Aaron Hernandez charged with murder

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Aaron Hernandez charged with murder

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with first-degree murder and five other gun-related charges on Wednesday, as the prosecutor in court said Hernandez orchestrated Odin Lloyd's "execution."

Hernandez had been questioned in the killing of Lloyd, an associate of Hernandez who was found dead near Hernandez's house. Much of the case was laid out in court as the prosecutor asked the judge that Hernandez be held without bail – a request that was granted.

Some of the details are quite brutal:

To be clear: DA's saying #hernandez shot Lloyd three times right after Lloyd got out of the car. Then stood over him & put two in his chest.
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) June 26, 2013

Hernandez was transported by police to his arraignment at Attleboro District Court and arrived at the courthouse just before 2 p.m. Eastern. He was mostly expressionless as he heard the charges read in the courtroom, and didn't change expression as he heard the prosecutor outline the case against him. That included the prosecutor saying there was surveillance video of Hernandez with a gun the night Lloyd was shot. The prosecutor asked that Hernandez be held without bail, and despite Hernandez's lawyer Michael Fee's argument that Hernandez is not a risk to flee, the judge ordered Hernandez be held without bail.

Multiple reports said Lloyd's family was in the courtroom for Hernandez's arraignment.
Lloyd's body was found on June 17 near Hernandez's house. Police have investigated in and around Hernandez's house since then.
The prosecutor offered many details of the case against Hernandez. Hernandez was seen with Lloyd at 2:30 a.m. the morning he was found dead, according to the Boston Globe's Wesley Lowery, one of the reporters in the courtroom. Hernandez's phone included texts to Lloyd and two friends the night of the murder. According to Lowery, the prosecutor said police have Hernandez on tape with a firearm saying "you can't trust anyone anymore" before picking up Lloyd.

The prosecutor said in court that Hernandez is shown on video walking through his house with a gun in his hand, then Hernandez walks to the basement and the surveillance video turns off. There were six-to-eight hours of video missing after that.

On Wednesday morning before 9 a.m., police showed up at Hernandez's house and put him in handcuffs after he answered the door, then walked him to a police car and took him into custody.

Less than two hours after Hernandez was arrested, the Patriots cut him.