My feeling is this will be overturned on appeal. While there was evidence and an admission he was at the scene, there simply was no evidence he was the killer. A lot of supposition as to which of the three men present was the killer, and that won't sustain a life in prison term. All said, huge shortcoming from the Patriots for not being aware of his circle of friends and his pot use. This stuff is know in locker rooms.
3
How stupid and incompetent of the defense lawyers to admit that Hernandez was at the scene of the crime when Lloyd was murdered. There is no question Hernandez was involved but not enough evidence to find him guilty of first degree murder. There was no weapon found. There was no premeditation. The jurors in interviews after the trial keep talking about Hernandez' "indifference" and "lack of emotions". However, an opinion formed by considering the defendants facial expressions and behavior are not sufficient to send someone away for life. The evidence in this case was entirely circumstantial. I will no doubt incur the wrath of the haters and all the judgmental people out there for posting this but I do believe the jury got this wrong based on the law. There was barely enough evidence for a second degree murder conviction at best. No doubt he was involved but insufficient evidence for first degree murder and a sentence of life without parole. The American justice system sucks and many people are wrongly convicted or convicted of the wrong crime.
3
With you 100%.
3
Nothing sadder in life than wasted talent.
3
"Mr. Hernandez played on a Florida team that had numerous encounters with the police. Between 2005 and 2010, players were arrested at least 31 times on charges as varied as underage drinking, disorderly conduct, stalking and assault." That pretty much says it all. College coaches are the enablers of bad conduct, hushing it up, bailing out players involved in serious infractions, and downplaying the severity of college players' problems. Tom Osborne was the great enabler of Lawrence Phillips, Although the sixth overall draft pick, Phillips was dropped from seven pro teams because of his thuggery - assaults against women. domestic abuse, sexual abuse, false imprisonment, auto theft. Osborne, who had excused and enabled Phillips's bad behavior, became Nebraska's athletic director. And so it goes, in almost every big name college program in the country. If you want to weed out behavior problems from the NFL, start at the source: college football.
5
It is common practice for criminal lawyers to put the police on trial for sloppy practices. In this case the similarly maligned police provided a web of evidence so tight that the lawyers had no place to turn. Kudos to the police.
It's nice to see some good news about police work for a change.
It's nice to see some good news about police work for a change.
3
As a football fan, I am very sad, because AH was a gifted NFL tightend. He could run, block, and catch with the best of them. On a personal level, the killing of Odin Loyd seemed very personal and brutal. It was a heinous crime.
3
Living in Boston, the best part about this conviction is that I never have to hear about Hernandez and his shenanigans again. May the victims of his crimes find peace.
3
I don't think Aaron Hernandez killed that kid Lloyd. Hernandez's step father stabbed his mother but yet Hernandez didn't have his stepfather killed. If he were a killer the stepfather would be dead, no question. People kill for their mothers honor way over an insult or money. Hernandez may know something about the murder of Lloyd, but I don't think it was him.
2
Brilliant! It was probably suicide (or the butler with a candlestick).
6
I find it interesting that so many readers who were not jurors, who did not hear the evidence can have opinions about Hernandez's innocents or guilt.
As for the fact that he was convicted on circumstantial evidence, that is the most reliable form of evidence. Eye witness testimony has been proven time and time again to be unreliable.
As for the fact that he was convicted on circumstantial evidence, that is the most reliable form of evidence. Eye witness testimony has been proven time and time again to be unreliable.
10
I'm no football fan, but I'm astounded at the inferences people are making here about football players (not to mention silly assumptions about wealth immunizing someone against violence; look at Robert Durst.] According to an earlier NYT article, (quoting a USA Today survey,) "...over the nearly 15 years that the USA Today data goes back, the 713 arrests mean that 2.53 percent of [NFL] players have had a serious run-in with the law in an average year. That may sound bad, but the arrest rate is lower than the national average for men in that age range." And who, besides Hernandez, has been convicted of murder? Another thing the article notes is that the largest number of arrests are for DUI's; and there is a wide variation among teams. The Patriots are down near the bottom with 15 arrests in 14 years, compared to the Minnesota Vikings with 44 arrests in the same time frame. Hernandez may be a bad guy, but that doesn't implicate the whole team, much less the league.
2
Did he want a golden ticket out- or to stay and be the prince of thugs?
1
The Pats really can't walk away clean on this. They had an athlete, a human being, who they valued at 40 million buck but apparently took no actions to insure their investment would pay off. They knew Mr. Hernandez' past. A few hundred grand spent to counsel and even shepherd Mr. Hernandez, if deemed necessary, into his teammates lives and away from his demons may have yielded an all-pro player. I saw an article, I believe in the NYT, about how some soccer clubs spent the time and money to integrate foreign players into the new teams and cities which yielded far better players than those clubs who didn't spend the time and money. The situation is directly analogous here.
5
I used to believe that national level sports teams weeded the thugs out of their ranks decades ago. Now I think they look for them. On-field stats are the only determining factor to who makes the cut.
2
Even though I think football should be called butt ball, I feel for Alex Hernandez. If he hadn't got swept up by the NFL glory parade, he might be just another street hood looking for a sweet spot and hoping to get by, just like the rest of us.
Something tells me he won't be the last professional athlete to go to prison. None of the sports organizations are concerned about anything but signing a "talent". I have not read any news about these profitmongers making a firm decision to change their scouting routines to rule out people with any criminal behavior.Their blinders are on from Day One, and to these money mongers, the past is history and tomorrow's a mystery. And now the mystery of Aaron Hernandez is solved. Good riddance.
That blank remorseless stare in Hernandez' eyes is a common sight in sociopathic people.
That blank remorseless stare in Hernandez' eyes is a common sight in sociopathic people.
1
In a sense, no prison sentence can be too long in the case of first-degree murder- because no sentence can ever restore a murder victim's life. But Aaron Hernandez's sentence - life in prison without possibility of parole - is excessive, both in a crudely practical sense (what will it cost to imprison him for life?) but also because it would be appropriate only in more extreme circumstances - such as a case of multiple victims, for example.
I would make the same objection to the sentence handed down to Jodi Arias the other day. The fact that her case became a cause célèbre - and the fact that, in court, she seemed so cold and incapable of realizing the gravity of her crime - coupled with perhaps less-than-capable legal representation - were the chief - and mostly irrelevant - reasons that she will spend the rest of her natural life in jail without parole.
As to Aaron Hernandez's defense, I ask: "How can a charge of first-degree murder be defended in a single day?"
The murder of Odin Lloyd urgently needed to be punished - and in such a way as to satisfy a need for retribution as well as to deter more crimes like it.
But I still say that, as a country, we need to start a national conversation as to the ethics - and practicality - of destroying lives with life-long imprisonment and no parole under conditions where there's no attempt at an assessment of the possibility of reforming offenders, or of whether or not they will forever pose a threat to society.
I would make the same objection to the sentence handed down to Jodi Arias the other day. The fact that her case became a cause célèbre - and the fact that, in court, she seemed so cold and incapable of realizing the gravity of her crime - coupled with perhaps less-than-capable legal representation - were the chief - and mostly irrelevant - reasons that she will spend the rest of her natural life in jail without parole.
As to Aaron Hernandez's defense, I ask: "How can a charge of first-degree murder be defended in a single day?"
The murder of Odin Lloyd urgently needed to be punished - and in such a way as to satisfy a need for retribution as well as to deter more crimes like it.
But I still say that, as a country, we need to start a national conversation as to the ethics - and practicality - of destroying lives with life-long imprisonment and no parole under conditions where there's no attempt at an assessment of the possibility of reforming offenders, or of whether or not they will forever pose a threat to society.
12
You have got to be kidding.
7
Right on. Our prison systems are a huge waste of money.
2
I have no specific knowledge of the defense, or the quality of lawyering, in this case; however, I feel confident in asserting that it wasn't defended in a single day. It was defended every day during the course of the trial, through arguments on evidentiary issues, cross-examining of the witnesses, etc. Often the best defense is to discredit the state's case through words from the mouths of its own witnesses.
2
Makes me wonder why we support this garbage which professional sports has become. WAY too much money, very unhealthy commercialized business. Huge character issues and greed all over the place.
Anybody for a boycott of pro sports? Sign me up! We have too many actual real problems than to create artificial ones by supporting this behemoth corrupt business, with its endemic drugs and violence.
Anybody for a boycott of pro sports? Sign me up! We have too many actual real problems than to create artificial ones by supporting this behemoth corrupt business, with its endemic drugs and violence.
17
Be careful here folks. This is America and a lot of innocent people go to jail. Their was no physical evidence, only circumstantial evidence. Appeals may very well result in a different verdict.
8
I was curious to know about the early life of Aaron Hernandez. I found it here http://newsjagot.blogspot.com/2015/04/aaron-hernandez-wasted-his-bright-...
There was Hernandez' DNA on the joint and there was the bubble gum....
2
He admitted he was there. Maybe he didn't pull the trigger but he was the big shot and could have put a stop to it.
I'm sick of people demanding 100% perfection from the justice system and absolutely zero common sense or common decency from criminals.
Maybe he didn't pull the trigger, but he hung out with the killers and was at the killing.
Here is a tip I figured it out in Jr. High: If you don't want to be taken for a felon it's not enough to simply not commit any. You also have to not hang out with felons or go to places where felonies happen. It's pretty easy really.
Congratulations to the level headed jury. You won't have to live with the shame that haunts the people on OJ Simpson's jury....
I'm sick of people demanding 100% perfection from the justice system and absolutely zero common sense or common decency from criminals.
Maybe he didn't pull the trigger, but he hung out with the killers and was at the killing.
Here is a tip I figured it out in Jr. High: If you don't want to be taken for a felon it's not enough to simply not commit any. You also have to not hang out with felons or go to places where felonies happen. It's pretty easy really.
Congratulations to the level headed jury. You won't have to live with the shame that haunts the people on OJ Simpson's jury....
4
This is a really tough sentence. Justice is certainly not even in the US. I suppose Hernandez figured that if OJ walked any football star could. The evidence against OJ was overwhelming. The glove show was a joke. Had OJ gotten justice I wonder if others might have thought twice.
4
Why didn't Aaron Hernandez testify at his trial? I know that he has a constitutional right not to testify, but why did he exercise that right?
1
Because he was guilty as sin and his lawyers did not want the prosecutors ripping him apart in cross examination.
6
How does someone has the mind to kill another just for having an inconsequential conversation with other people? Worse, this killing did not happen in a fit of instant rage; it was planned.
6
The theory is that Lloyd was talking about the 2012 double murder (with which Hernandez is now charged). Hernandez was angry and wanted to quiet him-permanently. So, if true, the conversation was quite important /consequential. This was reported in the media after he was arrested but not introduced at trial.
1
Long before the murder, Aaron Hernandez had deafened one man and shot another in the eye in violent, unprovoked assaults. Reportedly, the University of Florida football program intervened several times when Hernandez assaulted innocent people for 'dissing' him to keep him from being arrested. Too bad. Maybe if U. Florida had stayed out of the way, Hernandez would have wound up in jail for his thuggery before somebody lost their life to this jerk.
