On June 26, 2013, former NFL player Aaron Hernandez shocked the entire nation with his arrest in connection to the Odin Lloyd murder case. The case garnered worldwide attention because of Hernandez’s involvement, ending his promising career. According to reports, the murder took place in the early hours of June 17, 2013. The authorities initiated an investigation into the case and started looking out for clues.
As soon as the investigation began, the authorities started searching Hernandez’s house. According to ABC News, the authorities searched the former NFL player’s home after they discovered a body not far from Hernandez’s home. Almost eight days after the initial search, the authorities apprehended Aaron Hernandez for Lloyd’s murder. He pleaded not guilty, as per CBS News. In January 2015, Hernandez went to trial in the Odin Lloyd murder case. The prosecution provided several pieces of evidence proving how Hernandez was responsible for Lloyd’s tragic demise.
Four months later, in April 2015, the prosecutors and Hernandez’s team delivered closing arguments. Meanwhile, on April 7, the jury started deliberating on the high-profile case. After eight days, the jury announced its verdict on April 15 and found Aaron Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder. As per CBS News, the former NFL player is sentenced to life in prison.
Aaron Hernandez murder case explored
As mentioned above, the former NFL player allegedly murdered Odin Lloyd in June 2013. Lloyd’s body was discovered one mile from Hernandez’s North Attleborough home. Although the authorities released Hernandez after the initial arrest, ABC News cited Bristol County Assistant District Attorney saying that “there is an overwhelming amount of evidence demonstrating” Aaron Hernandez’s guilt.
The aforementioned outlet also revealed details of Odin Lloyd’s brutal death. Citing the Assistant DA, the publication revealed that Lloyd tried defending himself by “putting up his arm” during the shooting. The DA added, “The first round struck him in the outside of his forearm, traveled through the inside of the forearm and entered his body.”
Additionally, the DA mentioned that Odin Lloyd began to turn and was shot twice in the back. Most importantly, the attorney also noted that Hernandez had two accomplices who also shot him “twice through the chest.” According to Esquire, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz were present when the shooting took place. The police searched Aaron Hernandez’s house twice before arresting him Hernandez’s June 26, 2013. A few days later, the messages between Hernandez and Lloyd surfaced in documents unsealed by the police.
As per Sports Illustrated, Lloyd and Hernandez messaged each other frequently. In one of the exchanges, Lloyd texted, “I’ll hit u when I’m dat way,” to which Hernandez replied, “Aite.” Following this, during the trial, the prosecutors presented surveillance video during the opening arguments. As per ABC News, the prosecutors showed the surveillance video as a series of still images in the trial.
According to the evidence, Hernandez is reportedly shown carrying what appears to be a gun. The prosecutors continuously claimed that Aaron Hernandez tampered with the surveillance cameras. However, the investigators successfully retrieved pictures from 14 different surveillance cameras. On the other hand, the defense team maintained that the former NFL player had no intent to kill. The lawyers also claimed that Hernandez didn’t tamper with any kind of footage.
Hernandez and his accomplices found guilty in Odin Lloyd’s case
After months of arguments, in April 2015, the jury found Aaron Hernandez guilty of the murder of Odin Lloyd. The court sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Meanwhile, the court sent his accomplices—Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace—to prison as well. According to NBC News, both received 4.5-7 years of prison sentence.
However, in 2017, Hernandez killed himself in his prison cell. He was 27. His life has been the subject of several documentaries over the years, which are currently available to see on Netflix and other streaming platforms.
