

Unterwegs wurde klar, was eigentlich offensichtlich war: der Mann hörte sich zu gerne selber sprechen. Aber dafür kamen Attahir andere Gedanken. Was wohl mit Dittoril geschehen war? Hoffentlich ging es ihm gut und er war zurück zu Hoccamar gelaufen. Vielleicht suchten sie ja auch schon nach Attahir.

„Da sind wir", störte der Mann diese Gedankengänge.

Es war ein kleines Lager, ohne Feuer, nur mit etwas gelagertem Gepäck - und einer jungen Frau, die geknebelt an einen Baum gefesselt war. Es wurde sich aber nicht aufgehalten, auch folgten keine Begrüßungen. Die Männer befreiten die Frau von der Umarmung des Baumes, schnappten sich ihre Sachen und setzten ihren Weg fort, immer die versinkende Sonne im Rücken habend; ihre Gefangenen trieben sie vor sich her und hielten später noch zwei Stunden auf den weißen Mond zu. Sie hatten es scheinbar eilig, doch kamen sie nur langsam voran. Dafür bekamen die Gefangenen so manche Schelte. Erst gegen Mitternacht machten sie Halt. Die drei Männer schliefen am Boden, immer noch ohne Feuer, ihre Gefangenen fesselten sie an zwei Bäume. Erst am Tag darauf durften diese ihren natürlichen Verpflichtungen nachgehen. Morgens befreite man sie nacheinander und ließ sie in den Büschen verschwinden. - Doch stets hielt ein verbliebenes Seil sie von der endgültigen Flucht ab.

„Wer bist du?" fragte Attahir die Frau mit gedrückter Stimme, als sie kurz Ruhe hatten, derweil die Männer beschäftigt waren, „Mein Name ist ist Attahir."

Die Frau hatte sichtlich Angst zu antworten. Ihre Augen waren weit geöffnet und zuckten ständig unruhig zu ihren Entführern, als erwartete sie jederzeit Strafe für ihr Flüstern.

„Lattir - Lattir Lôrvattz", presste sie schließlich zwischen den Zähnen hervor, „aus Gêmitzter."

Trotz ihrer Lage musste Attahir lächeln. - Möglicherweise war es dies, was Lattir nun beruhigte.

„Gêmitzter - das liegt nicht weit weg von meinem Dorf - ich komme aus Dôrhattz."

„Ruhe dort hinten!" kam ihnen jedoch nun Scôval verärgert dazwischen, als man ihr Tuscheln bemerkte, und warf einen kleinen Stein, einem Kiesel gleich, zwischen sie.

Lattir zuckte erschrocken zusammen und zitterte nur noch.

„Hab keine Angst, ich lass mir etwas einfallen!" sprach Attahir noch schnell und flüsternd, bevor dies zu strafen Rîmirn sich erhob und ihnen beide ins Gesicht schlug.

„Ihr habt still zu sein - kein Gerede!" herrschte er sie noch an.

Trotzdem bekamen beide später noch zu Essen. Als die Reise weiterging, zerrten Scôval und Rîmirn sie an Seilen hinter sich her, im Morast und Laub des Waldes oft stolpernd. Das Unterholz war weiter dicht und sollte es noch lange bleiben, bis sie das unbewaldete Cerhlicg-Tal erreichen würden. Denn dorthin waren sie unterwegs, das konnte Attahir an ihrer Bewegungsrichtung erkennen.

„Wohin bringt ihr uns?" war daher die Frage, welche Attahir sich später am Tage zu fragen getraute.

Scôval ruckte zur Strafe stark am Seil, doch sein Anführer ließ sich zu ihnen zurückfallen und ging halb neben Attahir daher.

„Das geht dich zwar wirklich nichts an, doch ihr werdet es ja eh sehen", sprach er herablassend, „wir bringen euch zu Borhatt, unserem Herrn."

