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http://www.newsmax.com/us/o.j._simpson_prosecutor/2007/09/26/35971.html
Las Vegas DA Will Prosecute O.J. Simpson
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
LAS VEGAS -- The district attorney who will prosecute O.J. Simpson on armed
robbery and kidnapping charges is known for being soft-spoken and
deliberate. But don't mistake David Roger for timid.
"He's a tenacious prosecutor," said longtime deputy public defender Joseph
Abood. "He's not shy about overcharging a case."
Roger, the Clark County district attorney, has declined to make any comment
about the Simpson case or himself since Simpson's arrest, even amid
criticism that he came down harder on Simpson than he would have on an
ordinary defendant.
Roger is given to one-word sentences and cultivates a reputation for saying
only what he can prove. It's both a personality trait and a lesson he
learned while handling some of the most notorious cases in the state's
largest and busiest court for 16 years before he was elected district
attorney in 2002.
Roger, a 46-year-old Republican, became a household name in Las Vegas in
2000 after winning convictions in the mysterious 1998 death of casino heir
Ted Binion. Headlines cast it as a murder plot hatched between two illicit
lovers _ former contractor Rick Tabish and former stripper Sandra Murphy,
who was Binion's live-in girlfriend.
Roger was not the prosecutor in 2004, when the two were retried and
acquitted of murder. They were convicted of conspiracy, burglary and grand
larceny in the theft of a $7 million in silver that Binion had buried in the
desert.
"In order to be successful in these kinds of cases, it requires extensive
corroboration of witnesses," said Charles Kelly, a former federal prosecutor
who compared the Binion and Simpson cases.
Roger "is a very technical trial lawyer, which will be particularly needed
in a case like this, where you have multiple defendants with dubious
character and credibility issues," Kelly said.
Simpson's lawyers stood on the courthouse steps after Simpson's arraignment
last week and proclaimed how impressed they were with Roger.
"I truly believe that he has been nothing but professional, courteous,
ethical," said Yale Galanter, Simpson's Miami attorney who reached a
handshake deal to free Simpson on $125,000 bail.
The kidnapping charges against Simpson, 60, and five other men could result
in sentences of life in prison with the possibility of parole. Each
defendant is also charged with conspiracy, assault with a weapon and two
counts of armed robbery _ allegations that could each result in mandatory
prison terms of 2 to 15 years, plus up to 15 more years for use of a gun.
Authorities allege the men barged into a hotel room at a casino Sept. 13,
held two memorabilia dealers at gunpoint, and made off with signed
footballs, baseballs, plaques, and three ties that Simpson was said to have
worn during his acquittal on murder charges 12 years ago.
George Foley Sr., 85, a defense lawyer in Las Vegas for 51 years, called the
two kidnapping charges "an awful blow" to Simpson, and predicted they would
provide leverage to reach a negotiated deal before trial.
"No matter how weak the prosecution is, the risk of two consecutive
sentences for kidnapping with a weapon is so great they're going to have to
take a deal," Foley said. "Roger learned this because of his experience."
Roger heads an office with 710 attorneys and staff members, a $65 million
budget and 58,000 cases annually. He picks several criminal cases a year to
try himself.
He handled the case of Utah siblings Beau and Monique Maestas, who pleaded
guilty last year in a 2003 knife attack that killed one little girl and left
another paralyzed.
Alzora Jackson, a public defender who represented Monique Maestas, also
faced Roger in the death penalty case involving a former bricklayer
sentenced to life in prison for dousing a Las Vegas cab driver with gasoline
and setting him ablaze in a botched robbery in 2004.
"I was surprised. He was very animated," Jackson said of Roger's
presentation to the jury, which she said contrasted with his demeanor
outside the courtroom.
Roger's personality is buttoned-down _ a dark suit and tie. He's not tall,
but he can look imposing behind his polished wooden desk. He drives a county
owned Crown Victoria sedan to work, where he earns just under $180,000 a
year. He drives a 2001 Acura at home.
Roger grew up in Oakland, Calif., and moved to Las Vegas with his family at
age 14. He's married to Susan Pate, another prosecutor in his office.
Roger is a past president of the Nevada District Attorneys Association. But
colleagues say he's not overtly political.
"David Roger isn't motivated by politics," said David Chesnoff, a top Las
Vegas defense lawyer. "I'm absolutely convinced he does what he does because
he believes in public service. He's not a grandstander. He's thoroughly
prepared."
