AARON HERNANDEZ

AARON HERNANDEZ declarado culpable de homicidio y sentenciado a cadena perpetua

El ex jugador de los New England Patriots, Aaron Hernández, fue declarado culpable de homicidio en primer grado de Odin Lloyd, un jugador semiprofesional de fútbol americano originario de Boston, que salía con la hermana de su prometida.

Hernández fue acusado por el asesinato de Odin Lloyd en junio del 2013 y luego de un largo juicio que se extendió por 10 semanas y en el que testificaron 135 personas, 12 miembros que deliberaban desde el 7 de abril lo encontraron culpable de todos los cargos.

Tras seis días completos de deliberación, el jurado declaró a Aaron Hernández culpable de homicidio en primer grado y posesión ilegal de armas y municiones. El ex jugador de la NFL pagará sentencia de cadena perpetua sin derecho a fianza ni libertad condicional.

El puertorriqueño de 25 años de edad fue acusado de disparar contra Odin Lloyd, mientras que la defensa alegaba que Hernández estaba presente en el momento del asesinato, pero fueron dos amigos suyos los que dispararon.

El abogado defensor, James Sultan, le dijo al jurado que Hernandez fue "testigo" del asesinato de Lloyd, "cometido por alguien que él conocía", y que el exjugador de la NFL "realmente no supo qué hacer, así que puso un pie delante del otro" y continuó con su vida.

Otros dos hombres que eran traficantes de drogas mataron a Lloyd, le dijo Sultan al jurado.

La fiscalía alegó que Aaron Hernández, Carlos Ortíz y Ernest Wallace llevaron a Lloyd al Norte del parque industrial de Attleboro donde le dispararon y le quitaron la vida. El caso de Ortíz y Wallace se desarrolla en un juicio separado en el que Hernández aguardará veredicto.

La prometida de Hernández, Shayanna Jenkins, y su madre, Terri Hernández, estaban sentadas en primer fila, mientras que en el otro lado de la corte se ubicaron la madre de Lloyd y otros familiares, cuando fue anunciada la sentencia.

Aaron hernández escuchó la sentencia con calma, mientras su madre rompió en llanto.

Hernández será encarcelado en el MCI Cedar Junction en Walpole, prisión de máxima seguridad en Massachusetts, localizada a pocos minutos de distancia del Gillette Stadium, el cual fuera su hogar deportivo como miembro de los Patriots, donde tenía un contrato de $40 millones de dólares.

AARON HERNANDEZ:

Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison Wednesday in a deadly late-night shooting, sealing the downfall of an athlete who once had a $40 million contract and a standout career ahead of him.

Hernandez, 25, looked to his right, pursed his lips and sat down after the jury forewoman pronounced him guilty in the slaying of Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old landscaper and amateur weekend football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee. The conviction carried a mandatory sentence of life without parole and automatically triggers an appeal to Massachusetts' highest court.

Hernandez's mother, Terri, and his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, cried and gasped when they heard the verdict, and Lloyd's mother also cried. Jenkins wept loudly on his mother's shoulder. Hernandez, his eyes red, mouthed to them: "Be strong. Be strong."

The former football pro was also found guilty on weapons charges. The jury deliberated for 36 hours over seven days before rendering its verdict.

For reasons that were never made clear to the jury, Lloyd was shot six times in the middle of the night on June 17, 2013, in a deserted industrial park near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough.

Police almost immediately zeroed in on Hernandez because they found in Lloyd's pocket the key to a car the NFL player had rented. Within hours of Hernandez's arrest, the Patriots cut the former Pro Bowl athlete, who was considered one of the top tight ends in the game.

Prosecutors presented a wealth of evidence that Hernandez was with Lloyd at the time he was killed, including home security video from Hernandez's mansion, witness testimony and cellphone records that tracked Lloyd's movements.

Hernandez's lawyer, James Sultan, acknowledged for the first time during closing arguments that Hernandez was there when Lloyd was killed.

But the attorney pinned the shooting on two of Hernandez's friends, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, saying his client was a "23-year-old kid" who witnessed a shocking crime and didn't know what to do. Wallace and Ortiz will stand trial later.

Prosecutors have suggested Lloyd may have been killed because he knew too much about Hernandez's alleged involvement in a deadly 2012 drive-by shooting in Boston. But they were not allowed to tell the jury that because the judge said it was speculation.

As a result, they never offered a motive beyond saying Hernandez appeared angry with Lloyd at a nightclub two nights before the killing.

Hernandez faces further legal trouble: He is awaiting trial on murder charges in the drive-by shooting. He is accused of gunning down two men over a spilled drink at a nightclub.

In the Lloyd killing, the defense argued that investigators fixated on Hernandez because of his celebrity and conducted a shoddy investigation in their zeal to confirm their suspicions.

Prosecutors said Hernandez organized the killing, summoned his two friends to help carry it out and drove Lloyd and the others to the secluded spot in the industrial park. During closing arguments, prosecutors also accused Hernandez of pulling the trigger, though under the law it was not necessary to prove who fired the shots to convict him.

Security video from inside Hernandez's home showed him holding what appeared to be a gun less than 10 minutes after Lloyd was killed. The surveillance system also captured Hernandez, Wallace and Ortiz relaxing at his home hours after Lloyd was shot, hanging out in the basement "man cave," lounging by the pool and cuddling Hernandez's baby daughter.

Hernandez, a native of Bristol, Connecticut, was an All-American out of the University of Florida who was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round in 2010.