37
Hopefully the subsequent civil suit(s) will resolve Mr. Hernandez's worries on what to do with the remainder of his squandered fortune.
6
25 years old, a father, no remorse. It states everything that is wrong with professional sports.
16
I couldn't stand to see this guy laugh during the trial like if it one big party. Even if he didn't do it he showed a callousness that was very disturbing.
9
I believe human beings are capable of the most remarkable distinctions; not for nothing have they often called themselves the rational species.
Some can make the distinction between the often ferocious nature of sport and life off field. Mr Hernandez, in contrast, either failed or did not care to make that distinction.
It is a pandemic. Some can understand the distinction between being among the enemy and being among fellow civilians, and others either fail or are unwilling to make that distinction. I wonder if our militarized police suffer from this confusion sometimes.
But it is neither activity itself that ever is the flaw. There is no flaw in the sport, and there is no flaw in policing, or in warriors properly kept across the Rubicon.
The flaw is in the individuals, who fail to grasp the most critical distinctions, either by neglect or disregard. No matter: let justice always fall on their heads for not keeping things straight when such terrible consequences are on the line.
Some can make the distinction between the often ferocious nature of sport and life off field. Mr Hernandez, in contrast, either failed or did not care to make that distinction.
It is a pandemic. Some can understand the distinction between being among the enemy and being among fellow civilians, and others either fail or are unwilling to make that distinction. I wonder if our militarized police suffer from this confusion sometimes.
But it is neither activity itself that ever is the flaw. There is no flaw in the sport, and there is no flaw in policing, or in warriors properly kept across the Rubicon.
The flaw is in the individuals, who fail to grasp the most critical distinctions, either by neglect or disregard. No matter: let justice always fall on their heads for not keeping things straight when such terrible consequences are on the line.
4
I am so glad that this fellow will serve time without the possibility of parole. Twenty-five, and because of a lack of self-control, an exaggerated sense of entitlement, a hubris without bounds, his life is gone. A good lesson for other twenty-somethings out there who like to push people around whilst thinking they are immune from consequences. I'm only sorry that my tax dollars will be used to keep him alive.
18
It's good your tax money will feed him for life. Better that than a savage state which kills.
7
....and a lot less expensive.
2
I wonder if Mr. Hernandez will continue his predatory behavior like former heisman favorite (and convicted felon) Lawrence Phillips, charged with murdering his cellmate last week. And being a CU Buff fan, nobody disappointed me quite like Rae Carruth.
8
Did you attend CU, I did?
I wonder what the surviving attorneys who sprung OJ must be thinking. They got their client off the hook with a mountain of evidence against him- a lot more probative evidence then there was in this case, even though the verdict was right.
2
Please don't ever compare the OJ trial to what should pass for jurisprudence. That trial was the epitome of a kangaroo court. At least OJ eventually got what was coming to him.
7
One is dead (Cochrane) and I doubt the rest are giving their ex-client a single thought.
5
There actually was no convincing evidence against OJ. That's why the jury came to their verdict so quickly. The police all perjured themselves and OJ had no motive and there was never a murder weapon found. For example, picture OJ leaving his home dressed as the prosecutors said he did, with dress shoes and socks, a jogging suit, and a knit cap and ill fitting gloves. This alone is so silly as to acquit. LOL.
A very bad man. I give thanks and praise the trial was not in Florida. I still find it amusing when people are surprised that a wealthy person could engage in such criminal acts. A thug is a thug, whether they have money or not.
15
Let me guess, no statement will be forthcoming from the commissioner of the NFL, any of the billionaire owners, or the New England Patriots. Nope, just divert attention with endless pre-draft drivel.
15
Credit to the reporter on this. I haven't followed this trial at all, and this piece summarized a lot of ground in a smooth fashion. Good job.
20
So pay people lots of money, pump them up with steroids (and pretend you don't know), and expect, what, peace and love from gentle giants? Professional sports - football, baseball, cycling - why bother anymore? We are watching who functions best on what combination of drugs.
That said, I don't get the sentencing in this country. It's almost random, depending on a jury of so-called peers, on a judge who may react altogether unpredictably (see Atlanta yesterday), and the very disgusting idea that other people's trouble are our entertainment.
How do you get life without parole on largely circumstantial evidence?
That said, I don't get the sentencing in this country. It's almost random, depending on a jury of so-called peers, on a judge who may react altogether unpredictably (see Atlanta yesterday), and the very disgusting idea that other people's trouble are our entertainment.
How do you get life without parole on largely circumstantial evidence?
9
Incredibly well put. Although his past is a strong indicator that he may have likely committed the act, there just wasn't enough to convict him of first degree murder.
5
There was his DNA at the crime scene and on the chewing gum which was used as a wrapper for the spent bullet thrown in the trash can. Good you weren't on the jury.
3
Well, the "judge in Atlanta" strongly counseled those defendants to accept the plea offers made to them by prosecutors, before sentence was imposed, and yet none of them did so. As for Hernandez, there is nothing weak at all about the mountain of evidence that existed to show that he committed this crime. A huge part of the "circumstances" were filmed, largely through Hernandez's own, well, simple-mindedness. The movements of all defendants that night were precisely recorded by the cell phones they were too dumb to leave behind when they set out on their crime. The "life without parole" sentence was imposed automatically, by law, no judicial discretion involved, because the jurors found that he was guilty of 1st degree murder of a cruel and depraved nature. It's what the law in Massachusetts requires, the judge had nothing to do with it.
2
Not interested in this story at all until I caught brief glimpses of Hernandez on TV during the course of the trial. He was always smiling or laughing. Didn't seem to me to be the kind of attitude anyone would have on trial for murder, unless, of course, you just presumed you could not be convicted.
Another overpaid nightmare in American professional sports. I wonder how much he'll be laughing next to his new roommate and fellow prisoners. Guess all those millions don't mean so much to him, but probably mean alot to his "fiancé."
Another overpaid nightmare in American professional sports. I wonder how much he'll be laughing next to his new roommate and fellow prisoners. Guess all those millions don't mean so much to him, but probably mean alot to his "fiancé."
7
I presume you mean his fiancée?... his fiancé, on the other hand, is awaiting him in jail.
3
" Defense lawyers did not portray Mr. Hernandez as a saint, but they argued that because he had signed a big contract extension, he had little motive to be involved in a murder."
Pretty weak argument. I expect he didn't think he'd get caught.
Pretty weak argument. I expect he didn't think he'd get caught.
9
Why is thuggish off field behavior so prevalent in professional football when compared to athletes in other professional sports? Does football attract the type of individual who will more likely engage in such behavior?
13
Violent sport played by kids that are protected and taken care of by coaches their entire life. They think they will get away with it, because they always have,
9
Mark's answer, and head injuries. Concussions are no joke - they leave you with the possibility of mental illness, anger issues, and impulsiveness.
Hindsight may be 20/20, but only a modicum of foresight was necessary to see that Aaron Hernandez was an incorrigible thug whose career should have ended at the University of Florida. But in sports nearly everything is predicated on the bottom line, and issues such as character are given little more than lip service.
1
Adios Hernandez. Enjoy life behind bars. You had it all and threw it away in a flash.
10
Another Florida based college football star who committed numerous crimes while in college, but mysteriously was never charged with anything.
Coincidence? I doubt it.
Coincidence? I doubt it.
34
There is a basic and simple explanation for why a man that had everything going for him would throw it all away, not to kill a man he hated, but simply to kill somebody he was upset about for talking to the wrong people at a bar one night.
According to Rolling Stone Hernandez became a heavy user of angel dust, better known as PCP. PCP makes people not just extremely paranoid, but removed from reality as far as there being consequences to actions. This is the plain and simple explanation for how Hernandez acted in a way that people who live in the real world never would. When a drug such a PCP is involved logical explanations do not apply.
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/five-revelations-from-rolling-s...
According to Rolling Stone Hernandez became a heavy user of angel dust, better known as PCP. PCP makes people not just extremely paranoid, but removed from reality as far as there being consequences to actions. This is the plain and simple explanation for how Hernandez acted in a way that people who live in the real world never would. When a drug such a PCP is involved logical explanations do not apply.
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/five-revelations-from-rolling-s...
16
Bull! Players are drug tested often. Don't make excuses, the guy is a gangbanger, always was, will always be.
6
I resent the fact that you are making excuses for this individual.
4
PCP? That stuff is still available?
Looking forward to his jailhouse interview in 2035 with an aging Anderson Cooper when he'll reveal that he's been ordained a Pentecostal minister who mentors youngsters who find themselves in prison for insider trading.
21
Another thing. In high school we went to a little restaurant. Kids from Oak Park High School and Fenwick mixed there. I forget the name of a guy who came. I think he was a candidate for an important football award. Nobody looked at his table or at him. Too dangerous.
7
I am very much in favor of disposing of all inter-collegiats sports. Any money saved should be directed to intramural or club sports and all students required to participate in the sport of one's choice (at Notre Dame, in 69-70, it was required that all freshmen take one year of P.E. All had to prove that one could swim, and swimming lessons were mandatory for non- swimmers).
Students would be offerred a wide variety of participation sports that would provide an opportunity to engage in physical, healthful activities, and perhaps become acquainted with a life- long activity.
The unaffordability of college is a disgrace and much can be found in the costs of big time division football and basketball and in ridiculous luxury dorms.(our dorms at ND were like military baracks).
College is for education is life skills (social and educational and was something of a leveler, as well as professional job prep).
The athletic teams have no place in the educational setting especially where they degrade the mission and allow completely unrepresentative persons to represent the student body. The recent Duke basketball team is a perfect example- it is doubtful.that a single starter would be at Duke except for basketball. And the excuses made to bring in and keep eligible gang bangers like Hernandez is a disgrace. The University of Florida doesn't exhibit the slightest shame for unleashing this sociopath on campus but shame is seriously lacking throughout a thouroughly decadent culture.
Students would be offerred a wide variety of participation sports that would provide an opportunity to engage in physical, healthful activities, and perhaps become acquainted with a life- long activity.
The unaffordability of college is a disgrace and much can be found in the costs of big time division football and basketball and in ridiculous luxury dorms.(our dorms at ND were like military baracks).
College is for education is life skills (social and educational and was something of a leveler, as well as professional job prep).
The athletic teams have no place in the educational setting especially where they degrade the mission and allow completely unrepresentative persons to represent the student body. The recent Duke basketball team is a perfect example- it is doubtful.that a single starter would be at Duke except for basketball. And the excuses made to bring in and keep eligible gang bangers like Hernandez is a disgrace. The University of Florida doesn't exhibit the slightest shame for unleashing this sociopath on campus but shame is seriously lacking throughout a thouroughly decadent culture.
18
If he was a witness and knows who did it, why hasn't he ever identified the murderer?
14
Not a lawyer but I suppose he would have had to take the stand and ID the shooter. No way on God's green Earth was he taking the stand.
What a great point! It never crossed my mind.
It is certainly mysterious, isn't it? Maybe he'll testify at the trials of the other two and help everyone get that straightened out (not a chance in the world).
1
Tragic. Sad. A waste of a life. Two lives. Lloyd and Hernandez. Query: Why should anyone care about the NFL, its players and its future? And let's not get into the issue of brain damage? Are you a parent with a young son? And are you allowing him to play football with all the known dangers? Why?..Seriously have you really thought about it?????
