Aaron Hernandez Charged With Murder
As I noted earlier today, now-former Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez was arrested in connection with the death last week of an acquaintance of his and a week long investigation by local police. This afternoon, he was formally charged with murder and other charges:
Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder today for allegedly shooting and killing his friend, Odin Lloyd, 11 days ago.
Hernandez, who was taken out of his house in handcuffs this morning, appeared in gym shorts and a white T-shirt during his arraignment in Bristol County district court today. He remained silent as prosecutors read aloud the six charges he faces, including murder and weapons charges, and described the investigation into Lloyd’s death.
Prosecutors said they pieced together the night of Lloyd’s death using surveillance video culled from the area and cellphone records. Lloyd’s body was found June 17.
Prosecutors outlined a potential timeline of Hernandez’s allegedly driving to Lloyd’s home, picking him up, driving him back to North Attleborough, and allegedly firing two bullets at Lloyd, age 27.
(…)
Hernandez was ordered held without bail and will be taken to the Bristol County House of Correction, despite his lawyer’s insistence that he is no flight risk.
Hernandez is innocent until proven guilty, but things aren’t looking good for him.
I listened to live audio of the arraignment, and … man. I am as pro-defendant as you can get, but the facts as read by the prosecutor are pretty damning.
The victim’s girlfriend is the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee.
Hernandez and the victim had an argument at a night club a few nights before witnessed by several people.
Hernandez’s own home surveillance system captured video of him walking around with a gun in his hand the same night as the murder.
A rental car in Hernandez’s name had shell casings in it.
The keys to the car were in the victim’s pockets.
There is surveillance video showing Hernandez with the victim the same night as the murder.
The victim texted his girlfriend “NFL” and “Just so you know” right before the murder.
It’s circumstantial but wow. That looks bad.
I don’t get the NFL. Guy’s last name was Lloyd, but …?
Anyway, the Dolphins’ chances just got better.
This guy just signed a 50-something-million dollar contract.
Did he think he was going to get away with this?
What a maroon.
Yet another high-profile murder case that I don’t care at all about to take up cable news’s time.
@Anderson: no, the dolphins chances did not! the pats are a well managed team- they won 11 games without brady a few years ago. and no, i’m not a fan of them. why a big guy like hernandez needs a gun to do his talking is beyond the realm of stupidity.
Rational people think Hernandez is an idiot to have thrown away his entire career, particularly such a hugely lucrative one. But maybe Hernandez isn’t capable of thinking rationally. Whenever I read a story like this, I remember a guy in my high school class. He was a football star–but he was an incredibly violent, totally out-of-control character who would beat up people if he thought they were looking at him wrong. Or if he didn’t like what they were wearing. Or he didn’t like their hair color. Of if they were good students. Or if they were reading a book. Whatever. The point is, anything could set him off. He was enabled by the male faculty; I never could figure out if it was because they were afraid of him, or they admired him. After high school–he never went on to any further education or vocational training–he ended up getting fired from every job he held, and getting arrested on a nearly weekly basis for beating someone up in a bar. He’s probably dead now, if he’s not still in prison.
Kind of a small-scale Hernandez, whose motive for killing Lloyd was apparently that he was angry that Lloyd talked to some people in a nightclub whom Hernandez didn’t like. Do people with any capacity for rationality do that?
CSK raises the interesting question of rational behavior…not a lot of this makes sense to rational humans…who shoots someone for talking to the wrong people…which makes me wonder about ‘roid rage. Pure speculation of course.
Not just a new contract – he’s also a new father.
There must be someone (a friend or associate, who was with Hernandez), who talked to law enforcement in order to avoid a possible capital offense max-conviction.
The more we learn about Hernandez the more we see that he is was never far from the gangster-life that he seemed to prefer. Tough background and stereotypical signs of trouble ahead – troubled youth in Bristol CT, University of Miami for football, $40-$50 million dollar contract. He had a chance to leave the gangster life behind, but ….
@al-Ameda:
Massachusetts does not have the death penalty.
@Rick Almeida:
Thanks – I realize that. But might it have an effect on the severity (length) of sentencing?
@al-Ameda:
oops … University of Florida … still …
@al-Ameda:
I beg you pardon, I misread your comment. Apologies.