Das war Attahir aber auch schon klar. Doch weiter? Von Borhatt redete man sogar in Dôrhattz. Er sei ein Raubritter, so sprach man, der in den Bergen östlich des Cehrlicg-Tales lebte und von dort seine Raubzüge durchführte.

„Aber warum wir? Demirus ist weit von Borhatt entfernt!"

„Ah, aber hübsche Diener sind immer gefragt", sprach der Mann mit einem bösen Unterton in der Stimme, und Scôval lachte dreckig, „und es ist unklug, diese in der Nähe unserer Burg zu suchen, denn Dracgmoyrch ist nicht weit und die Wächter der Stadt vermeiden wir lieber."

Das war auch Attahir in der Lage nachzuvollziehen. Doch offenbarte sich damit auch eine Möglichkeit, wenn denn Dracgmoyrch nicht fern war. Aber nun kamen auch wieder Gedanken an Dôrhattz auf. Die Hoffnung, dass es Dittoril und Hoccamar gut gehen würde, schimmerte als leuchtender Schein in Richtung der untergehenden Sonne. Doch fehlten sie auch. Würden sie Drei noch einmal vereint sein?

Attahirs Gedanken wurden erneut gestört, als wenige Schritte weiter Lattir über die knorrige alte Wurzel eines beeindruckenden Baumes stolperte und fiel. Rîmirn bemerkte dies, als das Seil in seiner Hand sich straff spannte und er mit einem Ruck anhalten musste. Die Augen angestrengt verengend blickte er zurück.

„Steh auf. Geh weiter!" rief er ihr zu.

Doch Lattir saß nun am Boden, die Hände und den Rock verdreckt. Bei seinen Worten brach sie in Tränen aus. Attahir wollte zu ihr eilen, sie in den Arm nehmen, trösten - doch Scôvals Seil verhinderte dies. Auch Rîmirn ruckte nun stark an seinem Seilende, so dass es sich um Lattirs Hals noch weiter zuzog. Würgend ergriff diese das Tau, es um ihren Hals lockern wollend, doch bewirkte sie damit nichts weiter, als dass Rîmirn noch stärker zog. Attahir wehrte sich gegen Scôval, um an Lattir zu kommen.

„Hört auf mit dem Unsinn, wir brauchen sie noch!" kam der Anführer der Männer ihnen hier dazwischen, sichtlich erbost.

Ohne Verzögerung gehorchte Rîmirn, und Scôval ließ Attahir soviel Seil wie nötig war, um an Lattir heran zu kommen.

„Sehr wohl, Mahaccar", hörte Attahir Rîmirn sagen und legte einen tröstenden Arm um Lattir, die nun schmutzig und verheult war und nach Waldboden roch.

Sie kamen an diesem Tag nicht mehr weit. Es dauerte lange, Lattir zu beruhigen und bald war es zu dunkel, weshalb der Mahaccar, als was er bezeichnet wurden war, das nächste Lager anordnete. Die Nachtvögel sangen, wilde Tiere mieden das Feuer, der weiße Mond stand hoch und der Wald duftete größtenteils nach Kräutern - doch Attahir konnte dies sicherlich nicht genießen. Aus Strafe für ihr Verhalten hatte man Lattir nun stärker gefesselt und auch geknebelt, solange sie nicht gerade Nahrung zu sich nahm. Attahir blieb nichts weiter, als zu schweigen, da sonst die gleiche Strafe drohte.

Nach einer für Attahir erst sorgenvoll durchwachten und erst spät durch Erschöpfung auch schlafend erlebten Nacht, wurden die Gefangenen des Morgens unsanft mit Fußtritten geweckt.

„Macht euch fertig - wir wollen in einer Stunde los", sprach Scôval mit seiner rauen Stimme.