23
Anyone who plays football is capable of grievous harm. How can one inflict violence and pain on another athlete day after day and not become inured to it or its consequences? This is true of any sport in which the objective is to harm, weaken or incapacitate the opponent.
America must stop glorifying this behavior or shrouding it in the veil of sport.
Mothers-----keep your sons and daughters out of violent sport.
America must stop glorifying this behavior or shrouding it in the veil of sport.
Mothers-----keep your sons and daughters out of violent sport.
63
"Mothers"? Because fathers won't?
I was raised by a father who played professional football. I have never met a kinder, gentler human being who was very aware of the consequences of violence. Your comment is insulting.
3
...even quarterbacks?
Would a badminton player have done this? I know, this sounds facetious, but consider the possibility that certain types of people prosper in certain professions and games. Perhaps instead of sports careers, some college athletes should go immediately into counseling. On the other hand, if we didn't encourage violence in our society, where would we get the heroes we need in wartime? Men would be more like those portrayed by Alan Alda.
16
Unfortunately the symptoms of some mental disorders manifest as desirable traits for a football player. Impulsiveness, aggression and grandiosity are symptoms of bipolar disorder. I'd be interested to see the difference in rates of bipolar disorder between the NFL and the general population.
2
Just to offer a counterpoint, there's Oscar Pistorius, who comes from the world of sprinting. I agree with your general point though.
I grew up one town over from Bristol, CT where Hernandez grew up. The old, dead, industrial New England cities don't offer a lot of hope and that was probably the first part of the equation. I would imagine it takes a fairly sophisticated sense of self to be bigger, stronger and naturally more talented than your peers and still have a grounded ego. Opposite of that are people like Aaron Hernandez, Ray Rice, Ray Lewis and others who have a sense of entitlement that seems impervious to intellect or reason.
As another comment said, all Hernandez had to do was play a game for a few years, stay out of trouble and he would be financially set for the rest of his days. One can only imagine his brain was hardwired in such a way that it must have been impossible for him to see how simple it could have been.
I grew up one town over from Bristol, CT where Hernandez grew up. The old, dead, industrial New England cities don't offer a lot of hope and that was probably the first part of the equation. I would imagine it takes a fairly sophisticated sense of self to be bigger, stronger and naturally more talented than your peers and still have a grounded ego. Opposite of that are people like Aaron Hernandez, Ray Rice, Ray Lewis and others who have a sense of entitlement that seems impervious to intellect or reason.
As another comment said, all Hernandez had to do was play a game for a few years, stay out of trouble and he would be financially set for the rest of his days. One can only imagine his brain was hardwired in such a way that it must have been impossible for him to see how simple it could have been.
5
As a juror, I would think that circumstantial evidence leaves a reasonable doubt.
4
Not necessarily, J, and not in this case. Hernandez picked up the victim in Dorchester - captured on surveillance video, J. - ostensibly to go clubbing in Boston, but instead drove him directly to a suburban industrial park, where his body was found. Tire tracks, J. The time of death coincides perfectly with video and cellphone evidence showing Hernandez en route and arriving at his home shortly after the murder. Video shows him walking about the house, Glock .45 in hand - a firearm removed by his fiancée (also on video) and not found during a subsequent police search. Hernandez's blue bubble gum is stuck to a .45 shell casing, J. - his DNA's all over it.
Circumstantial evidence can weave a tight web, and is often enough to gain a conviction.
Circumstantial evidence can weave a tight web, and is often enough to gain a conviction.
4
Agreed.
As a retired lawyer, I can say you couldn't be more wrong.
I see football as a devastating societal evil, and this sociopath is a good poster boy for it. Our country would go a long way toward civilization if we were to minimize, as much as possible, the influence of this obscene game, particularly on youth.
25
I have a nephew who has dominated every space that he has walked into with his sheer volume. He played high school football just miles from where Hernandez murdered Mr Odin. After high school my nephew coached his son a quarterback ( much smaller than his father). My nephew,now an adult man and a obsessed football fan has had problems with violence since he became a football player in high school. He has been arrested for assault and battery 3 times as an adult. He still has the face of a choir boy, the proverbial nice guy who will shovel you out of the snow, but he has a dangerous hair trigger temper. And he no longer cares about what is right or wrong. He only cares about what is right for him and his agendas.
I remember him as a sensitive and loving child- capable of demonstrative love towards other people. But after entering the subculture of football he has became the dangerous adult that he is today. I live with a quiet dread that his violent behavior of assault and battery escalates beyond the point of return that leaves his next victim unable to testify against him. And I draw a straight line from his behavior to the twisted glorification of violence in football.
I remember him as a sensitive and loving child- capable of demonstrative love towards other people. But after entering the subculture of football he has became the dangerous adult that he is today. I live with a quiet dread that his violent behavior of assault and battery escalates beyond the point of return that leaves his next victim unable to testify against him. And I draw a straight line from his behavior to the twisted glorification of violence in football.
33
Are people really surprised that a violent psychopath would also be a football player? Have you ever seen a football game? We love our gladiatorial games here in America, while the Chinese and Indians prefer math textbooks. Guess who's going to win in the long run?
21
S, you're missing an important piece. China "recruits" young children for numerous Olympic sports, sending them off at camps to train relentlessly for years. They may get to see their families once a year and have little else in their lives besides training. Reportedly, training methods and hours border on what Americans would call child abuse. Certainly in that arena, there are genuine costs to producing "winners."
1
Please. Football is a healthy athletic sport. Like any other sport, t's good for the human body and spirit and part of a natural, well rounded existence. There are pro's and con's of it, but I'd be afraid of a culture that only looked at textbooks.
All of these pro football (any sports) players once arrested should be automatically dismissed from playing pro sports. Again and again they assault people, etc. Put an end to these tragic examples once and for all and perhaps people will think before they ruin their lives and the lives of other people.
9
How quickly would he have been snapped up by some team in the NFL if he beat the charges (and the other ones he is facing, of course)?
19
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Only the police and the military should have guns. All handguns in civilian hands should be confiscated and pounded into scrap. You can't kill a man with a gun, if you don't have a gun. No one was ever killed with the gun that wasn't there.
Uh, well, wait a second here. Walter Scott was killed by a policeman with a gun. Maybe the police shouldn't have guns either.
Uh, well, wait a second here. Walter Scott was killed by a policeman with a gun. Maybe the police shouldn't have guns either.
17
A nice fantasy but totally unworkable in real life, no offense Walker. We've got 300,000,000 guns in this country at minimum. How exactly would one go around getting all those guns? In order to enforce the zero gun policy we'd need a society more fascist than North Korea's. Just not going to happen, thank God.
3
I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
Join with me in supporting "stop and frisk" and don't be a fourth amendment absolutist.
Till, of course, "we pound all guns into scrap."
Join with me in supporting "stop and frisk" and don't be a fourth amendment absolutist.
Till, of course, "we pound all guns into scrap."
1
But if "ordinary" people can not have handguns how can they protect themselves from the 6-foot 6-in, 300-lb "gentle giants" like the one in Ferguson?
4
Sooo glad this trial is over with. Good riddance.
Now if we can only just try and move forward through the rest of the marathon bombing trial as well.
It's all we have been hearing about in great detail, 24/7, daily, for years now.
Thug life and terrorist suspects sure do get a lot of attention, press and infamy.
Now if we can only just try and move forward through the rest of the marathon bombing trial as well.
It's all we have been hearing about in great detail, 24/7, daily, for years now.
Thug life and terrorist suspects sure do get a lot of attention, press and infamy.
10
$40 million dollar contract with $16 million guaranteed if he got hurt or traded.
All he had to do was NOT commit murder in the first and he could have spent the rest of his post NFL life on a beach sipping rum. I hope he lives a long life in the slammer to reflect on his stupidity.
All he had to do was NOT commit murder in the first and he could have spent the rest of his post NFL life on a beach sipping rum. I hope he lives a long life in the slammer to reflect on his stupidity.
17
He seems to be a combination of a sociopath, an athlete with a big ego, a drug addict, and perhaps injuries from years of football. He seems to be evil but I wonder if he just went wrong somewhere along the way. To just kill people because the don't like you is hardly the act of a normal, sane person. To think you can get away with it because you are a famous football player is even more ridiculous. I wonder what goes on in his mind. Maybe he has been sheltered for so long that murder is just one thing in his bag of tricks that he uses to solve problems. But murder is pretty extreme and usually comes along with a pretty extreme mind. It will be interesting to see what he does now in prison.
15
I agree, and I also think the Patriots and NFL missed something on the drug thing. It's fine for them to distance themselves from this act, but Hernandez was a part of a drug culture long before it happened, on the dime of the Pats and enabled by countless cheering fans.
5
Oh please, no justifications or excuses. In the words of Bob Grant, RIP, he is a "mutant"--guilty of killing his own species. Our society is civilized enough not to exterminate him, but to let him suffer an eternity in prison. As the joke goes, he'll go in as a 'tight end,' but soon be a 'wide receiver.' Spare us and throw the key away.
The surprise in all this is why it is front-page news. An under-educated, violent man convicted of murder? The process of apologizing for his actions (background, culture) and deifying his victim will start.
4
What an idiot, blowing all that success and money just to a gangsta. Sounds like Neurological damage his decsions making ,too many blows to the brain. Perhaps he can do some good an donate his brain to science, after his life science.
1
I heard the news of Aaron Hernandz life time prison. However I found exclusive videos and news of Aaron's here http://usanewsbag.blogspot.com/2015/04/aaron-hernandez-guilty-of-first-d...
I am all for responsibility and accountability at the personal level. Our society has 2 tasks in this regard. One Is to help individuals achieve these outcomes. Another is to reform institutions where the culture of violence is endemic. Footfall is hardly a sport where peaceful negotiation of ball possession is a workable strategy.
6
I'm no attorney, but for the defense team to put him at the crime scene was incredibly stupid. What were they thinking? Any chance of 'reasonable doubt', his only chance of not being found guilty, was ruined. That said, thank god this psychopathic murderer is not in free society any more.
11
In reading many of the comments on here, I'm reminded of what my father taught me long ago: Judge the sin, if you must, but never revile the sinner. Even--and especially--those who commit the most heinous crimes deserve the dignity and respect that we afford all human beings. That is the mark of a civilized society.
6
Sorry Benjamin but I don't see how those who commit the most heinous of crimes deserve any dignity or respect. Aaron Hernandez here, he's just a murderer, probably only three victims, it's not really that heinous. But the pilot that plowed a plane full of people into a mountain for inscrutable reasons deserves no respect at all. Hitler doesn't deserve any dignity. Civilization doesn't owe anything to those that act completely uncivilized.
15
Say what? Who is to blame if not the killer? The sinner should respectfully be set apart forever from civilized society.
6
That is not a good lesson. The sin is inevitably tied up with the sinner, the crime with the criminal. I refuse to judge the Holocaust without judging the people who committed it. Similarly a murder is tied to the murderer.
I expect the lesson you were taught is what differentiates the saints from the rest of us - and it is saintly - but I don't think many of us are capable of this, or wish to be.
