Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was in court again on Friday for an arraignment hearing in superior court in Fall River and after pleading not guilty to all six charges against him, the judge scheduled the next hearing in the case for October 9.
According to the live video from the courtroom, the judge ruled that an agreed date of October 9 was suitable in the case and at that date the two sides will hash out pretrial scheduling, bail allowance requests as well as judgment on motions, while a date for the actual trial to begin could also be discussed. Michael McCann, the legal analyst for SI.com, says that a trial sooner than Fall 2014 is unlikely and that Hernandez will be locked up until the trial begins due to the evidence against him and the gravity of the charges.
Hernandez was arrested for the murder of Lloyd the week after his body was found less than a mile from the home he shares with his girlfriend Shayanna Jenkins and the night Lloyd was killed, he texted his sister to let her know that he was with Hernandez, calling him "NFL". The 23-year-old has been in jail without bail since being arrested and reports have him orchestrating the murder after Lloyd and him had a disagreement about talking to certain people at a nightclub.
Other reports have Lloyd and Hernandez involved in drugs and one from the Boston Globe also alleges that the murder of Lloyd may have had to do with a double murder in Boston from last year. The report says that Hernandez may have killed Lloyd for knowledge about that crime and now he is back in jail awaiting his next hearing in October. The defense can ask for bail again at that later date, although it is likely that it will be denied.
The defense had Hernandez plead not guilty to all charges against him on Friday and that sets them up for a trial down the line. The defense feels that the case is not strong and the evidence against Hernandez is circumstantial at best. Another tough part will be the witness for the state if they choose to use him in accomplice Carlos Ortiz, who has prior charges and could get discredited. He said that another man, Ernest Wallace, also in custody, told him that Hernandez admitted to the crime, but he did not witness it. The case will be tough and the murder weapon has not yet been found.
