O.J. Simpson Makes Bid for New Trial, in First Public Appearance in Four Years

May 13, 2013— -- Wearing a blue prison jumpsuit, O.J. Simpson arrived at a Las Vegas courthouse today looking heavier and grayer than the handsome sports hero who once dominated the football field and became an avid golfer in his retirement.

Simpson, 65, was in court today to request a new trial on the grounds that his former attorney mishandled the armed robbery-kidnapping case that landed him a nine-to-33 year prison sentence.

The former National Football League star smiled and joked with his legal team as an officer shackled his hands during the lunch recess. The 6-foot-2-inch former athlete, who was once at the top of his game as a Heisman winner, then limped out of the courtroom.

Simpson, known as Nevada inmate No. 1027820, was convicted in 2008 of leading a sports memorabilia heist at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room. His attorneys contend he was trying to recover personal photographs he believed had been stolen.

A hidden audio recorder in the room captured the altercation and was a key piece of evidence used to convict the ex-NFL player.

Simpson's appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court was denied in 2010. As his current sentence stands, he won't be eligible for parole until 2017, when he will be 70 years old.

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Simpson, who never testified at his 1995 trial in which he was acquitted of the murder of former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, or in his 2008 memorabilia-heist trial in which he was found guilty, is expected to take the stand this time.

Much of Simpson's testimony is expected to point fingers at his former attorney, Yale Galanter, who Simpson said fumbled the handling of his case.

In a sworn statement obtained by The Associated Press, Simpson said he told Galanter he'd planned to confront two sports memorabilia dealers to retrieve personal items he believed had been stolen from him.

"I fully disclosed my plan to Yale Galanter, and he advised me that I was within my legal rights," Simpson wrote. He added that Galanter told him it was acceptable as long as he did not trespass or use physical force.

Simpson also claimed in the statement that Galanter failed to tell him of a plea deal that would have gotten him two years in prison.

"Had I understood that there was an actual chance of conviction, I would have accepted such an offer," Simpson wrote in the statement.

Galanter did not immediately return ABCNews.com's request for an interview.

Simpson became an infamous and polarizing character when he stood trial for the 1994 murders of his former wife and her friend. He was acquitted on Oct. 3, 1995, and walked out of court a free man.

Thirteen years later, on Oct. 3, 2008, he was convicted on armed robbery and kidnapping charges.