What O.J. Simpson's life has been like in prison

LOVELOCK, Nev. -- (KTLA) -- O.J. Simpson has spent the past eight and a half years behind bars at Lovelock Correctional Facility, a medium security prison in Nevada's high desert.

Simpson — famously acquitted in 1995 in the slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman — has been serving out a nine-to-33-year sentence for his role in a 2007 incident that unfolded in a Las Vegas hotel room.

Simpson and armed associates allegedly confronted two memorabilia dealers and took pieces of memorabilia from them. Simpson was convicted on charges including kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. The former college and pro football star said at his sentencing that he was trying to reclaim family heirlooms and other personal items that had been stolen from him, and claimed that he was unaware his associates were carrying guns.

During his years in prison, Simpson has passed the time playing fantasy football, coaching softball, and, at least in the beginning, eating lots of junk food, according to guards and an inmate who were there with him. A representative for Simpson declined CNN requests for comment.

On Thursday, Simpson will have a hearing before the Nevada Board of Parole to decide whether he will be released from prison — and if parole is granted, Simpson could be released as early as October, parole board spokesman David Smith said.

Here's a look at Simpson's life as Lovelock's most famous prisoner.

Relationships with guards and inmates

Simpson would at times get teased about the killings and trial, former guards Jesse Mandoki and Jeffrey Felix recalled.

Both recalled a moment when Felix dropped a glove on the ground in front of Simpson and made a wisecrack about it fitting, an allusion to the famous moment during his trial.

Whether intentionally or not, Simpson was typically paired with a burly cellmate, said Greg Lewis, who spent seven years with Simpson as an inmate at Lovelock.

“His cell mates were usually bigger dudes that could take care of business if anybody hassled him,” he said.

But overall, “The Juice” has gotten along well with others in prison.

“Simpson has stayed out of trouble there,” said Brooke Keast, spokeswoman for the Nevada prisons system. “We haven't heard much from him.”

At his 2013 appearance before parole commissioners, Simpson described himself as a prison diplomat. “I'm sure the powers here know I advise a lot of guys,” Simpson testified to parole commissioners. “I'd like to feel I keep a lot of trouble from happening.”

Tom Scotto, a close friend who says he visited Simpson in prison dozens of times, also described him as a positive influence on the other inmates. “He brings everybody together, the skinheads, blacks, Mexicans,” he said.