Den beiden blieb also kaum Zeit, sich fertig zu machen. Der Mahaccar erklärte ihnen aber immerhin, dass sie es eilig hätten zu Borhatt zu kommen; erklärte es ihnen so, als seien sie mittlerweile seine liebsten Haustiere. Attahir hielt es schon jetzt nicht mehr aus. Der Drang zu Dittoril und Hoccamar zurückzukehren, ließ nicht nach, wurde sogar stärker. Ob sie sich Sorgen machten? Hoffentlich nicht. Irgendwie musste eine Flucht gelingen. Doch wie dies anstellen? Rîmirn und Scôval hatten sie beide fest am Seil und bei einem Fluchtversuch würde man sie beide erwürgen oder gar mit den Schwertern erschlagen. Es schien aussichtslos. Ein Wunder musste wohl geschehen.

Doch es kam kein Wunder. Diesen Tag nicht, auch nicht am nächsten. Aber da geschah etwas anderes. Gegen Mittag mussten sie einen kleinen Bach überqueren. Sie befanden sich mitten im dichtesten Wald. Attahir wusste nicht, wo genau, denn dies war viel zu weit von Dôrhattz entfernt im Niemandsland, auch noch fern vom Cerhlicg-Tal. Der Bach war zwar schmal, doch tief und schnell genug eine Gefahr darzustellen. Die Männer schienen diese Stelle aber zu kennen, denn ein Baumstamm ermöglichte die Überquerung. Der Mahaccar ging denn auch ohne zu zögern voraus. Langsam und vorsichtig, doch kaum wartend. Erst am anderen Ufer hielt er an. Rîmirn folgte als nächster, Lattir sollte warten, bis er drüben war.

Vorsichtig setzte er einen Fuß vor den nächsten auf dem glitschigen, alten Baumstamm. Für Gleichgewicht brauchte er nicht zu sorgen, hielt er sich doch mit dem Seil an Lattirs Hals in der Geraden. Doch gefiel dieser das natürlich gar nicht. Rîmirn war auf der Hälfte der Strecke angelangt, da zog sie heftig am Seil. Sofort verlor er das Gleichgewicht. Den Halt auf dem rutschigen Stamm verlierend, fiel er langsam nach hinten. Mit den Armen rudernd und mit einem überraschten Aufschrei, stürzte er. Das Wasser platschte. Ein dumpfer Laut verkündete, dass Rîmirn gelandet war. Lattirs Seil baumelte nun nutzlos herab.

Für einen Moment waren alle zu überrascht um zu handeln. Scôval war der erste, der etwas tat. Sein Seil fallen lassend, griff er an seine Seite und zog sein Schwert. Das war sein Fehler. Denn Lattir, immer noch ihren Gefühlen folgend, rannte auf ihn zu. Und bevor er sich versah, schubste sie ihn den Abhang hinunter, dem rauschenden Griff des Wassers entgegen: Ein Tritt zwischen die Beine zerstörte die Abwehr, ein zweiter in den Rücken ließ ihn stürzen. Der Mahaccar sah dem allen nur fassungslos zu. Auch Lattir schien bald nicht zu wissen, was weiter zu tun sei.

„Komm, lauf!" rief Attahir ihr zu und schnappte sich Scôvals fallen gelassenes Schwert.

Doch Lattir war wie gelähmt. Erst als Attahir sie am Arm packte und Richtung Wald zurück zog, kam langsam wieder Leben in sie.

Ohne zu Denken rannten sie fort. Ohne Plan liefen sie gen West. Ohne sich umzusehen stolperten sie über Steine, sprangen über Äste und kämpften sich durch das Unterholz. Ihre Seile trugen sie bei sich, um nicht darüber zu stolpern. Allerdings waren sie schwer und unhandlich und so verlor Lattir ihres bald. Es verhakte sich zwischen Baumwurzeln. Sie bemerkte es aber nicht und lief weiter; so geschah, was geschehen musste: Mit einem Ruck wurde sie von den Füßen gerissen und landete unsanft auf dem feuchten Boden. Würgend rang sie mir dem Seil. Attahir handelte schnell und nutzte Scôvals Schwert, sie zu befreien, tat dasselbe bei sich selber. Doch bis es soweit war, hörte man bereits die nahenden Stimmen der drei Männer.