I expect the lesson you were taught is what differentiates the saints from the rest of us - and it is saintly - but I don't think many of us are capable of this, or wish to be.
3
I've read every comment and I've seen no mention of it, but every image I've seen of this guy he is furrowing his brow. It strikes me as a defense mechanism; a feigned condescension towards everything that is in front of him; an ego that is simply dangerously out of control. His Family and loved ones must be racked with guilt over their incredible selfishness and failure to call out their meal ticket for what he is; sick and in need of help, a malevolently selfish monster.
10
Sounds more like projection on your part.
1
Right, however he's looking mighty shifty-eyed in the video when those jurors start getting ready to deliver the punchline. Same with all three of his lawyers. It's kind of funny.
2
Much is being made over the fact that he had riches and fame and everything going for him, so why would he throw that all away. However every person that commits murder, despite the fact that he doesn't have that much, does not believe his life is worthless so he may as well throw it away. The proof is that he will do all he can to stay out of prison.
People throw their lives away by committing murder because of an irrepressible urge to kill that other person, and so at that time and in that mindset committing the murder is worth more and more important than the rest of their lives.
People throw their lives away by committing murder because of an irrepressible urge to kill that other person, and so at that time and in that mindset committing the murder is worth more and more important than the rest of their lives.
4
My guess is that most murderers are not considering the consequences. And those that are think they are not going to get caught.
3
What a sad ending to such a bright beginning and what a waste of lives. The system creates these monsters. It starts in high school, escalates in college, and reaches its pinnacle in the NFL. Everyone concerned tends to look the other way and enables the star who's the engine that keeps their gravy train moving. It's hard not to succumb to the master of the universe calling. The weak crater and the strong survive. This syndrome has been going on for years and it's becoming more of an epidemic in the present. Even murder has become a rite of passage.
4
Another incident for gun control. The NRA says law abiding citizens need their guns, and then they suddenly are no longer law abiding, like Hernandez
13
Mass. has the toughest gun control laws in the country, did it help?
The weapon was never found but they speculate it was in the box the fiancée discarded. But she doesn't remember where nor did she look inside. Uh-huh.
The weapon was never found but they speculate it was in the box the fiancée discarded. But she doesn't remember where nor did she look inside. Uh-huh.
1
So much for playing on offense. Now he'll have to start playing defense--maybe even for the rest of his life.
3
The evidence against Mr. Hernandez, as summarized in this article, is sketchy indeed - no weapon, no eye witness. Why was Ms. Jenkins, the defendant's finance, given immunity? Apparently, she could have been charged as an accessory. But her disposing of a box of unknown content and paying money (the amount is not reported) pursuant to her fiance's instructions strikes me as insufficient evidence to conclude that Mr. Hernandez is the killer. And Ms. Jenkins could clearly have been intimidated to testify about the disposal of the mysterious box. I will be interested to hear Mr. Hernandez' appeal.
No weapon. Right. Perhaps this has all been one giant, nightmarish mistake and Odin Lloyd is in fact still alive, those bullets found under his body in the dirt were from some old timey cowboy and Indian shootout.
3
I am not suggesting that the absence of a weapon means that Mr. Lloyd was not murdered or is not dead. But being at the scene of a crime is not, by itself, proof of the identity of the murderer.
Since Odin Lloyds family is going to get his pile of money in the unlawful death case.....who is paying for the appeal?
The average person has no idea how brutal professional football is, likewise big-time college football. Many players, but not all, are vicious, truculent individuals who are so physically dominant that they think they are above the rules.
I witnessed this first-hand at a prominent football university many years ago. Hence, Hernandez actions do not surprise me. Nor the Ray Rice video (I was surprised at Commissioner Goodell's negligence and naivete.) When I heard of the double murder in L.A. on the radio, I said, "O.J. did it."
To be fair, many players are good guys. A former NFL MVP did a personal favor for a cancer patient when I asked.
Nonetheless, John Q. Public would be shocked if he or she knew the previous bad acts of many players. A county attorney told me the story of a No.1 NFL Draft Pick that was so depraved it would have changed the perception of manhood in America if revealed.
I witnessed this first-hand at a prominent football university many years ago. Hence, Hernandez actions do not surprise me. Nor the Ray Rice video (I was surprised at Commissioner Goodell's negligence and naivete.) When I heard of the double murder in L.A. on the radio, I said, "O.J. did it."
To be fair, many players are good guys. A former NFL MVP did a personal favor for a cancer patient when I asked.
Nonetheless, John Q. Public would be shocked if he or she knew the previous bad acts of many players. A county attorney told me the story of a No.1 NFL Draft Pick that was so depraved it would have changed the perception of manhood in America if revealed.
4
Elite athletes playing at Mr. Hernandez's level frequently do not have to experience the consequences of their actions and, thus, believe that they are above the law. If Mr. Hernandez truly believed that he had gotten away with shooting and killing two other men, I am sure that part of him believed that he could continue shooting and killing with impunity.
This entire situation is tragically wasteful. Mr. Lloyd was, by all accounts a good man trying to live a good life. He is mourned and missed by his family and friends. Mr. Hernandez has squandered his talent, his fame and fortune for whatever life he can have in the prison system.
My prayers go out to the Lloyd family and to the daughter of Aaron Hernandez...truly she is an innocent in this ugly situation.
This entire situation is tragically wasteful. Mr. Lloyd was, by all accounts a good man trying to live a good life. He is mourned and missed by his family and friends. Mr. Hernandez has squandered his talent, his fame and fortune for whatever life he can have in the prison system.
My prayers go out to the Lloyd family and to the daughter of Aaron Hernandez...truly she is an innocent in this ugly situation.
6
Can't wait for his "victim of head trauma" defense at sentencing phase.
I don't care how many times he got hit in the head---he still knows the difference between right and wrong.
I don't care how many times he got hit in the head---he still knows the difference between right and wrong.
2
I don't think there is a sentencing phase, first degree murder is automatically life without parole in states without the death penalty.
4
This young man appears devoid of emotions and empathy. He doesn't appear to have much brains either. A very tragic character. We may go through endless meditations trying to figure out why he turned out this way. Some people are simply born defective. I know that from my own immediate family, same parents, same upbringing. Some are extremely kind and intelligent and some rotten to the core. His outsized ego brought him down. He was given an opportunity millions of people don't have, he destroyed it. Quite frankly I don't feel bad for him. The people we should comfort and care about are the parents of the young man he killed.
4
It seems to me that in Hernandez you have someone who is emblematic of many more people in this country than is commonly understood. A guy who had all the money, women, houses, cars, and hero-worship he could possibly want, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to be a gangster. The lesson I guess is that people who get everything in life but the one thing they really want can be dangerous to the rest of us.
8
These are mental health issues which I have mentioned time and time again in these blogs. If one looks into the background of a lot of people who commit violent crimes, they will find they are troubled since childhood. There is very little help for these children no matter what their background is. Insurance is non-existent, and treatment is expensive. Some are very talented so they are able to use that aggressive behavior to their advantage, playing football. But the mental illness remains, untreated.
13
This is very much like saying that anyone who would commit murder must be insane, and therefore all murderers are entitled to consideration for "reduced capacity" because they are mentally "challenged". The law does not work that way, sorry.
3
That isn't what was being said.
4
I never said that. Please read it again.
Apparently, the Judge told the jury, after they delivered their verdicts, about the other pending charges against Hernandez, validating their decision. He was convicted of shooting Lloyd because he knew too much about the double shooting, he's accused of shooting two other people the year before, he allegedly shot someone in Gainesville while at Florida and he allegedly shot someone in the face in Ft Lauderdale because they knew too much about the double shooting. In other words, he's a serial shooter. At least he was a serial shooter. He's fired his last shot.
20
Its unfathomable that a person with those resources would not have more sense and more perspective, until you factor in the culture of narcissism and sycophancy that surrounds professional athletes. Then it makes a bizarre kind of sense. What a waste for everyone involved.
42
I grew up in similar circumstances as Hernandez. I'm sure I could trade stories with him. The difference is, I didn't look back when I left. I have no desire to kick it with any of the old shifty crew (or relatives for that matter) to prove I'm still "down". It's a simply equation: they have nothing to lose by getting into trouble, I do (he did).
Who needs all of the 'hood drama and ghetto grievances? It's not a game. I don't even let my son wear his hat backwards.
Who needs all of the 'hood drama and ghetto grievances? It's not a game. I don't even let my son wear his hat backwards.
21
forspanish...how I wish there were more like you. Only you know the answers to these questions:
-what caused you to decide to get out?
-how did you do it?
-how old were you when you made your decision?
-did anyone help you make your decision?
-what obstacles did you find along your way?
Maybe you could help others to find their own (better) way.
I sincerely wish you and your children a happy, productive life.
-what caused you to decide to get out?
-how did you do it?
-how old were you when you made your decision?
-did anyone help you make your decision?
-what obstacles did you find along your way?
Maybe you could help others to find their own (better) way.
I sincerely wish you and your children a happy, productive life.
Granted, I didn't follow this trial, so I'm basing my reaction solely on this NYT article. IMHO, Ms. Jenkins has a credibility problem. I'm not believing that she didn't look inside that box and doesn't recall where she disposed of it. As Judge Judy (love her!) often says, "if it doesn't make sense, it's not true." The defense should have torn Ms. Jenkins to shreds. Once they undermined her credibility, there would be an even weaker "circumstantial" case. I'm not saying the guy was innocent or that the verdict was unjust (I really don't know) , but I hope that the prosecution had stronger evidence than the testimony of a liar.
P.S. For his appeal, Hernandez should consider hiring a new legal team. Just sayin'.
P.S. For his appeal, Hernandez should consider hiring a new legal team. Just sayin'.
5
You didn't follow the trial & it shows. The defense couldn't have "torn Ms. Jenkins to shreds" because she was testifying reluctantly under a grant of immunity. If anything, her credibility problem stemmed from trying to protect her fiancé. Just because the case was circumstantial doesn't mean it wasn't incredibly strong. Videos that placed Hernandez at the scene & later at his home with what looked like a Glock. Shell casings with his DNA, evidence of him conspiring with the other two, etc. He wasn't convicted because his defense team was inept, he was convicted because the evidence that he was there was so irrefutable that his lawyers had to admit he was but argue he didn't know what was going to happen. That was a hail mary pass. Under MA's joint venture law, Hernandez could be convicted even if he hadn't pulled the trigger as long as the prosecution could show he was part of the conspiracy. And the idea that Hernandez, who had all the money, power, and a reputation as a control freak was just somehow went along with these two guys to an industrial park in the middle of the night with no idea what was going to happen--and then hung around with them for hours afterwards drinking smoothies in his man cave (before giving them money to flee)--even a Florida jury wasn't going to buy that fairy tale.
Jenkins' testimony made perfect sense. Hernandez's didn't...
Jenkins' testimony made perfect sense. Hernandez's didn't...
27
Good analysis, until the gratuitous swipe at Florida juries. Most Florida juries are well-populated with former residents of other states, including Massachusetts.
1
I guess this time "the glove fit" That being said, I think any sentence without the possibility of parole is simply wrong.
