O.J.'s Delusional Accuser

Memorabilia dealer Beardsley once thought Simpson in plot to harm him

SEPTEMBER 24--One of the memorabilia dealers who has accused O.J. Simpson of armed robbery was once so mentally unstable that he was jailed in a prison psychiatric ward. In fact, Alfred Beardsley's delusions included his belief that the ex-athlete and others were conspiring to "get" him, according to court records obtained by The Smoking Gun.

The account of Beardsley, 45, is central to the prosecution of Simpson and several associates, all of whom have been charged with the September 13 gunpoint theft of sports memorabilia from a Las Vegas hotel room. Simpson contends that he and his posse went to the Palace Station hotel to recover collectibles--which were in the possession of Beardsley and fellow dealer Bruce Fromong--that had been stolen from him.

TSG has previously reported on Beardsley's criminal record, which includes a 2004 felony stalking conviction, prison time, and several restraining orders. But an incident in early-2000 may prove key to attacking the accuser's credibility in the Simpson case.

In January of that year, Beardsley was arrested on a pair of misdemeanor assault charges for trying to run another driver off the road. The fellow motorist was journalist Will Rogers, who had just written a story in California's Burbank Leader newspaper about Beardsley's purported plan to run for city council. The story, which was skeptical about the wannabe candidate's political future, apparently set off the erratic Beardsley, who would later admit to using his hulking frame (6' 6" and 270 pounds) to intimidate people.

In a sworn affidavit filed along with a restraining order application, Rogers detailed his interactions with the bizarre Beardsley. In an interview preceding the Leader story, Beardsley told Rogers that he was being harassed by Burbank's police, its city manager, and Mayor Stacey Murphy, whom, Beardsley claimed, was stalking him and "spreading false rumors that they are having an intimate personal relationship."

Beardsley also explained that he "hears voices" urging him to become mayor immediately, "to win control of the Burbank Police Department," according to Rogers's affidavit. And city residents, Beardsley claimed, "communicate with him by various signals, letting him know what they want him to do based upon their actions."

Then Beardsley focused on Rogers, who he insisted was "in on it," according to the journalist's affidavit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. "He said he believes I am now joined with--or that I am perhaps leading--efforts by Burbank's Mayor and O.J. Simpson to "get" him." Beardsley then asked Rogers, "How did they get to you?" and "Who put you up to this?"

In a TSG interview, Rogers recalled that Beardsley thought that the newsman was involved in a plot with Simpson and Burbank politicians to harm or kill him. He also said Beardsley--whose car had "BILLS32" vanity license plates--claimed after his arrest that Rogers had waved a gun at him during one of the road confrontations.

During his Burbank Leader interview with Rogers, Beardsley claimed that he was Simpson's personal assistant and managed the ex-athlete's memorabilia. In a subsequent conversation with Simpson's agent, Rogers reported that the former football star's representative said that Beardsley was "an obsessed fan who buys Simpson's memorabilia" and "is not employed in any way by Simpson."

Rogers's affidavit also includes his account of Beardsley's two road rage incidents. During one confrontation, Beardsley told Rogers, "It's just you and me now. I am going to get you." The hulking Beardsley also ominously warned that Rogers would "have a visitor in the night," adding, "You have had it, motherfucker! You are dead meat."

In the midst of the second vehicle chase, Rogers called cops, who responded to a Burbank street and arrested Beardsley, who had just exited his car and was approaching Rogers's automobile. In mid-January 2000, Beardsley was named in a misdemeanor complaint charging him with assault with a deadly weapon for his attempt to run Rogers off the road. At the same time, a judge signed a protective order barring Beardsley from stalking or having contact with Rogers and any members of Burbank's city council.

The order also warned Beardsley to "stay away from City Hall," where his strange behavior included a bizarre incident in which he showed up unannounced in the office of City Manager Robert Ovrom. According to a court affidavit sworn by Ovrom, Beardsley once walked into his office, locked the door behind him, and sat silently with "a glazed look on his face." Police responded to a call from Ovrom and escorted Beardsley from the building.

In February 2000, Beardsley copped a plea to a misdemeanor assault rap and was sentenced to 15 days in jail and placed on informal probation for three years. He was also fined $100 and ordered to complete a domestic violence counseling program.

But when Beardsley failed to appear for a subsequent court hearing, his probation was revoked and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. A court docket indicates that Beardsley missed that court appearance because he "was on a psychiatric hold at county jail." The decision to treat Beardsley in the jail's psychiatric unit apparently came after county officials successfully petitioned to have him formally committed pursuant to California's Welfare & Institutions Code. In connection with that application, Rogers submitted an affidavit "in support of petition for postcertification treatment." In preparing his affidavit, Rogers spoke with a prosecutor in the Los Angeles District Attorney's Psychiatric Section.

[In a police interview following the alleged Las Vegas memorabilia heist, Simpson told detectives, "Beardsley is certifiable."]

Three months after his guilty plea, Beardsley was released from custody and soon began attending a court-ordered domestic violence program. One progress report notes that, "client claimed he regrets enormously what he did." Another report indicates that Beardsley "admitted that he knows he has consciously intimidated people with his size and regrets this negative action. Client admitted that being more open with others has been good for his self-esteem, which is an issue with him. Client has progressed to this point."

Beardsley, who completed the batterers' program in June 2001, was arrested in October 2003 for threatening to kill the family of a California Highway Patrol officer following his arrest for public urination. An amended criminal complaint added felony stalking charges against Beardsley, who later pleaded guilty to terrorizing a former girlfriend. After violating terms of a related restraining order, Beardsley was re-sentenced to two years in prison.

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