„So bringt das nichts", stellte Attahir fest, „lass und getrennt vorgehen! Hier, versteck dich dort hinten in den Büschen; ich lenke sie ab. Besuche mich in Dôrhattz, wenn wir dies hinter uns haben!"

Attahir schickte Lattir in erwähnte Büsche, nahm das Schwert und wartete noch kurz an den Wurzeln. Kaum, dass die Männer kurz außerhalb der Sichtweite waren, sollten sie laut krachende Äste hören und an einem Baum die Seile ihrer Gefangenen sowie deutliche, nach Westen führende Spüren finden. Schnell folgten sie diesen. Die Verfolgungsjagd dauerte noch Ewigkeiten. Abends hatten sie wieder kurz Sicht auf Attahir, doch verloren sie diese auch bald wieder. Bei Sonnenuntergang hörten jegliche Spuren auf. Nichts war mehr zu finden von ihren Gefangenen.

III

Endlich daheim! Endlich zurück bei ihrem geliebten Mann. Sie hoffte, Zuhause wäre alles in Ordnung. Überschwänglich froh näherte sie sich ihrem Haus. Es sah aus wie immer, nichts hatte sich geändert. Die Lichter waren entzündet, da es langsam Dunkel wurde. Im Haus brannte ein Feuer.

Sie fand ihn im Garten vor, über den Holzstapel gebeugt. Auch er hatte sich nicht geändert. Wie froh und überglücklich sie doch war, ihn endlich wieder zu sehen! Aufgeregt und überhastete stürzte sie los, so sehr hatte sie ihn vermisst. Ihm würde es sicher genauso gehen; schreckliche Sorgen muss er sich um sie gemacht haben.

Aber warum beachtete er sie nicht? Hatte er sie nicht gehört? Warum erhob er sich nicht, als er ihre Schritte vernehmen musste? Doch nichts konnte ihre Freude in diesem ihrem Moment aufhalten. Sie stürzte sich förmlich auf ihn, ihn zu begrüßen; warf sich an seine Brust, als er langsam aufstand.

Doch sie lief ins Leere. Ohne sie zu beachten, ging er an ihr vorbei, um die Ecke des Hauses, ins Innere hinein. Sie blieb bloß verwundert zurück. Seinen Namen versuchte sie zu rufen. Da merkte sie, dass sie nicht mehr sprechen konnte. So sehr sie es auch versuchte, kein Wort kam über ihre Lippen, kein Laut aus ihrem Mund. Was geschah hier? Ihre Freude schlug in Furcht um. Einem Gedanken folgend bückte sie sich, einen Stein aufzuheben. Doch ihre Finger glitten durch ihn hindurch, wie in einem Traum. Träumte sie?

Ihr blieb keine Zeit nachzudenken, was geschehen sein mochte, hörte sie dich nun einige Männerstimmen von vor ihrem Haus herüberklingen. Sie folgte ihnen zu ihrem Ursprung, doch versteckte sie sich hinter einer Hausecke, um lediglich hervor zu gucken.

„Scôval, lass ihn los!" hörte sie eine Stimme sagen, „Wir sollen ihm doch nur eine Botschaft bringen."

So beobachtete sie, wie Scôval ihren Mann los ließ und selbst zur Seite trat.

Der größere Mann mit den Narben im Gesicht und den ergrauten Haaren sprach sogleich weiter: „Wenn ihr sie liebend wiedersehen wollt, dann sammelt lieber schnell all eure Schätze zusammen und folgt uns."

Und zum Beweis seiner Worte warf er eine Kette zu Boden. Ihre Kette, wie sie erkannte.

„Ihr Ungeheuer!" entfuhr es ihrem Mann und sie zuckte schmerzlich zusammen, als ihn Scôvals Schwert mit der flachen Seite am Rücken traf und er auf die Knie sinken musste.

„Los jetzt!" fuhr er ihn an.

