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LOVELOCK, Nev. -- O.J. Simpson was granted parole Thursday after more than eight years in prison for a Las Vegas hotel heist, successfully making his case in a nationally televised hearing that reflected America's enduring fascination with the former football star.

With the ruling, the 70-year-old Simpson, who was convicted in 2008 of an armed robbery involving two sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel room, could be out of prison as early as Oct. 1 after serving the minimum nine years of a 33-year sentence.

When the final vote to grant parole was read after parole commissioners deliberated just over 30 minutes, Simpson lowered his head and then raised it up with a big smile.

EDITOR'S PICKS

Simpson's attorney, former guard trade barbs
Malcolm LaVergne, O.J. Simpson's attorney, and former prison guard Jeffrey Felix traded barbs after the hearing Thursday. During a recess in the hearing, Simpson, LaVergne and another man were caught talking, presumably about Felix.

How O.J. still made lots of NFL money in prison
Here's our calculation of how much money Simpson has earned during his eight-plus years in prison -- potentially more than $600,000 -- which depends on the age in which Simpson elected to begin drawing from his NFL pension.