11
His lawyer said he was a 23 year old kid and didn't know what do when he witness the murder? My grandchildren under 10 know that killing is wrong. what a stupid defense.
66
A kid? That is no kid.
Another moment of glory for the Patriots franchise in the Belichick era. Hernadnez was notorious in college, really notorious, but that didn't keep them from drafting him.
18
As opposed to all the other NFL franchises who are clean & wholesome & never-ever break the rules & are good citizens who have wives & children who they would never even think of beating with their fists or with the buckle of a belt. Is that the non-notorious NFL you're talkin' about, David from Etna?
12
Everyone deserves a chance to rise above the stupid things they do in their youth. When the Patriots learned of his arrest, they immediately cut him.
1
exactly. thanks for seeing david's point so clearly william.
I bet 100 to one he has brain damage caused by the brutal game of football.
5
He had problems before football.
11
What would be the motive for such out of control anger?
Steroids? Roid rage?
I suppose the NFL tests for steroids use. I suspect not very diligently.
Steroids? Roid rage?
I suppose the NFL tests for steroids use. I suspect not very diligently.
6
I would just want to say that if Mr. Hernandez used drugs (and form of drugs) it was ultimately his choice to do so. No matter how sanctioned by the NFL if it was in the form of steroids for enhanced performance. I have a long list of horrible problems with the NFL. But Mr. Hernandez is responsible for what happened even if he was under the influence of drugs. It's also worth noting that he has impulse control issues and behaviour problems long before he made it to college and professional football. The best predictor of future behaviour is still to look at one's past behaviour.
8
I agree.
I have never understood the whole 'he looked at me funny' thing.
I hope justice will be rendered in that trial, as well.
I hope justice will be rendered in that trial, as well.
9
Money doesn't change people, it magnifies who they are already.
70
I am not a vindictive person. I hope the killings were worth it to Hernandez, who now spends every remaining waking hour -- and every sleeping minute -- in a cell.
They certainly weren't worth it for the rest of us. No form of murder is justifiable.
They certainly weren't worth it for the rest of us. No form of murder is justifiable.
6
Some lucky prison out there is about to have a great football team.
13
Very interesting physical reaction by Aaron Hernandez. Judging his expression alone, he looked almost pleased. However, if you look closely, his cheeks are flushed and his hands were clenched. A liar all the way to the end--not even willing to show remorse and/or fear of punishment as not to give others the satisfaction. Meanwhile, there are all the victims of his crime sobbing his eyes out--Mr. Lloyd's family, of course. But I was stuck by Mr. Hernandez mother and fiancee who showed such grief on his behalf...certainly punished for the rest of their lives too for the crime of having a bad guy in their life.
....For he is a bad guy, no doubt about it. You can make ALL the excuses you want for him about where he grew up yada yada but at the end of the day, this guy is the real deal: a truly selfish, ugly soul with no redeem value, at all whatsoever.
....For he is a bad guy, no doubt about it. You can make ALL the excuses you want for him about where he grew up yada yada but at the end of the day, this guy is the real deal: a truly selfish, ugly soul with no redeem value, at all whatsoever.
35
A bad guy, yes. Definitely.
Not sure he's a tough guy, however. We'll see how the rest of his life goes - he'll have to prove how tough he is each and every day where he's going. He'll need his A game.
Not sure he's a tough guy, however. We'll see how the rest of his life goes - he'll have to prove how tough he is each and every day where he's going. He'll need his A game.
10
Why exactly was the fiancée granted immunity? She either couldn't remember material facts or didn't look in a box that could have contained the murder weapon. Seems like a waste of letting a potential accomplice off the hook. So much waste in this entire situation. wasted lives, wasted talent...
19
If her lips were moving, she was lying.
1
Probably because she was the only one who could testify and she wouldn't want to admit to a crime.
Good Riddance!
6
Wow, didn't see that coming.
3
An entitled idiot. Really, he didn't like the people that Mr. Lloyd spoke with at a bar? Yet another football player, committing another crime. We create the thug culture in high school by honoring the biggest, toughest and often dumbest. We send them to university, where they are not educated. Even so, they are given 40 million and basically told by everyone, they can get away with murder. Good to see they can't.
83
I would hypothesize that Hernandez developed an extremely egoistic mindset--he believed he was the center of the universe, that no one else mattered, and and that anything he did wrong would be either never discovered overlooked because of his status. No doubt in our sports culture he was fed these kind of messages over and over.
There is also the possibility of aggression triggered by steroid or other drug use, as well as the issue of TBI in early stages.
But as people as "why", at this point we can only guess. Perhaps the why will come out in the future.
There is also the possibility of aggression triggered by steroid or other drug use, as well as the issue of TBI in early stages.
But as people as "why", at this point we can only guess. Perhaps the why will come out in the future.
4
I for one feel better knowing that such a predator will never get out of prison. No doubt he will kill one, or more other prisoners during his decades in stir (as another former NFL player did yesterday to his cellmate, in California.) Hernandez is consumed by hate, you can sense it, along with monstrous insecurity and immaturity.
7
Hopefully this will lead to Americans getting fed up with that silly game of trying to catch a ball (sort off) with your hands, running with it, then calling it football, and then forgetting about the players 10 years later with their broken bones, burned out brains, and committing suicide. Hernandez saved himself this slow dead torture by killing somebody else.
3
This is not a done deal. Another news outlet reported that the verdict triggers an automatic appeal to a higher court. I will not be surprised if the verdict is overturned and he ultimately gets off.
2
Nope. He has two more murder charges pending. Bye,Bye.
10
It does NOT trigger an automatic appeal. Whoever told you that is wrong. Perhaps they are thinking about Death penalty cases, which do come wit automatic appeals. To get an appeal in Massachusetts, Hernandez will need to show that he was improperly represented or that evidence was allowed into the case where it should not have been. even if a higher court agrees to hear his appeal it is unlikely (less than 10%) that a murder conviction is overturned without new evidence being introduced. He's done....
2
Actually, you're wrong. There is an automatic appeal. The prosecutor said so in his post-trial press conference.
The previous articles on Florida State University in the New York Times tolerating the outrageous behavior of its athletes speaks volumes to the culture of antisocial behavior in numerous college athletic programs. Physical aggression and even rape get swept under the rug in order to achieve sports supremacy. Aaron Hernandez was tolerated and to some degree allowed to exhibit his pathologic behavior by the school and the local law enforcement authorities.
18
He went to the University of Florida, not FSU.
Perhaps a Prison Football League will be needed soon. The PFL. The farm team could be the CPFL. Collegiate, where they are coddled.
3
Longest yard. Already two movies.
Will Hernandez testify against his accomplices in exchange for a reduced sentence and dismissal of all other possible charges?
Perhaps then Mr. Lloyd's family will at least know why.
Perhaps then Mr. Lloyd's family will at least know why.
No prosecutor on this planet would offer that deal. It would be the end of their career. High-profile murderers are NEVER given deals...
4
The two others will now accept plea deals for reduced sentences, if the DA will offer that. Let's see if it takes until Monday for them to let the DA know they'd like to make a deal.
To put it in monetary context.
If you made $75,000 a year salary....You would go back ten years before Columbus sailed to the New World and start the yearly payment before you reached $ 40,000,000...... 533 years.....
amazing choice he made ....
If you made $75,000 a year salary....You would go back ten years before Columbus sailed to the New World and start the yearly payment before you reached $ 40,000,000...... 533 years.....
amazing choice he made ....
12
Nice factoid!
1
To all the folks who are getting all meta in trying to tie Aaron Hernandez's acts to being a football player and sports hero. Get a grip! Hernandez is a sociopath who happens to be a football player. His murders no more taint the other players in the NFL than John Wayne Gacy's taint people who portray circus clowns. There are 1,600 plus people who play in the NFL every year, and tens of thousands have played at one time or another. The last time I checked, Hernandez is the only one who's been convicted of first degree murder.
27
I think we're all well aware that people who portray circus clowns are dangerous sociopaths one and all. There's a good reason all children are instinctively terrified of clowns.
13
I agree. Some of the comments are appalling. Those people that don't like football shouldn't watch it. The fans make the salaries possible. Some folks just have an ax to grind about everything...
3
well, there was OJ Simpson. Oh wait, you said "convicted". Right.
9
It's fascinating that some commenters question the guilty verdict. Aaron Hernandez was a drug addict who should have been kicked out of the Patriots on those grounds alone. His arrogance and violence are psychopathic--clearly no one in their right mind would forego a $40 million contract!
13
And knowing there's such a thing as a "twinkie" defense, I have wondered all along if his heavy weed use contributed to making him paranoid.
Weed doesn't make people paranoid,if they're not already paranoid.. A handsome man with an empty skull. if he couldn't value $40 million for five years Something was seriously wrong with him.
The real question here is what does it say about American society that such a person as this could have been given a contract for $40 million dollars.
What is the real value of such a person compared to a doctor or a teacher or an emergency medical technician or an engineer or anyone else really. And how is that reflected in reality? America's values are so shamefully and shamelessly out of whack it is mind numbing.
What is the real value of such a person compared to a doctor or a teacher or an emergency medical technician or an engineer or anyone else really. And how is that reflected in reality? America's values are so shamefully and shamelessly out of whack it is mind numbing.
241
You should consider that the Patriots didn't know he was a gangster.
1
Err, what? His collegiate history was not a sealed record . . .
2
I have no idea. I'am not a Patriots fan. Could it be possible he was drafted as a gangster?
It's frightening that the only motive the prosecution needed to come up with was that Mr. Lloyd had spoken with someone that Hernandez didn't like. How is someone so easily moved to violence not going to eventually wind up as Hernandez did?
1
One has to think it was much more than that, things that may never be revealed and that only Hernandez knows.
Certainly, the prosecution did not prove Hernandez shot anyone. You'd have to accept that he did via some assumptions not based on fact. The tendency to do this is very human, and very imprecise. Scary. The defense attorney's suggestion that Hernandez was there but did not act was not falsifiable, yet the jury found it false. So much for a jury of 12 very unimpressive people.
Watching the press interview the jury a few minutes ago was like watching an interview of rejects from a minimum wage job fair. They may be fine folks, honest and well intentioned. But one does not get the impression they could sort out a complex problem requiring precise thinking without rounding off facts and details to better fit their rather simple minds.
Watching the press interview the jury a few minutes ago was like watching an interview of rejects from a minimum wage job fair. They may be fine folks, honest and well intentioned. But one does not get the impression they could sort out a complex problem requiring precise thinking without rounding off facts and details to better fit their rather simple minds.
1
Your comment is insulting and without merit.
10
And this is an argument why those with money should not be able to talk their way off of jury duty. The times I have served they are the first to crowd up to the front to explain why they are indispensable to their businesses, which does not always leave a pool of "peers" for jury selection.
7
Insulting and pretentious.
9
I tend to avoid murder trials in the media and I didn't even know who Aaron Hernandez was except that he played a sport. In reading this article I was struck by the fact that the evidence was entirely circumstantial. The mysterious box Ms. Jenkins was asked to dispose of is definitely suspicious.