Mehr gab es nicht zu bereden. Bald hatten sie sämtliche Wertsachen aus dem Haus zusammengesucht. Sie versuchte sich ihnen in den Weg zu stellen, doch gingen sie einfach durch die hindurch. Schließlich folgte ihr Mann den beiden gen Ost in den Wald. Immer wieder sprach sie auf ihn ein, doch entstanden keine Geräusche und musste sie hilflos folgen.

Zum ersten Mal nun fiel er auf, dass sich die Umgebung irgendwann im grauen Nebel verlor. Doch dieser Schleier kam nie näher, blieb immer auf Abstand, als umlauerte er sie. Keiner der Männer ließ sich davon etwas anmerken, auch sprachen sie kein Wort. Mit jedem Schritt fiel ihr das Gehen schwerer, auch wenn sie nicht au Äste, Steine, Stämme und Unebenheiten achten musste; eine seltsame Schwere und Müdigkeit bemächtigte sich ihrer, ihre Furche wich der Erschöpfung. Aber sie durfte sich jetzt nicht ausruhen.

Endlich kamen die Männer an, wo immer sie ankommen wollten. Wo es genau war, verlor sich nun im Nebel. Am Rande ihrer Erkenntnis nahm sie einen alten Baum wahr, an den eine Gestalt gelehnt war. Es war ein Mann und um den Baumstamm neben ihn war ein Seil gebunden.

„Mahaccar, hier ist ihr Ehemann!" sprach der Grauhaarige und stellte sich neben den angesprochenen.

„Ah!" machte dieser, „gut gemacht, Rîmirn." Und dann zu ihrem Mann: „Ich werde es kurz machen: gebt uns euer Geld und wir geben euch eure Frau."

„Hier, nehmt, doch lasst sie frei!" sagte ihr Mann unter Tränen und warf dem Mahaccar sein Gepäck vor die Füße, dass sie wieder Kraft gewann.

Genug zumindest, um zu verfolgen, was nun geschah, denn eingreifen konnte sie trotz aller Verzweiflung nicht. Rîmirn nahm das Geworfene auf und verstaute es in einem Sack. Scôval blieb neben ihm. Der Mahaccar zog sein Schwert, holte aus und hackte einmal auf das Seil neben ihm ein. Ein Frauenkörper stürzte aus dem Baum herab.

„Da hast du deine Frau!" lachte Scôval dreckig.

„Nein!" rief ihr Geliebter, stürzte auf die Knie und versank bald in Verzweiflung.

„Komm hierher!" hörte sie dagegen eine schwache Stimme rufen, wie aus weiter Ferne, doch schien es keiner der Männer zu bemerken.

Auch sie achtete kaum darauf. Wer lag da? Unwohlsein und Mitleid drangen durch ihre Teilnahmslosigkeit. Sie ging näher und kniete sich neben ihn. Das Gesicht der Frau - es kam ihn bekannt vor.

„Los, lass ihn nicht weiter trauern, damit wir endlich gehen können", sprach der Mahaccar zu Scôval.

Dieser zögerte nicht, sondern stieß dem Trauernden sein Schwert in den Rücken. Qualvoll und langsam starb er, doch sie konnte ihm nicht helfen; alles um sie herum wurde schwarz.

Epilog

„Attahir, komm zu mir", lockte eine Frauenstimme.

Als Attahir sich umdrehte, stand dort in der Ferne Lattir, unter einem moosbewachsenen alten Baum. Attahir machte sich den Weg den grünen Hügel hinauf. Es erschien leicht wie nie zuvor.

„Lattir, es geht dir gut!" freute sich Attahir, als sie sich gegenüberstanden.

„Wie man es nimmt", lächelte die Frau, „doch ich bin nicht hier. Du findest mich in Borhatt. - Du hast noch eine Aufgabe!"

„Was?" entfuhr es Attahir, doch da verschwand der Boden und machte völliger Schwärze Platz.

~

„Attahir, wo sind wir?" fragte Hoccamar.

