Early Birds Get ‘Hottest Seats in Town’ : Spectators: Even some who arrived before sunrise were turned away for the 10 coveted spots set aside for the public inside the courtroom. ‘This is the case of all cases,’ says one court watcher.

The line started behind Max Troccoli and his buddy Edward Lozano, who spent the night dozing in beach chairs in front of the locked doors of the Los Angeles County Criminal Courts Building.

They are veterans when it comes to camping out for big events. They slept on a sidewalk to get tickets to a U2 concert. Same thing for Pink Floyd.

So Troccoli and Lozano, ages 23 and 24, thought nothing of braving the cool night air to witness the most celebrated preliminary hearing ever.

On Thursday, they were first in line for the hardest-to-get seats in town. Only 10 members of the public were allowed into the courtroom to watch the case against O.J. Simpson unfold. More than 50 people--many who arrived just before sunrise--were turned away.

“I missed the Menendez trial and I couldn’t miss this one,” said Troccoli, a Hollywood cable television installer who arrived at 12:30 a.m. “Someone of O.J. Simpson’s caliber accused of double murder? Nothing compares to this.”

Every high-profile trial, especially a murder case, attracts its share of looky-loos--the curious and faithful who descend on the courthouse early in the morning with blankets in hand to claim a limited number of public seats.

The rule of thumb during the federal trial of the police officers who beat Rodney G. King was to show up by dawn for a guaranteed spot among the spectators. The same went for the trial of the men accused in the beating of Reginald O. Denny. But Ana Hernandez, 69, learned the hard way that in the O.J. Simpson case none of the old rules apply.

“I used to get to the Rodney King trial at 5:30 a.m. for a seat,” said Hernandez, who was 23rd in line when she arrived at her usual time. “This is something else.”

Indeed, four of the 10 people granted seats had arrived by 1 a.m., and the rest were there by 4 a.m. A few were self-proclaimed court watchers, while several others were die-hard Simpson fans. All said they wanted to hear for themselves what evidence the prosecution had collected against the former football star.

“I believe he is innocent,” said Latasha Taylor, 19, standing eighth in line and clutching a scrapbook of newspaper and magazine photos of Simpson. “I guess you could say I’m a huge fan. I think he’s very handsome. . . and he’s a Cancer, like me.”

Spectator Heidi Romeo, 30, who recently graduated from law school, was more interested in Simpson’s high-powered team of lawyers, however.

“I really want to see the attorneys in action,” said Romero, who arrived with her mother shortly after Troccoli and Lozano. “This is all everyone is talking about. If you hang around my friends, the topic is either the Bar exam or this.”

Then there were the regulars, who spent the early morning hours swapping war stories.

“I was the last one to get in the courtroom when they read the verdicts in the Rodney King case in Simi Valley,” boasted Linda Johnson, 37, of Los Angeles, who landed the sixth place in line on Thursday. “When the verdicts were read, I put my face in my hands and I wept.”

She showed up at the Simpson hearing wearing a T-shirt that read: “Pray for O.J.”

“This is the biggest mystery of the century,” she said. “It’s like a mystery movie. Don’t get me wrong: It’s a serious matter because two people are dead. But I hate that O.J. is caught up in this situation, whether he is innocent or guilty. I’m here because I want to see him get a fair trial, one way or the other.”

Her sister, Rose Brown, 46, another courtroom veteran, said: “To me, all these cases speak of the ills of our society. We as a people are becoming more violent toward each other. I’m here to pray for all involved.”

Richard Burns, a laid-off aerospace worker, has made court watching his hobby. He has won himself a seat at some of the biggies--Denny, King, Menendez. But he barely made the cut Thursday, taking the last spot.

“This is the case of all cases,” said Burns, of Torrance. “It’s the hottest ticket in town. Not only in town but all over the world. It’s much better to see it in person than on TV.”

The latecomers, however, would have to settle for just that.

“I would have sure liked to have gone in,” said Jim Fair, a tourist from Montgomery, Ala. who showed up at the courthouse at 5 a.m, landing him the unlucky position of 13th in line. “I guess I’ll go back to the hotel room to watch it on TV.”