Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez will be in Superior Court on Friday afternoon for the next stage in the process that could take him to trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd and he will be arraigned in court at 2 pm for the scheduled appearance.
Reports say that Hernandez may have to plead to the charges once again since the case is moving to superior court and more information about the case and the trial could come out when he appears in court on Friday afternoon. Hernandez was arrested for the killing of Odin Lloyd a week after the body was found less than a mile from his home in North Attleboro and he was released from the Patriots on the same day despite the team previously giving him a $40 million contract extension.
Check here for live coverage of the event or for more from Sports World Report on the case.
Hernandez was considered one of the top tight ends in the league and was one of the most versatile players on the Patriots, lining up at wide receiver, running back and at tight end. The 23-year-old is now in jail and could spend the rest of his life behind bars if he is convicted. Hernandez has been charged with first degree murder in the killing of Lloyd and he also has been hit with gun charges and that may be because the state knows there is a chance that Hernandez could get off due to the fact that murder weapon has not been found.
The defense has said that the evidence in the case is circumstantial and Hernandez is tied to the killing through video surveillance, text messages as well as shell casings, but the weapon that killed Lloyd, believed to be a .45 caliber gun, and has not been found. The police have searched a number of places related to the case, including Hernandez's home as well as residences of relatives in Bristol here is originally from. Two men from Bristol, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz are in custody and they have been charged in relation to the crime as well.
Ortiz appears to be talking to police, but if he is the eye witness against Hernandez in the killing, lawyers will try to discredit him as a drug addict with past police issues. Hernandez has been accused of being a heavy drug use of PCP by Rolling Stone and in that same article it says that Hernandez has been on the wrong path since dealing with the sudden death of his father.
Click here for the Hernandez court live stream.
Hernandez will appear in court on Friday for an arraignment in superior court and after that next appearance goes through, a trial date likely will be set in the case, although there is a chance that a plea or deal could come later down the line. Hernandez has professed his innocence and says that he is a good person in a jailhouse letter, but the trial will decide whether he is guilty or not. Hernandez could end up spending his life behind bars for his role in the crime and Ortiz has told police that Wallace told him that Hernandez admitted to killing Lloyd.
The body of Lloyd was found near Hernandez's home and surveillance shows his car leaving and coming back the night of the murder. Lloyd was killed after a dispute between the two at a nightclub according to lawyers and some reports have said that Lloyd knew about Hernandez's possible involvement in a double murder from Boston last year and that was why he was killed. Hernandez's hearing for his arraignment is scheduled for 2 pm Friday September 6.