„Ich weiß es nicht", kam die Antwort. - Und dann: „Ich dachte, du seist tot."

„Das dachte ich von dir auch", antwortete Hoccamar.

Und sie sahen sich an und berührten sich - und fielen sich in die Arme.

„Aber wir haben eine Aufgabe", sprach Attahir nach scheinbaren Stunden des frohen Wiedersehens.

Hand in Hand gingen sie auf die düstere Burg in den Berg vor ihnen zu. Niemand hielt sie auf und niemand sah oder überlebte sie.

ENDE

~

Kommentar

Lattir Lôrvattz aus Gêmitzter ist bekannt als Ziehmutter des Dittoril Occorscil aus Dôrhattz, des Mannes, der aus Demirus, dem Teil von Lurruken, bei dessen Untergang ein eigenständiges Land machte und als erster Scatte in die Geschichte einging. Seine Eltern verlor er früh. Nicht allein wegen Lôrvattz entstand die gerade vorgetragene Mär, bestand sie doch Zeit ihres Lebens darauf, in ihrer Zelle in Borhatts Burg damals die Geister ihrer ehemaligen Mitgefangenen beobachtet zu haben, wie sie allein alle Räuber in der Burg töteten und die anderen Gefangenen befreiten.

Tatsache ist jedenfalls, dass Occorscils Eltern zu dieser Zeit unweit ihres Hauses gefunden wurden; ebenso wie das Reich von Lûch Monate später, als es endlich aus Dracgmoyrch seinen Angriff auf Borhatt wagte, nur eine leerstehende Burg vorfand.

Heutzutage ist die Burg Heimat des bekannten Künstlers Cannslach, welcher hier, wie er es nennt, der Natur ihre wildeste Seite aus unmittelbarer Nähe erleben will. Geistern aber ist er nie begegnet, so berichtet er.

Solero y Cyprilla, Toljidarin

Karison, Ojútolnán, 11.08.3994

As this book progresses, the reader can see that the man is becoming increasingly more bold in his interactions with the sisters, and it's obvious that something bad is going to happen.  Well, something bad does happen.  (I'm not going to say what, but it is rather disturbing.) 

The Missing Girl was an okay book, but it was hard for me to get into it at first, and the ending was a little too neat for my taste.

True Story(English)Mysterious Cases

Heidi Stein

                       A Child Disappears Under Mysterious Circumstances

The Dirk Schiller Case

translated by Johanna Ellsworth, M.A.

The little boy’s last traces end on a snow-covered field almost thirty years ago. On the morning of 10 March 1979 the parents were loading the few cucumbers they had found in a store into the trunk of their car in the parking lot of a stalactite cave in former East Germany while their two kids were playing by a frozen brook on the adjacent field.

But then their six-year-old daughter returned by herself. When the startled parents asked the girl where her three-and-a-half year old brother, Dirk, was, she turned around and said surprised, “He was right behind me …“

It was the second but last day of the family’s vacation at a holiday camp the East German authorities had assigned to the Schiller Family for February – only to postpone their stay for one month, allegedly because the holiday camp was closed in February. It was also the only moment during the two weeks of vacation when the mother had left her small boy out of her sight for ten minutes since she, having already lost two children who died from diseases, was over-protective of her remaining two kids. The toddler also had two fontanels that made him especially vulnerable (soft round spots on his head where the skull failed to close).

The small boy, who was afraid of crossing bridges, must have taken the other way over the road to get back to the parking lot. When his parents searched the whole snow-covered field, they could not find any footprints leading to the brook or the river further down. And the frozen surface of the shallow brook nearby which the children had been drawing pictures into the snow with sticks was still intact.

Dirk had not drowned. He had disappeared without a trace.

The alerted East German police and fire department did not bother to secure the footprints in the snow. Instead an agent of the East German Secret Service appeared for mysterious reasons, showing Dirk’s mother his red Stasi ID card. Even today it is unknown why the man showed up at the scene, since the child’s disappearance due to an accident or a crime was not a case the Stasi would investigate into – which would be about the same as if a CIA Agent would show up within two hours after a missing child has been reported ...

