By KEN RITTER

LAS VEGAS — O.J. Simpson and five co-defendants accused of kidnapping and robbing two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint will face an evidentiary hearing together on Nov. 8, a judge decided Thursday.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure Jr. ordered all six defendants and their lawyers to attend, kept Nov. 9 open in case the hearing runs long, and took several steps to consolidate the case.

“We’ll have a full day on Nov. 8 and a full day on Nov. 9,” the judge said after rejecting a request for a December date from a lawyer who said his partner in the case, a California attorney representing defendant Walter Alexander, might be tied up in a trial.

“I have to consider the state, co-defendants, witnesses (and) the general public,” Bonaventure said.

Simpson’s local lawyer, Gabriel Grasso, said outside court that Simpson will appear Nov. 8-9, along with his Miami-based attorney, Yale Galanter.

The former football star and the others are accused of holding memorabilia dealers Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley at gunpoint Sept. 13 in a Las Vegas hotel room and making off with boxes of autographed footballs and other collectibles. Simpson has claimed some of the items belonged to him.

Each man faces 10 charges including kidnapping, armed robbery, assault with a weapon, burglary and conspiracy. The kidnapping charge carries the possibility of life in prison if convicted.

Simpson, 60, of Miami, faces an 11th felony charge, coercion, stemming from allegations that he took a cell phone from Fromong.

The judge said he conferred Monday with most lawyers in the case to set the dates and coordinate hearings.

Officially, Bonaventure canceled preliminary hearings Thursday for two co-defendants, Michael McClinton, 50, of North Las Vegas and Charles Cashmore, 40, of Las Vegas.

The judge also arraigned Clarence Stewart, 53, of Las Vegas, who had been due for arraignment Oct. 17. Stewart appeared with his lawyer, Robert Lucherini, who entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.

Alexander, 46, of Mesa, Ariz., and Charles Ehrlich, 53, of Miami, did not attend.

But the judge acknowledged lawyer Martin Muckleroy’s appearance on Alexander’s behalf and canceled Alexander’s Oct. 16 arraignment.

That will make the preliminary hearing Alexander’s first court appearance in the case, Muckleroy said.

Clark County District Attorney David Roger did not oppose the new date.

He could present evidence behind closed doors to a grand jury before Nov. 8 instead of making it public.