Las Vegas DA Will Prosecute O.J. Simpson
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
LAS VEGAS -- The district attorney who will prosecute O.J. Simpson on armed
robbery and kidnapping charges is known for being soft-spoken and
deliberate. But don't mistake David Roger for timid.
"He's a tenacious prosecutor," said longtime deputy public defender Joseph
Abood. "He's not shy about overcharging a case."
Roger, the Clark County district attorney, has declined to make any comment
about the Simpson case or himself since Simpson's arrest, even amid
criticism that he came down harder on Simpson than he would have on an
ordinary defendant.
Roger is given to one-word sentences and cultivates a reputation for saying
only what he can prove. It's both a personality trait and a lesson he
learned while handling some of the most notorious cases in the state's
largest and busiest court for 16 years before he was elected district
attorney in 2002.
Roger, a 46-year-old Republican, became a household name in Las Vegas in
2000 after winning convictions in the mysterious 1998 death of casino heir
Ted Binion. Headlines cast it as a murder plot hatched between two illicit
lovers _ former contractor Rick Tabish and former stripper Sandra Murphy,
who was Binion's live-in girlfriend.
Roger was not the prosecutor in 2004, when the two were retried and
acquitted of murder. They were convicted of conspiracy, burglary and grand
larceny in the theft of a $7 million in silver that Binion had buried in the
desert.
"In order to be successful in these kinds of cases, it requires extensive
corroboration of witnesses," said Charles Kelly, a former federal prosecutor
who compared the Binion and Simpson cases.
Roger "is a very technical trial lawyer, which will be particularly needed
in a case like this, where you have multiple defendants with dubious
character and credibility issues," Kelly said.
Simpson's lawyers stood on the courthouse steps after Simpson's arraignment
last week and proclaimed how impressed they were with Roger.
"I truly believe that he has been nothing but professional, courteous,
ethical," said Yale Galanter, Simpson's Miami attorney who reached a
handshake deal to free Simpson on $125,000 bail.
The kidnapping charges against Simpson, 60, and five other men could result
in sentences of life in prison with the possibility of parole. Each
defendant is also charged with conspiracy, assault with a weapon and two
counts of armed robbery _ allegations that could each result in mandatory
prison terms of 2 to 15 years, plus up to 15 more years for use of a gun.
Authorities allege the men barged into a hotel room at a casino Sept. 13,
held two memorabilia dealers at gunpoint, and made off with signed
footballs, baseballs, plaques, and three ties that Simpson was said to have
worn during his acquittal on murder charges 12 years ago.
George Foley Sr., 85, a defense lawyer in Las Vegas for 51 years, called the
two kidnapping charges "an awful blow" to Simpson, and predicted they would
provide leverage to reach a negotiated deal before trial.
"No matter how weak the prosecution is, the risk of two consecutive
sentences for kidnapping with a weapon is so great they're going to have to
take a deal," Foley said. "Roger learned this because of his experience."
Roger heads an office with 710 attorneys and staff members, a $65 million
budget and 58,000 cases annually. He picks several criminal cases a year to
try himself.
He handled the case of Utah siblings Beau and Monique Maestas, who pleaded
guilty last year in a 2003 knife attack that killed one little girl and left
another paralyzed.
Alzora Jackson, a public defender who represented Monique Maestas, also
faced Roger in the death penalty case involving a former bricklayer
sentenced to life in prison for dousing a Las Vegas cab driver with gasoline
and setting him ablaze in a botched robbery in 2004.
"I was surprised. He was very animated," Jackson said of Roger's
presentation to the jury, which she said contrasted with his demeanor
outside the courtroom.
Roger's personality is buttoned-down _ a dark suit and tie. He's not tall,
but he can look imposing behind his polished wooden desk. He drives a county
owned Crown Victoria sedan to work, where he earns just under $180,000 a
year. He drives a 2001 Acura at home.
Roger grew up in Oakland, Calif., and moved to Las Vegas with his family at
age 14. He's married to Susan Pate, another prosecutor in his office.
Roger is a past president of the Nevada District Attorneys Association. But
colleagues say he's not overtly political.
"David Roger isn't motivated by politics," said David Chesnoff, a top Las
Vegas defense lawyer. "I'm absolutely convinced he does what he does because
he believes in public service. He's not a grandstander. He's thoroughly
prepared."