On the way back home to Görlitz, Dirk’s mother recalled the strange car she had noticed on the empty parking lot of the cave that had not yet been open to visitors yet. Only a few minutes after they had parked there, a dark blue car (the license plate started with the letters SF for Leipzig) had turned into the parking lot. The driver and his passenger – a man and a woman in their early thirties, dressed in grey coats – had exited the car and walked over to the entrance of the cave that would not open until 10 am. Then the couple had returned to their vehicle and driven off the parking lot. Those two strangers must have passed the small blonde boy on their way back on the main road.

Another strange coincidence is the fact that the car was a medium-sized Russian sedan, a so-called Moskwitsch model – the kind of car only party or Stasi members in higher positions had access to in the GDR.

Back home the desperate mother filed another missing person report. But she never got anything back from the investigating authorities. Her complaints and requests only resulted in the response that the authorities did not see any reason for investigations. Only a few months after Dirk’s disappearance the pregnant mother was advised by a criminal investigator to have Dirk officially declared dead. His remark was, “Oh well, you’ll have another child soon, anyway!“

A year later – in the Summer of 1980 – both parents were told by their respective work supervisors to stay home the next day because “tomorrow someone from Berlin will come see you to give you information about Dirk“. Sure enough: The next morning a yellow Wartburg rolled up and parked on the curb in front of their home. The stranger who rang their doorbell also showed a red ID card identifying him as another Stasi agent. He put Dirk’s file on the table, quickly leafed through it and said that the police had “done everything they could”. When questioned, he explained that the two strangers who had been seen in the parking lot at the time Dirk had disappeared had been identified. “But they don’t want to talk to you. They have three children of their own and therefore they have no need to kidnap a child. And anyway, they flew to Moscow.“

The man’s strange statement startled the parents. WWhy did the Stasi Agent suddenly say something about “kidnapping“? They themselves had never mentioned that word to the authorities … And why did the only witnesses who supposedly had three kids of their own refuse to talk with the desperate parents of the missing little boy? Could real parents truly be as heartless and unsympathetic? And what was their real reason for flying to Moscow? Could it be the same reason as the one their dark blue Russian medium-sized sedan was indicating? I.e. that they had to be SED party or Stasi members in higher positions? Who had flown to Moscow for additional training? Because no regular East German citizens could afford to fly off to Moscow ...

More and more questions were raised but the East German authorities did not provide any answers. On the contrary: As Dirk’s mother found out later, the data about the disappearance of her son had been falsified in his file. Allegedly he had not disappeared until 1983 – and now suddenly in Hungary instead of East Germany, making the circumstances sound really harmless and very different ... To her surprise she also discovered many years later that the police photos of the spot where Dirk had disappeared in March must have been made weeks later when the field was no longer covered with snow and the brook was no longer frozen ... But the most interesting detail the mother did not find out until much later was the fact that in 1988 – shortly after the book Where Is Dirk, Mr Honecker? that treated the case of her missing son was published in West Germany and shortly before the Wall came down (something the East German authorities knew before the fact) – an eager East German administrative worker requested that Heidi’s son be erased from the East German registration books. That would have erased Dirk’s identity forever – as if he had never existed and therefore could never have disappeared without a trace, either. That attempt to strike Dirk’s identity from the official books is particularly surprising because even in the GDR such a procedure had never been attempted.

Except in Dirk’s case.

