Simpson Charged With Gun Scheme In New Testimony

Simpson is charged with kidnapping and armed robbery charges relating to a September 2007 encounter with sports memorabilia dealers Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintains he and five associates entered Fromong's Las Vegas hotel room to recover stolen goods that belonged to the former sports star.

Walter Alexander took the stand at Nevada's Clark County Court on Thursday (25Sep08), recounting his memory of Simpson's words just hours before the alleged heist.

Alexander, 47, recalled: "He said, 'I need someone to watch my back... Do you think you could get some heat?... I just need you all to bring the guns, but you don't need to bring them out. Just carry the guns and have them in your waist band."

He continued, telling the jury that his friend, Michael 'Spencer' MCClinton displayed his gun permit to Simpson, adding: "Spencer automatically spoke up and said, 'Hey man, no problem. I got plenty of heat.'

"He (Simpson) said… just put them in your waistbands, and when you go up in the room, kind of open up your jackets just so that they see you got 'em and they know that we mean business'."

Simpson, seen shaking his head during the testimony, has insisted he didn't know guns were involved and that he only wanted to retrieve stolen family heirlooms when he confronted the two dealers in a Las Vegas hotel on 13 September 2007.

MCClinton is among the four cohorts - including Alexander - involved in the incident, who have cut deals to testify against Simpson.

The trial continues.