Some celebrities are just crazy. They do crazy things and end up getting arrested for it. Maybe it is a result of alcohol, or maybe they’re just terrible people. Or maybe the pressure of constant media attention finally got to them, as it so often does. Either way it sometimes only ends with a conviction. There are so many celebrities that have spent time in prison – Mike Tyson springs to mind – but what about celebrities in prison right now? Well there are a lot of them too! I thought I would list 5 interesting cases of celebrities in prison right now.
War Machine
War Machine is a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, who fought in the UFC at a very high level. Jonathan Koppenhaver was his birth name but he legally changed it to “War Machine” in 2008… that’s not a joke… his legal name is War Machine. He has a history of negative run-ins with the police, but in August of 2014 he went all in when he brutally assaulted his ex-girlfriend. His ex just so happened to be a popular porn star so the incident gained even more media coverage than it would have otherwise. She was taken to hospital for a slow recovery from her 18 broken bones and ruptured liver. War machine was arrested. He is currently in jail waiting for his trial, which is set for around summer-time 2016.
Suge Knight
Suge Knight is yet another of the celebrities in prison right now who are still awaiting their trial. Suge Knight is a hugely successful American hip hop producer. He has produced records for Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac. He has been to prison a couple of times, but he is currently in jail right now. Last year, he was charged with murder for the hit-and-run incident he was allegedly involved in. He pleaded not guilty and the judge initially set his bail for 25 million dollars. On hearing his bail was set so high, he collapsed in the courtroom. He is still in jail while his lawyers flounder around trying to get him out.
O. J. Simpson
O. J. Simpson is one that I’m sure you expected to see on this list. He’s much more famous for his legal troubles than he is for his actual career at this point. O. J. Simpson was an high-level American football player. In 1994, he was a accused of murdering his ex-wife, who was found stabbed to death. The case went to trial and received huuuge attention from the media. In a shocking and controversial decision, he was acquitted of the charges. If we’re being honest he was obviously guilty of killing her. He is currently in prison, not for this crime, but from a much less serious one. Of the celebrities in prison right now, the story of O. J. Simpson is probably the most bizarre. In 2008, he was given a 33 year prison sentence on a charge of kidnapping and armed robbery. It is unlikely he will ever get out of prison.
Phillip Harvey Spector
Phillip Harvey Spector is a really weird and interesting guy. Most people of my generation have never heard of him. But in his day he was a major celebrity. He was a record producer who worked with some of the 1960s most successful musicians – he even worked with the Beatles at one point. But in 2003, he completely sunk his reputation when he murdered the actress Lana Clarkson by shooting her in the mouth. He claimed that she commit suicide. But in 2009, it was decided that he did indeed murder her. He was given a 19 years to life sentence. This means we expect him to die in prison as he will be 88 years old at the time he may be granted (or denied) parole. It’s weird how someone so well respected would destroy their reputation at the age he did. Celebrities in prison right now can almost always look forward to their eventual freedom – just not Phil Spector.
Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius was the first man to compete in both the Olympic games and the paralympic games. But he is now much more famous for that one time he murdered his girlfriend #banter. In 2013, he shot his girlfriend to death at their home. She was on the other side of the bathroom door – he claimed that he believed her to be an intruder. No one believed him though, and he was eventually convicted of her murder. It was one of the most high-profile court cases in South-African history and has reported by news outlets all over the world. And for that, he is currently in prison. He hasn’t even received his sentence for the murder conviction yet – that will come in April of 2016.