Breaking News: Aaron Hernandez Found Guilty

Former New England Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez has been found GUILTY by a jury of his peers in the June 17th, 2013 shooting death of Odin Llyod. Hernandez, 25, was indicted by a Grand Jury in August of 2013 in the murder of his fiancés sisters boyfriend in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, as well as multiple gun related charges. He will be sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

Hernandez was released by the Patriots just ninety minutes after his arrest on June 26th, 2013. The trial has been a mainstay in both the sports and popular news over the past two years. The case has brought everyone from Hernandez’s fiancée to Patriots owner Robert Kraft to testify against Hernandez and his whereabouts on the night of Lloyds death.

Boston’s News Leader WCVB outlines the details of the faithful night which Odin Lloyd lost his life:

“Hernandez and two friends picked up Lloyd at home at 2:30 a.m. on June 17, prosecutors said. Surveillance footage from Hernandez’s home shows him leaving earlier with a gun. He also told someone in the house that he was upset and couldn’t trust anyone anymore, prosecutors said. After picking up Lloyd, Hernandez said he was upset with Lloyd because Lloyd had spoken with people Hernandez had trouble with during their outing to the nightclub, prosecutors said. After that conversation, Lloyd texted his sister, “Did you see who I am with,” prosecutors said. When his asked who, he answered at 3:22 a.m., “NFL,” then, a minute later, “Just so you know,” prosecutors said.””

Jun 20, 2013; North Attleborough, MA, USA; Police cruisers block the entrance to a landfill which has been searched in relation to a murder in the neighborhood of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The constant sticking point the defense maintained is that there we’re no known witnesses too the killing and that there was no murder weapon ever found. Hernandez’s fiancée testified that Hernandez asked her to throw out a box, which the prosecution attempted to imply contained the murder weapon. Surveillance tapes from Hernandez’s Bristol, Connecticut were also among nearly 500 pieces of evidence presented throughout the trial.

Hernandez was drafted in the forth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots out of Florida.  While playing at Florida, Hernandez was an All-American and All-SEC in the 2009 season. He was part of the Florida team that won an SEC Championship in 2008, followed by a National Championship victory in 2009. In his rookie season with the Patriots, Hernandez recorded 45 receptions for 563 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games played (7 starts). Prior to the 2012 season, the Patriots signed Hernandez to a five-year extension, running through 2018, that included a $12.5 million signing bonus, which is the largest signing bonus ever given to an NFL tight end.

The Patriots gave fans the opportunity to exchange their officially licensed Hernandez jerseys for other in-stock jerseys. During the two days the jersey exchange was offered, about 2,500 jerseys were exchanged. According to Patriots owner Robert Kraft, about $250,000 in revenue was lost due to the efforts to wipe Hernandez’s presence from the fan bases’ closets. After cutting Hernandez, the Patriots were forced to take on a $7.5 million salary cap charge in 2014. This was a result of the contract extension Hernandez signed through 2018, which included a $12.5 million signing bonus and enough incentives to make the contract worth almost $40 million.

Hernandez  is also under investigation for an alleged double homicide that occurred in Boston back in 2012.  On May 15, 2014, Hernandez was indicted on murder charges for the murder of Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu, 29, and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, 28. Hernandez is also under investigation for a 2013 Miami shooting, which resulted in the victim loosing his eye. He is expected to be arrested immediately after the conclusion of the Lloyd trial to face those additional charges.

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