The only response to the desperate written plea for assistance the mother had sent to the top man of the regime, Mr Honecker himself, was a short note in the file that “her request was arrogant”. When she began to turn to the German Red Cross, Amnesty International and other Human Rights Organizations in the West for help, the East German authorities did not hesitate to take steps against the mother that simply refused to remain silent. So one day two sedans rolled up in front of the kindergarten where she and her older daughter were waiting for her youngest daughter. She saw her husband sitting in one of the cars; he had already been apprehended. Heidi Stein was asked to get into the second vehicle. She was told that they only wanted to talk to her – what, jail? No way …

The mother was put into pre-trial confinement without seeing her children again. The official charge against her was “the sending of messages that are not subject to secrecy“ and the fact that she had “contacted Western countries abroad”. A few months later she was sentenced to 4 ½ years of confinement in the notorious East German prison of Bautzen for those strange charges under the East German Penalty Code. More likely than not the true reasons for putting her away were the embarrasing questions and cries for help coming from a mother who was looking for her child and who noticed the many inconsistencies that occurred after her son had vanished.

After one and a half years of confinement the West German authorities were able to get her out in 1984 by paying ransom to their East German neighbor state for her, as was practiced with countless East German citizens. When she left East Germany for good, she was urged by the East Germans not to put in an application that would let her son Dirk leave the country. But why? Well, probably because if she had put in an application in the name of her missing son, the Federal Republic of Germany would have paid ransom to East Germany for a child who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances and without a trace. That would have raised some uncomfortable issues that the East German authorities obviously wanted to avoid. It was also suggested to her to leave the matter of Dirk’s disappearance alone in the West if she wanted to see her other two children again. So the mother left the matter alone – for two whole months until her daughters were released to West Germany as well.

Then she continued her search. But Dirk’s case file kept travelling from one West German authority to the next for all those years – a fact that is just as unusual and inexplicable as the rest of the circumstances.

A few more unusual coincidences are certainly the destinies of the public prosecutors in East Germany who requested Dirk’s case file and who are no longer alive today. A female prosecutor in her forties who handled the case suffered a sudden death. Another prosecutor passed away six weeks after requesting to see the same case file. And yet a third prosecutor died only a few weeks after ordering the case file of the missing child. A forth public attorney, who had done some serious investigating into the case before the Wall came down, changed his mind right after Germany’s reunification. Later he publically stated that the parents of the missing boy must have a mental problem because they are still looking for their child ... And even though said prosecutor is still alive and working in his old profession (albeit now in West Germany), he preferred not to honor an invitation to a meeting of the Stasi victim organizations where Dirk’s case, the (presumably political) murder of an East German soccer player as well as other Stasi scandals were on the agenda.

But there was another mysterious death. That was the death of the co-worker of Dirk’s father. He had shown great empathy with Dirk’s parents after their son had vanished and had offered them his support and advice over the years. To Heidi’s surprise that co-worker and friend is listed in her Stasi victim file – he turned out to be a Stasi agent whose job it was to spy on the Schiller Family and keep them under surveillance after their son’s disappearance – in order to make a statement about them that would later put them in jail.

That friend of the family was found dead in his armchair after the border between East and West Germany was opened. The cause of death remains unknown.

Perhaps the only logical explanation for the disappearance of the small boy who never left any trace, whose body was never found and who, according to a West German investigative official, could definitely not have drowned – and especially the only logical explanation for the mysterious circumstances – are those two fontanels in Dirk’s skull. Children who are born with fontanels (soft spots on the skull that have the shape and size of a dollar coin) are extremely rare – and a baby that was reported by the pediatrician as having such a rare peculiarity of nature would have made an extremely interesting research object for the ambitious East German medical research facilities who were so eager to keep up with the latest Western medical findings.

Dirk’s mother is still trying everything in her power to find her missing son and to solve this mysterious case.

President Bush had an emergency meeting with the Ugandan President Museveni at the end of last week to discuss the kidnapping of 50-90 children by the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army). Otherwise, there's little happening outside of the ordinary.

That's not to say that the ordinary is not worth mentioning, merely that the atrocities that have become "ordinary" are no longer worth mentioning repeatedly.

To all who keep up with this blog, come out to the Invisible Children: Rough Cut screening on September 30, 2008 in Allen Auditorium in the Arts and Sciences Building at 7:30pm. Please bring your friends, especially those who have never experienced the full power of these children.

See you all Tuesday!
Becky