The Associated Press

Tue, Sep 23, 2008 (9:54 a.m.)

A longtime friend and former co-defendant with O.J. Simpson returned to the witness stand Tuesday to face cross-examination about his testimony that the former football star talked about needing a bail bondsman shortly after a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers.

Celebrity crime writer Dominick Dunne also returned to the courtroom and was greeted by Simpson in the hallway after his return from treatment Monday at a hospital.

"Mr. Dunne, nice to see you back," Simpson said, shaking the 82-year-old Dunne's hand.

Minutes later, trial resumed with former Simpson buddy Charles Ehrlich facing pointed questions from Simpson lawyer Yale Galanter about whether Simpson had any intention of committing a crime in the meeting with memorabilia peddlers Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley.

"Nothing illegal was going to occur, correct?" Galanter asked.

"Correct," Ehrlich answered.

"This was nothing but a recovery of stolen property, correct?"

"Correct."

Ehrlich, 54, of Miami, testified Monday he saw two people with guns during the alleged armed robbery and kidnapping at the Palace Station casino hotel a year ago.

One wielded a black gun, Ehrlich testified under questioning from Clark County District Attorney David Roger.

"It was being waved around," Ehrlich said.

Jurors have been told the gun was wielded by another former co-defendant, Michael McClinton, who took a plea deal in the case.

Ehrlich said he remembered someone shouting "put the gun away" or "put the gun down," and thought it was Simpson.

That would support testimony last week from Fromong, who testified last week he remembered Simpson waving his arm up and down while someone said to put the gun away.

But another man in the room, Thomas Riccio, the collectibles broker who arranged the Sept. 13, 2007, confrontation, has testified that he didn't hear anyone utter those words.

Ehrlich also told a story previously unheard in the case, saying that after the incident, a depressed Simpson told him: "I'm gonna need a bail bondsman."

"I said, 'O.J., these guys had guns.' He said, 'There were no guns' He sat down and started mumbling to himself: 'Why did I tell those two guys to come along?'"

Simpson and co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart have pleaded not guilty to 12 charges including armed robbery, coercion, assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping. They face prison if convicted.

Ehrlich faced the same charges until he pleaded guilty Aug. 4 to reduced charges _ attempted accessory to robbery and attempted burglary _ and agreed to testify for the prosecution. Ehrlich faces a possible sentence ranging from probation to five years in prison after Simpson's trial.

Simpson has said he didn't ask anyone to bring guns to the confrontation and that he didn't know anyone in the room was armed. Stewart maintains he relied on Simpson's assurances that he was only going to recover personal property.

Ehrlich traveled with Simpson from Florida to Las Vegas for the wedding of a mutual friend, and said he reluctantly agreed to pose as a buyer of Simpson memorabilia in a hotel room "sting" arranged by Simpson and Riccio.

Riccio finished three days of testimony Monday, acknowledging that while he received $210,000 from media deals he made after secretly recording the confrontation, Simpson had been insistent that he only wanted to recover personal family items allegedly were stolen from him. Riccio said Simpson also insisted that he was unaware of any weapons in the room.

"He said over and over again from immediately after that he saw no guns," Riccio said.

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AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.