Aaron Hernandez guilty of murder, Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been found guilty of the murder of his friend Odin Lloyd, who was shot dead near the player’s home in Massachusetts in June 2013.
Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole, a spectacular fall from grace for a player who had a $40m contract with the Patriots but was cut by the team within hours of his arrest.The 25-year-old was also found guilty on each of five weapons charges: one count of carrying a firearm without a license, two counts of carrying a large capacity firearm, one count of possession of a firearm without a firearm identification card, and one count of possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card.
Hernandez’s mother Terri and fiancee Shayanna Jenkins wept in the courtroom as the jury forewoman read the verdict, which came after seven days of deliberations in Bristol superior court. Jenkins cried on Hernandez’s mother’s shoulder.
Shortly afterwards, Judge Susan Garsh sentenced Hernandez to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the mandatory sentence in Massachusetts for first-degree murder. Hernandez mouthed to his family: “Be strong. Be strong.”
The prosecution said that Hernandez killed Lloyd because he was angry that he had talked to some men Hernandez did not like at a nightclub. At the time, Lloyd was dating the sister of Jenkins. Hernandez later picked up Lloyd, drove him to an industrial park and killed him, prosecutors argued.
Two other men, Carlos Ortiz, 28, and Ernest Wallace, 42, have been charged with murder and are said to have been with Hernandez at the time of the killing. They are being tried separately and both have pleaded not guilty.
The evidence against Hernandez was strong. Security video at his home showed Hernandez holding what appeared to be a gun 10 minutes after Lloyd’s death. A marijuana joint found close to Lloyd’s body had the DNA of both men on it. Hernandez’s lawyers also admitted he had been present at the murder scene but said he had nothing to do with the murder.
“Did he make all the right decisions? No,” Hernandez’s lawyer James Sultan said during his closing arguments. “He was a 23-year-old kid who witnessed something, a shocking killing, committed by someone he knew. He didn’t know what to do, so he just put one foot in front of the other.”
The prosecution called 131 witnesses during the trial. They included Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who said he had seen Hernandez two days after the killing, when his former employee had denied any part in the murder.
Hernandez was one of the best tight ends in the NFL at the time of the murder. He entered the league in 2010, and in his second game became the youngest player in 50 years to have 100 receiving yards in a game. In 38 games, he had 175 catches for a total of 1,956 yards but the number would have been much higher if it had not been for series of injuries. Before his arrest in 2013 he was voted the 77th best player in the NFL by his fellow professionals.
Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole, a spectacular fall from grace for a player who had a $40m contract with the Patriots but was cut by the team within hours of his arrest.The 25-year-old was also found guilty on each of five weapons charges: one count of carrying a firearm without a license, two counts of carrying a large capacity firearm, one count of possession of a firearm without a firearm identification card, and one count of possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card.
Hernandez’s mother Terri and fiancee Shayanna Jenkins wept in the courtroom as the jury forewoman read the verdict, which came after seven days of deliberations in Bristol superior court. Jenkins cried on Hernandez’s mother’s shoulder.
Shortly afterwards, Judge Susan Garsh sentenced Hernandez to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the mandatory sentence in Massachusetts for first-degree murder. Hernandez mouthed to his family: “Be strong. Be strong.”
The prosecution said that Hernandez killed Lloyd because he was angry that he had talked to some men Hernandez did not like at a nightclub. At the time, Lloyd was dating the sister of Jenkins. Hernandez later picked up Lloyd, drove him to an industrial park and killed him, prosecutors argued.
Two other men, Carlos Ortiz, 28, and Ernest Wallace, 42, have been charged with murder and are said to have been with Hernandez at the time of the killing. They are being tried separately and both have pleaded not guilty.
The evidence against Hernandez was strong. Security video at his home showed Hernandez holding what appeared to be a gun 10 minutes after Lloyd’s death. A marijuana joint found close to Lloyd’s body had the DNA of both men on it. Hernandez’s lawyers also admitted he had been present at the murder scene but said he had nothing to do with the murder.
“Did he make all the right decisions? No,” Hernandez’s lawyer James Sultan said during his closing arguments. “He was a 23-year-old kid who witnessed something, a shocking killing, committed by someone he knew. He didn’t know what to do, so he just put one foot in front of the other.”
The prosecution called 131 witnesses during the trial. They included Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who said he had seen Hernandez two days after the killing, when his former employee had denied any part in the murder.
Hernandez was one of the best tight ends in the NFL at the time of the murder. He entered the league in 2010, and in his second game became the youngest player in 50 years to have 100 receiving yards in a game. In 38 games, he had 175 catches for a total of 1,956 yards but the number would have been much higher if it had not been for series of injuries. Before his arrest in 2013 he was voted the 77th best player in the NFL by his fellow professionals.
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