Simpson: A Tale of Two Very Different Trials

LAS VEGAS — O.J. Simpson went on trial for kidnapping and robbery yesterday with a judge determined to find a jury unaffected by his long-ago "Trial of the Century."

"What happened then, happened then," Judge Jackie Glass told prospective jurors.

"If you are here and think you are going to punish Mr. Simpson for what happened in 1995, this is not the case for you," she said, urging them to confess if they had such a motive. All stayed silent.

Mr. Simpson and Clarence "C.J." Stewart, an old friend who went along on an ill-fated mission which Mr. Simpson claims was intended to reclaim personal property, have each pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, including felony kidnapping, armed robbery, conspiracy, burglary, coercion, and assault with a deadly weapon.