But a jury is supposed to render a guilty verdict beyond a reasonable doubt. I've sat on juries and I know that those of us on the outside cannot sit in judgment of the jury itself; we have to take it for granted that they labored intensely to come up with a morally correct verdict based on the evidence. They sat a long time before finding Hernandez guilty. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he killed Mr. Lloyd.
But based on the information presented in this article, I really don't know what to think.
But a jury is supposed to render a guilty verdict beyond a reasonable doubt. I've sat on juries and I know that those of us on the outside cannot sit in judgment of the jury itself; we have to take it for granted that they labored intensely to come up with a morally correct verdict based on the evidence. They sat a long time before finding Hernandez guilty. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he killed Mr. Lloyd.
But based on the information presented in this article, I really don't know what to think.
6
Some people are making generalized comments about professional football players. Does anyone believe players like Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Anquan Boldin, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Marshal Faulk are gangsters? Please keep it to Mr. Hernandez.
15
J find the following suggestion highly displeasing, but is it possible that Hernandez did not want to have a black brother in law?
1
Good to see that someone with fame and wealth who can't buy his way out of a conviction. Kudos to the jury. We all want to understand motive, but really,
it's a mentality that none of us would understand, a person who does not value life, others and now his own. Remember, he is also complicit but not proven, in the murder of 3 people in Florida.
I have to wonder what the Patriot players are saying to themselves, having lined up with a killer for 4 years. A person who had so much and blew it.
Prison will not be kind to him. How does one come to terms that the rest of their life will be spent behind a prison wall.
Of course at least he has the chance to have a 'good' day, unlike the people he killed and the families he destroyed.
it's a mentality that none of us would understand, a person who does not value life, others and now his own. Remember, he is also complicit but not proven, in the murder of 3 people in Florida.
I have to wonder what the Patriot players are saying to themselves, having lined up with a killer for 4 years. A person who had so much and blew it.
Prison will not be kind to him. How does one come to terms that the rest of their life will be spent behind a prison wall.
Of course at least he has the chance to have a 'good' day, unlike the people he killed and the families he destroyed.
9
He was abusing drugs, and it sounds like lots of drugs.
It seems to me that in Hernandez you have someone who is emblematic of many more people in this country than is commonly understood. A guy who had all the money, women, houses, cars, and hero-worship he could possibly want, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to be a gangster. The lesson I guess is that people who get everything in life but the one thing they really want can be dangerous to the rest of us,
12
The prosecution claimed Hernadez's motive for killing Lloyd was he was afraid Lloyd would shoot his mouth off about the double killing outside the night club.
But, the judge wouldn't allow this in court because, at this point, it's just speculation.
But, the judge wouldn't allow this in court because, at this point, it's just speculation.
10
I recalled that there was more to it. "Talking to the wrong people" was the threat that motivated Hernandez.
Hernandez's own attorneys, incredibly, admitted Hernandez "was there". Now, if they really expected anyone to believe this, why didn't they try to prove that either one of the other two defendants present that night DID have a credible motive for killing Odin Lloyd? The best they could do was to dredge up the vague, unsupported nonsense about "PCP". The defense attorneys knew very clearly how absurd their contentions were - it was the only thing they could possibly come up with, because both of the other defendants were clearly doing Hernandez's bidding throughout the whole sorry story. Of course Hernandez had a motive, no matter how stupid it probably was - he didn't have to testify so we'll likely never know what it was. He's not going to be asked to testify against the other two, count on it.
1
Wow, murdering someone because they talked to some people you didn't like? Talk about a pointless loss of life. Enjoy the rest of your life in prison, Hernandez.
4
Feel so sad for his parents http://dailyentertainmentnews.com/sports/terri-and-dennis-hernandez-nfl-...
Why?
I believe this decision is a tremendous rush to judgement.
2
10 week trial and 36 hours of deliberations not enough for you?
4
A 41-day trial and over 6 days of jury deliberations is a rush?
5
Circumstantial evidence, odd testimony from his fiancee who was given immunity, and a very brief defense. This conviction can be appealed on strong grounds. I have no idea if he did it or not. But the proceedings raise a lot of questions and I don't think the case is over.
5
What a shame it is when someone takes the tremendous gifts that they have been given and throws them away with both hands.
61
Folks keep repeating this, as he'd been a talented violinist, when really the only "gifts" he had were on the violent side, in a violent sport.
When O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown in 1995 many people believed that he was only acquitted because he was a football hero and football heroes don't do things so heinous. Aaron Hernandez has now forever trashed this godlike illusion that seems to follow sports stars around in the real world and renders them incapable of committing a serious crime. If he has in fact destroyed these innocent feelings that sports fanatics seem to have towards iconic players then his 1st degree murder conviction will have achieved one good outcome.
52
OJ was acquitted because of the terrible job that the LA police did in investigating the crime, and the terrible job that prosecutors did, along with the terrible way the the LA police treated the black community.
1
What you have said here is very true. But it is also true that many people following the O.J. Simpson case as it unfolded were hoping he would be acquitted because he was a football icon and thus,in their minds couldn't have done anything so terrible. Let us also not forget the brilliant job that Johnnie Cochran did in defending O.j. and pointing out the shortcomings of Mark Fuhrman & Co. plus the prosecutors.
Simpson was acquitted because he obtained a 'nullification' jury that was not going to find him guilty under any circumstances (threats were transmitted via spousal visits) due to Marcia Clark having the trial moved from Santa Monica to downtown LA where she had an office. A huge tactical mistake. Simpson lost the later civil trial - which was held in Santa Monica. A good read on this subject is Vincent Bugliosi's 'Outrage'.
1
What?
"N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell, like other commissioners, has put more emphasis on sanctioning players for poor behavior than giving them incentives to change their behavior, Boland said."
Mr. Boland,--what more "incentives" do these men need not to break the law or act like jerks? These are potential millionaires. I think hey should have the same incentives I do -- like a clear conscience and a life not spent in prison.
"N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell, like other commissioners, has put more emphasis on sanctioning players for poor behavior than giving them incentives to change their behavior, Boland said."
Mr. Boland,--what more "incentives" do these men need not to break the law or act like jerks? These are potential millionaires. I think hey should have the same incentives I do -- like a clear conscience and a life not spent in prison.
16
The evidence seemed overwhelming, but Hernandez will have grounds to appeal. His attorney started opening arguments by saying he was not there when Lloyd was killed, but in closing arguments he admitted Hernandez saw the shooting but was just a 23-year-old "kid" who did not know what to do. Such a 180-degree change in strategy must have given the jurors whiplash. Not to mention that it branded Hernandez a liar since he always maintained to the police that he was not there. It's a breathtaking fall, but with millions of dollars in the bank to spend on appeals this is not over yet.
26
"It's a breathtaking fall, but with millions of dollars in the bank to spend on appeals this is not over yet."
From what I have read, Hernandez is already close to broke, so for him to appeal may be difficult just from an affordability point of view. For one thing, his contract was for $40 dollars over 5 years, but he only played out the first year of his contract. I am pretty sure the Patriots rescinded the remainder of his contract. Whatever he saved from prior years, he also had a very spendthrift lifestyle. So he might need a lawyer who is willing to take his case pro bono!
http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/11009175/aaron-hernandez-strugg...
From what I have read, Hernandez is already close to broke, so for him to appeal may be difficult just from an affordability point of view. For one thing, his contract was for $40 dollars over 5 years, but he only played out the first year of his contract. I am pretty sure the Patriots rescinded the remainder of his contract. Whatever he saved from prior years, he also had a very spendthrift lifestyle. So he might need a lawyer who is willing to take his case pro bono!
http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/11009175/aaron-hernandez-strugg...
As a matter of course, he will appeal. And his lawyer's lie at the beginning which he did a 180 at the end in a tactical maneuver, will not be entertained in an "incompetent counsel" appeal, if so made. Hernandez hired the best lawyers money could buy. He can't turn around and say they were incompetent.
1
I don't know if he still is on the case, but one of his lawyers is name Fee.
Perfect.
Perfect.
This has precious little to do with football and it's culture or the coach and owner of the Patriots. Most football players at all levels of the sport don't commit murder. This has more to do with Thug Culture and a big tough man with a very fragile ego. Hernandez will have plenty of time to reflect on his horrible deed and the senselessness of his life.
14
Justice has been in this case.
3
At least Hernandez should be better able than most to defend himself in prison.
2
Justice served.
Hernandez is a psychopath. Was this never picked up? Or was he just not that different than the people he grew up and hung out with? What about in college? Can't they test for psychopathy? It's being identified in kids as young as 5 (cause is probably genetic or biological).
Does the NFL have a similar percentage of psychos as the general population, more, less? Getting pounded in the head day after day can't help....
"A key witness in his trial was Ms. Jenkins, Mr. Hernandez’s fiancée, who received immunity..."
Is she still his fiance? Shouldn't she be in Witness Protection with their daughter?
Hernandez is a psychopath. Was this never picked up? Or was he just not that different than the people he grew up and hung out with? What about in college? Can't they test for psychopathy? It's being identified in kids as young as 5 (cause is probably genetic or biological).
Does the NFL have a similar percentage of psychos as the general population, more, less? Getting pounded in the head day after day can't help....
"A key witness in his trial was Ms. Jenkins, Mr. Hernandez’s fiancée, who received immunity..."
Is she still his fiance? Shouldn't she be in Witness Protection with their daughter?
4
My suspicion is that the endless adulation America heaps on its star football players, in addition to the 40 million, gave this obviously very limited man a sense of limitless entitlement. The culture of football is a national pathology, we shouldn't be surprised when it produces deviants who have little reason to believe they can get away with, well, murder.
11
I think the comments on the drug induced behaviour are on the mark. I'd argue a lot of violent crime is committed under the influence of some drug or another---we just don't see it clearly yet. Even in this article, that aspect, that he was doing drugs at the time (or before or after---it doesn't have to be active use) is not really fully explored. I've seen what people do while drug and I think they're capable of anything. A drug like PCP can lead to some serious psychosis. Couple that with any other injuries from his sport and any previous mental illness, and you have these crazy crimes. Sad for everyone.
2
I have tried to resist the notion that this guy was simply a monster.
But I can't.
He was professionally at home as a purveyor of NFL violence. It suited him.
Only he knows whether or not he shot that guy. But it wouldn't surprise me if he had.
But I can't.
He was professionally at home as a purveyor of NFL violence. It suited him.
Only he knows whether or not he shot that guy. But it wouldn't surprise me if he had.
7
Look he did some bad things and obviously needs to be punished severely. But everybody makes mistakes and good tight-ends are hard to come by, so why not let him play, at least on home games.
7
Surely you're joking. Any large person on steroids can play football, and this guy is a murderer. Murderers should go to jail until they're old enough to be harmless.
3
Surely I tried, but sometimes I need to try harder.
Pretty sure he was joking.
In forty years, when Aaron Hernandez is frail and in poor health, some judge or parole board might well grant him his freedom on "compassionate" grounds, noting that he is "no longer a threat to society." I hope that, when that day comes, they will review today's decision (and news coverage and comments) and discover that Mr. Hernandez was sentenced to "the mandatory term of life in prison without the possibility of parole."
