The Aaron Hernandez case is back into court on Wednesday for a pretrial hearing regarding motions in his murder case and after appearing at 2 pm and going over a range of issues, the judge and the lawyers in the case scheduled hearings and other motions, including one for December 13 later in the year at 2:30 pm regarding more issues in the trial.
Hernandez's attorney's asked that his handcuffs be removed in the hearing on Wednesday and that was granted and there were a number of other motions, including about media leaks and discovery evidence in the case. Hernandez was also asked and granted about being present at each hearing in the case and that was allowed for Hernandez because of the gravity of the charges and the judge also set a number of new dates in the case, including in October for a recusal of the judge and then later for more on discovery. The judge did not set a trial date in the case and Hernandez was asked to take the stand in regards to issues with his lawyer, as one shares a firm with the prosecution's lawyers wife and after being asked about it, he said he wanted to continue having him represent him.
Hernandez was asked about his schooling, saying he was in college for three years, while he was also asked about his profession, which obviously was as a pro football player. Hernandez's fiancé was not present for the hearing on Wednesday, as she likely is dealing with her own issues regarding perjury charges in the case. Hernandez said that he understood that his charges could mean life in prison and he said that he wanted to have his lawyer continue to represent him.
Hernandez was brought out of court soon after the hearing ended and now the next date will be later in October before another important hearing in December for issues regarding motions and discovery of evidence. Some legal experts have speculated that the trial date could be set for next summer or possibly in the fall and that the slow nature of the case is due to making sure that Hernandez can get a fair trial and that both sides are prepared to argue their case.
Hernandez spoke calmly and was collected while talking to the judge and he was asked to state his name and age for the court as it began and he also said that he understood exactly what the judge was referring to. Hernandez said that he spoke with his lawyers from the beginning about a possible conflict of interest and that he was okay with continuing to have his lawyer represent him.
The judge spoke about the recusal motion and that will be picked up later on and it could be a risky proposal, as it may not go through and that could get the judge to be a bit angry towards the prosecution. The motion of recusal was brought by the prosecution and perhaps it was done because they feel another judge could get the conviction.
