O.J. free on bail; not-guilty plea expected later

LAS VEGAS — In a scene of courtroom déjà vu, a grayer, heavier O.J. Simpson stood handcuffed in court Wednesday to face charges that could put him behind bars for life. The prosecutor who failed to get him a dozen years ago was there to watch.

He made his $125,000 bail and walked out of jail hours after the hearing.

Simpson, 60, who was acquitted of killing his ex-wife and her friend in 1995 after a high-profile double-murder trial, did not enter a plea to the charges, including armed robbery, assault and kidnapping, but was expected to plead not guilty later. His lawyer said he would fight the charges.

The former NFL star flew home to Miami later Wednesday. US Airways emptied a plane so he could board first with girlfriend Christine Prody and attorney Yale Galanter.

Simpson sat in seat 6D, an aisle seat in economy class. Passengers who boarded after him took pictures with cellphones and cameras. He nodded and smiled as they passed.

Under the bail conditions, he must surrender his passport but can travel within the United States.

Police have laid out a case that makes Simpson the leader in an armed holdup of sports-memorabilia collectors, and they arrested a fifth suspect in the case Wednesday.

Simpson has insisted he was merely retrieving items stolen from him earlier.

Galanter said Wednesday after the hearing: "You can't rob something that is yours."

Alfred Beardsley, one of the collectors who says he was robbed at gunpoint by Simpson and several other men, told NBC's "Today" show he didn't think an audiotape made at the scene was accurate. Beardsley was arrested on a parole violation Wednesday.

The other victim, Bruce Fromong, was recovering from a heart attack in a Los Angeles hospital. The man who arranged the meeting between Simpson and the two collectors, Tom Riccio, has a criminal record.

Simpson stood trial for the June 12, 1994, stabbing deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, 35, and Ron Goldman, 25.

He was cleared by jurors, but two years later a civil-court jury found him responsible for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the victims' families.

The oddity of the case has attracted a swarm of media, including Marcia Clark, who unsuccessfully prosecuted Simpson for the 1994 slayings and was reporting for "Entertainment Tonight."

Four other men have been arrested in the case, and police were seeking another suspect.

Charles Howard Cashmore, 40, surrendered to police Wednesday. Two other defendants, Walter Alexander, 46, and Clarence Stewart, 53, were arrested and released pending court appearances. Suspect Michael McClinton, 49, of Las Vegas, surrendered to police Tuesday.