If society does want to be compassionate to elderly inmates -- on its own, an issue worthy of serious debate -- then sentences like today's should be phrased in less absolute terms. Otherwise the disconnect merely breeds cynicism regarding the justice system. And, in some quarters, the outrage against arguably unearned "compassionate release" helps feed the enthusiasm for capital punishment.
If society does want to be compassionate to elderly inmates -- on its own, an issue worthy of serious debate -- then sentences like today's should be phrased in less absolute terms. Otherwise the disconnect merely breeds cynicism regarding the justice system. And, in some quarters, the outrage against arguably unearned "compassionate release" helps feed the enthusiasm for capital punishment.
11
At some point we're going to realize that for a life sentence, due to heinous crime that no sane person could live with the memory of doing, "compassionate release" means euthanasia. It'll help a lot with prison overcrowding too.
1
Only terminal cancer could bring such a respite. And unless there are blood relatives waiting to take care of him that's not enough to be released.
2
You must be a youngster if you think that this guy will be too old and frail to commit a crime at 65. And uh... you're forgetting that the trigger finger knows no age limits.
4
What if...I know this will seem silly...all American professional football organizations were non-profit, paying all the extra money into charity funds, help for the homeless, the hungry and those who suffer but are unable to help themselves? What if they actually represented the cities in which they operate so that they could not be moved without ballot approval and the name of the team belonged to the citizens themselves? At least we could see some good coming from "men crippling themselves" (to quote the movie, Against All Odds). If they were such organizations, they would not dare empower men who are violent off the field with multimillion dollar pay days. The thugs would be gone.
For maybe 10 to 50 billion dollars, we could buy all the teams and turn them into non-profits. No big deal. We spent almost one trillion dollars to bailout Wall Street so they could give themselves 20 million dollar bonuses (at the low end). Let's get started raising the money and take this sport away from the money grubbers who don't really care what happens when the game is over or when their dogs are let loose on the world.
For maybe 10 to 50 billion dollars, we could buy all the teams and turn them into non-profits. No big deal. We spent almost one trillion dollars to bailout Wall Street so they could give themselves 20 million dollar bonuses (at the low end). Let's get started raising the money and take this sport away from the money grubbers who don't really care what happens when the game is over or when their dogs are let loose on the world.
13
Too bad for Hernandez he didn't have "Mr. Johnny" on his defense team. Remember how "Johnny" got that other football star and murderer off from a double homicide - for which we damn well know "he did it?"
Something in this case about a size 13 shoe that may or may not have fit. If the shoe doesn't fit - you must acquit.
Something in this case about a size 13 shoe that may or may not have fit. If the shoe doesn't fit - you must acquit.
3
There are no semi-pro football teams in Massachusetts (unless you count Boston College). He was not a semi-professional football player. Not sure how that bizarre inaccuracy has persisted.
6
Who said his semi-pro playing was in Massachusetts?
I find much of what's outlined here odd. So his motive for killing a guy he casually knew (who was dating his girlfriend's sister) was because he was 'bothered that this guy spoke to some people he did not like, at one point in time'??
Also, I am curious about the girlfriend's testimony about the disposal of this 'box'. Did she simply never ask him what might be in the box? And if she did, did he say something like 'it's better if you don't know?' Otherwise I find it extremely hard to believe that she neither asked him what was in the box, nor decided to take a look for herself.
As for this dumpster where she disposed of the box, but supposedly now cannot remember its location, did the prosecution ask her what her plan was for disposing of the box, as she got in the car with it? Did she consider a particular road or wooded area that was remote, and where she thought would be a good place to dispose of it? Was she heading towards a body of water into which to throw the box? And if so, was it only when she happened to pass by a random dumpster, that she realized the dumpster might be a good place to dispose of the box? (I can't imagine she didn't first consider WHERE she might go to dispose of the box, before she began driving, and so I therefore find it hard to believe that she can't remember the route she may have taken, and as part of which would have included said dumpster...)
Also, I am curious about the girlfriend's testimony about the disposal of this 'box'. Did she simply never ask him what might be in the box? And if she did, did he say something like 'it's better if you don't know?' Otherwise I find it extremely hard to believe that she neither asked him what was in the box, nor decided to take a look for herself.
As for this dumpster where she disposed of the box, but supposedly now cannot remember its location, did the prosecution ask her what her plan was for disposing of the box, as she got in the car with it? Did she consider a particular road or wooded area that was remote, and where she thought would be a good place to dispose of it? Was she heading towards a body of water into which to throw the box? And if so, was it only when she happened to pass by a random dumpster, that she realized the dumpster might be a good place to dispose of the box? (I can't imagine she didn't first consider WHERE she might go to dispose of the box, before she began driving, and so I therefore find it hard to believe that she can't remember the route she may have taken, and as part of which would have included said dumpster...)
8
Mr. Hernandez has been accused of at least one more murder, soon to go to trial, for similar reasons --feeling "disrespected" when nobody else at the place thought that this was the case. The one case soon to come to trial involves a drink spilled in a club at Boston's South End.
Given in part to the fact that no reason for this murder could be found, the case went cold until, well, somebody went back and looked at video and found Mr. Hernandez' car near the scene of the crime and connected the dots given Mr. Hernandez was now a murder suspect. There is a pattern here and there might even be more incidents like it --perhaps as a rich and famous player, Mr. Hernandez felt could take lives with impunity (and in fact he did so for a while).
In respect the box, his fiancee has been extremely reluctant to say things against her boyfriend. She did tell the court that the box "smelled of pot," and that given this, she did not ask many more questions and has convincingly argued that at the time that she did not know that Hernandez had shot Mr. Loyd. But it seems this was not the first time that she had to dispose of things for him. She knew what she had to do and proceeded to leave the house by noting that "she had to get ATM money to pay the cleaning lady" which was not true as the cleaning person was always, in this case as well, paid by check --the prosecution found the checks and had the cleaning lady testify.
Given in part to the fact that no reason for this murder could be found, the case went cold until, well, somebody went back and looked at video and found Mr. Hernandez' car near the scene of the crime and connected the dots given Mr. Hernandez was now a murder suspect. There is a pattern here and there might even be more incidents like it --perhaps as a rich and famous player, Mr. Hernandez felt could take lives with impunity (and in fact he did so for a while).
In respect the box, his fiancee has been extremely reluctant to say things against her boyfriend. She did tell the court that the box "smelled of pot," and that given this, she did not ask many more questions and has convincingly argued that at the time that she did not know that Hernandez had shot Mr. Loyd. But it seems this was not the first time that she had to dispose of things for him. She knew what she had to do and proceeded to leave the house by noting that "she had to get ATM money to pay the cleaning lady" which was not true as the cleaning person was always, in this case as well, paid by check --the prosecution found the checks and had the cleaning lady testify.
2
Such Talent, such a future, and no vision
4
Or morals. Or brains. Or self-control. Or thoughts for others.
3
But, from my perspective:
All this smacks of the "box" or "loge" patrons watching the "gladiators" perform "a dance" for the enjoyment of a few.
All this smacks of the "box" or "loge" patrons watching the "gladiators" perform "a dance" for the enjoyment of a few.
3
Yeah! Justice is served. My heart goes out to Odin's family and to Aaron's family. It will be hard on everyone. I pray for healing and peace for them all.
8
He had a $40 million contract, and he traded that for a lifetime spent sleeping on a cement bed with a wafer-thin mattress (supplied by the lowest bidder), and eating prison food (also supplied by the lowest bidder). The days will seem like months. He's going to start climbing the walls, if he hasn't already. Soon, he'll be clawing at the walls. Tough way to spend the next 50 years.
41
One life taken in cold blood. Another life wasted. Aaron Hernandez has sat in a jail cell for a long time. I hope he's asked himself if killing a friend because of a perceived act of disrespect was worth his freedom. Odin Lloyd had the audacity to greet someone he knew and Hernandez decided the price of this "disrespect" was his life? None of this makes sense to me. And no one has ever known who Aaron Hernandez is. Or was.
21
I am shocked. The court system does work. There appeared to be no motive. However, the motive might have been to see if Hernandez could get away with it, like he does through his whole life. These jurors did their due diligence and hurrah to them. He got what he earned.
50
Well said! I was shocked too that he did NOT get off, and so there is still hope for society. He was a great football player, but a real lousy human being.
Whatever fortune Hernandez has left, I hope the family of victims will take it away by filing civil suits against him.
51
WELL, AT Least the NFL Wasn't found guilty of malicious intent to MASS brain damage it's players and avoid liability for doing so.
Guess this is a step in the right direction.
Guess this is a step in the right direction.
4
You want to be a gangsta, act like a gangsta, prepare to be treated by a gangsta. It doesn't matter if you're earning millions of years or a small town thug in Ferguson.
43
Wait, you're comparing Hernandez to Michael Brown? Michael Brown did not kill anyone - he was gunned down himself after jaywalking and allegedly shoplifting (not that the cop even knew this).
7
I assume that by "small town thug in Ferguson", you mean the police.
2
Leave Darren Wilson out of this.
1
The real question here is, I think, what's the mindset that would lead someone to take someone's life over basically nothing, when they had a great life and so much to lose? When a crackhead with no money, family, friends, or home, kills someone for their wallet, it's still terrible but at least it's understandable. But Aaron Hernandez was fairly well set in life, had more money than I'll ever see, had a loving family, a girlfriend, probably several houses. The murder is completely baffling to me, unlike another famous football star murder, wherein I'd say it's pretty clear O.J. killed out of egomaniacal jealousy.
So I don't have the answer, I think it's tied up with the thug-worshiping culture of the less introspective idiots in America. But it'd be a good thing to study in an attempt to turn kids' lives around before they follow in Hernandez' footsteps.
So I don't have the answer, I think it's tied up with the thug-worshiping culture of the less introspective idiots in America. But it'd be a good thing to study in an attempt to turn kids' lives around before they follow in Hernandez' footsteps.
132
Absolutely in agreement with all your statements. Psychiatrists should make this case an academic study in how and why a young man with definite and successful athletic ability becomes an unfeeling monster. I'm guessing there very well might be pharmaceuticals involved. The overwhelming paranoia is key.
4
You could consider the answer everyone else presumes: It's because he has so much, not in spite of it, Lloyd had knowledge of a Hernandez double homicide, for which he is still to stand trial, and for which he would have lost everything.
7
I have always felt that it is important to study these people and learn what motivates them.
In our culture, vengeance is the the main ussue.
In our culture, vengeance is the the main ussue.
3
If you're a 25 year old man, think of all the wonderful things you'll do for the next 50 or more years, all the joy and beauty you'll experience. And then to think of Aaron Hernandez surrounded in chaos and anger in a federal prison, for the next half century, for what, and why?
6
Two months and 100 witnesses for the state's case, and the jury seems to have taken their time in scrutinizing all the pieces. All the little arrows must have aligned and led to only one logical conclusion. I'm sure he's only sorry he got caught, but he'll have a lot of time to reflect if he's capable. What a waste.
7
Man... it costs a FORTUNE to convict someone who is BLATANTLY GUILTY !!
What about he grey area cases ???
What about he grey area cases ???
1
Looks like a $40mn contract can get you in a lot of trouble.
This guy showed practically no emotion as the verdict was read out. The picture in this article makes him appear as if he was watching a touchdown by a player in a competing team. That's it?
This guy showed practically no emotion as the verdict was read out. The picture in this article makes him appear as if he was watching a touchdown by a player in a competing team. That's it?
5
He'll have many decades locked up in a cold concrete cell to think about the stupidity of his actions and show emotion. And unless he's lucky enough to die in jail of natural causes within a couple of years, he will.
Between rapists, abusers, and now a murderer I'd say that the NFL really needs to clean up it's act!
8
Right. But instead the rapist (ok, alleged for the 3 of you who don't believe it)/thief/misogynist Winston will likely be drafted #1.
1
it's only going to get worse. With all that is now known about CTE, anyone with good sense and options will play a safer sport or use their football scholarship to actually get a useful degree. The NFL will be comprised mostly of desperate fringe elements.
It could be worse, they could employ cops.
1
Justice has been served, now let's get justice for Walter Scott!
8
Quite telling that he didn't stand for his verdict. Look at the picture. This guy doesn't respect anything or anybody. How could the Patriots have overlooked these character flaws during his selection and employment?
19
What makes you think they didn't?
He knows he's done. Finished.... the game is over.
Actually, he was standing until shortly after the first guilty verdict. I'd like to think he was rocked and needed to sit. I don't know, the camera turned to his fiancee and mother, and Odin Loyd's mother.
1
Well at least I don't have to worry playing with a bunch of cheaters anymore.
8
This actually strikes me as very funny, and eerily accurate.
@Aaron Hernandez:
Spoken like a true Seattle Seahawks fan.
Spoken like a true Seattle Seahawks fan.
Giving up millions and a life few are privileged to enjoy for a drug-induced impulse resulting in murder. To this day he probably can't explain why he did it and we will never understand why !
12
The jails are filled with guys like that ...
According to the storyline of this case he had millions of reasons. He was intent on protecting himself from Lloyd snitching on him for the two other murders he is charged with but has not yet stood trial for.
"Prosecutors suggested that Mr. Hernandez’s motive was that Mr. Lloyd spoke at a Boston bar with people Mr. Hernandez did not like."
Someone speaks to someone you don't like and you kill them?? I alternated between thinking that 1) this is such an unlikely motive that I could not in consciousness convict him and 2) horror that someone could really murder someone for this flimsy reason.
However, it sounds like the evidence, while circumstantial, was compelling.
Given some of his behavioral issues in college (and the many other instances we read about of bad behavior by college athletes), perhaps the universities and the NCAA should put more focus on mental health issues among that population?
Someone speaks to someone you don't like and you kill them?? I alternated between thinking that 1) this is such an unlikely motive that I could not in consciousness convict him and 2) horror that someone could really murder someone for this flimsy reason.
However, it sounds like the evidence, while circumstantial, was compelling.
Given some of his behavioral issues in college (and the many other instances we read about of bad behavior by college athletes), perhaps the universities and the NCAA should put more focus on mental health issues among that population?
12
stop paying athletes anything above what the minimum wage should be
3
'Roid rage came to my mind.
The prosecution was not allowed to mention the Boston double murder. Silencing Lloyd is a much more plausible motive that was not allowed in court. Horrifying all the same.
1
I give a lot of credit to the jurors, who obviously took their job and responsibility quite seriously.
72
The jury system is particularly frightening on these judgment call cases. There was no direct evidence Hernandez shot anyone. If Hernandez could have done this, any of the others at the scene could have done it, I don't think that is disputed. That would make an accessory, but he was not charged with participating in concert, he was charged with the act.
How a jury convinces itself one participant rather than another was the shooter is beyond me. Justice in a court is quite often a very inexact thing.
How a jury convinces itself one participant rather than another was the shooter is beyond me. Justice in a court is quite often a very inexact thing.
21
Of course the way the law works, more than the actual shooter is held accountable in a murder committed during the commission of a crime. For instance if you and an accomplice rob a store and the owner is killed both of you could be charged
3
I would think that if you heard the full 10 days of testimony you might be more convinced. Certainly the judge was convinced, handing down such a tough sentence. Also, maybe the next trial where he is charged with fatally shooting two men to death will be more convincing that this man is just a rich thug.
5
You're that there was no direct evidence; it was all circumstantial.
However, you're mistaken about what he was charged with. He was accused on murder by joint venture. The prosecution did not have to prove that Hernandez pulled the trigger, just that he participated in the murder. They claimed that he had organized the killing, recruited his friends to help him, and drove the victim to the site where he was murdered. That is enough to prove a joint venture.
You are right about there being no direct evidence
However, you're mistaken about what he was charged with. He was accused on murder by joint venture. The prosecution did not have to prove that Hernandez pulled the trigger, just that he participated in the murder. They claimed that he had organized the killing, recruited his friends to help him, and drove the victim to the site where he was murdered. That is enough to prove a joint venture.
You are right about there being no direct evidence
3
I'm never surprised when pro football players get in trouble for violent crimes, It's a violent sport...A sport that glorifies the violence. What do we expect?
104
There's something more there.. Otherwise, we'd have to say the same for hockey. Hockey is undoubtedly an equally violent, punishing game with the added effect of fighting , which the league and media glorify to no end.
Perhaps it the violent nature of the sport combined with the fact that many of these fallen stars in football come from very troubled back rounds. Emotionally, they are not on solid ground to start with. Throw in drugs and then you have the potential for anything .
Perhaps it the violent nature of the sport combined with the fact that many of these fallen stars in football come from very troubled back rounds. Emotionally, they are not on solid ground to start with. Throw in drugs and then you have the potential for anything .
1
Many people equate money with power and the freedom to do what you want. And freedom means different things to different people. Maybe $40 million meant to Hernandez the freedom to be violent.
9
There is very good article on Aaron hernandez in Rolling stone few months ago. Basically the motive, if you can call it that, is that he has been an addict all his adult life and was doing cocktail hallucination drugs. From there it is a slippery slope to perceive an insult and kill someone.
From what I understand his father was the stabilizing rock in the family (mother was also an addict of some kind). Once the father passed away the two Hernandez brothers were living on edge - it was matter of time.
This was open secret during the NFL draft and that's why except for Bellichek the great risk-taker, no one wanted to touch him with 10 foot pole.
From what I understand his father was the stabilizing rock in the family (mother was also an addict of some kind). Once the father passed away the two Hernandez brothers were living on edge - it was matter of time.
This was open secret during the NFL draft and that's why except for Bellichek the great risk-taker, no one wanted to touch him with 10 foot pole.
67
A sobering account. It should make everyone think carefully before they decide to raise children in this culture.
2
Rolling Stone -- that bastion of truthful insight. Aaron Hernandez is a bully who has killed before. His drug use was incidental to his love of violence.
1
Was it also UVA's fault too? My god, love Rolling Stone (and liberals in general) and blaming anyone but the actual criminal.
May the courageous and steadfast mother of Mr. Lloyd find a tiny measure of peace in this verdict. My heart goes out to her and to her family.
12
We have a strange legal system in this country. We cast doubt on a verdict by saying that all of the evidence was "circumstantial"; that no weapon was found. No kidding! What does it matter? Did it matter that the prosecution had the weapon in hand that George Zimmerman used to shoot a teenager? It isn't like the prosecution picked up some poor soul who went to church every Sunday and never harmed a fly. How Hernandez conducted himself his entire adult life was all the evidence that was needed. The same with George Zimmerman. As a country we need to get more cases like this right; we didn't for Trayvon Martin and many, many others.
16
You are implying that the final judgements in all these cases did not suit your definition or expectation of "justice", so the outcome must be wrong, and we should keep trying until we "get it right". Your "right", of course.
2
I love the defense argument that he was getting 40 million so he had no motive
7
Sometimes our judicial systems work as intended, and prove once again that "Justice" is not always blind..........
A rare event......
A rare event......
2
And he had it all....potential 'fame', nice stuff, money, career, whatever. Other's lives meant nothing to him and because of that, he's lost his.
7
He didn't "have it all"... he had (has) absolutely no integrity.
3
Too much money, too much adulation and not enough structure equals a tragedy. Families have been destroyed by this business and Hernandez is also being looked at for a double murder elsewhere else that could conceivably lead to a death sentence so Hernandez, too, at least as society is concerned, is also deceased. We need to look at what
The questions must be asked: How much do steroid use, which is well-known to be rampant in the NFL, and the general culture of violence in the NFL play into this? My guess is that Mr. Hernandez was a macho, roided out psychopath who felt totally invincible.
50
I'd say that's a very good guess.
1
He liked to do PCP (angel dust). That makes people paranoid and violent, and has lasting psychotic effects.
3
Hernandez was a longtime abuser of PCP, a nasty, hallucinogenic drug that makes users paranoid and violent. He failed numerous drug tests at the University of Florida and his behavior while playing for the Pats was so bad he was on the verge of being cut from the team. This is a classic case of covering up bad behavior by universities and pro sports.
2
How much of the character traits that drove Mr. Hernandez to murder Mr. Lloyd - arrogance, aggression, lack of empathy, self-righteousness, brutality - were the same traits that the NFL found so valuable?
How and when does football culture learn to mitigate these same traits, in which so much profit, damage and shame collide?
How and when does football culture learn to mitigate these same traits, in which so much profit, damage and shame collide?
60
It's not just "football culture" where "arrogance, aggresion, lack of empathy, self-righteousness, [and] brutality" lurks. It can also be found in the police and in the military, and especially among military contractors (mercenaries) as well as in other sports such as hockey and wrestling (see Tamerlan Tsarnaev).
5
I work with a lot of physicians, and I have observed that arrogance, lack of empathy, ENTITLEMENT and self righteousness are rampant in their culture, too. Seems it's lack of accountability/consequences for behaviors that creates the culture of acceptance and enabling.
3
And Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick had no idea they had a triple murderer on their team. Really. No, seriously. Honest to God.
21
I don't understand why people feel so cocky and confident about this verdict.
As they say, innocent until proven guilty but that doesn't mean we *know* for certain that he is guilty just because he has now been "proven" guilty.
I still feel like there is so much doubt. There are too many unknowns. No murder weapon. No eyewitnesses. And the bizarre story about a fiancée once so obedient and devoted that she would throw away a box when told to *without even looking inside* yet later turns into a tell-all informant? She conveniently can't remember where she dumped it. How can we rely on her say-so to determine the reality?
As they say, innocent until proven guilty but that doesn't mean we *know* for certain that he is guilty just because he has now been "proven" guilty.
I still feel like there is so much doubt. There are too many unknowns. No murder weapon. No eyewitnesses. And the bizarre story about a fiancée once so obedient and devoted that she would throw away a box when told to *without even looking inside* yet later turns into a tell-all informant? She conveniently can't remember where she dumped it. How can we rely on her say-so to determine the reality?
16
Yes I found the "I can't remember" comment weird as well.
However, I would assume that if it did not contain something that would be used against him, that the defense would have said what was in it.
However, I would assume that if it did not contain something that would be used against him, that the defense would have said what was in it.
2
Uh, she was not a willing tell-all informant. She was compelled by the prosecution to testify in court. They gave her immunity from prosecution which meant that she couldn't "plead the fifth." If she refused to testify, she would have been held in contempt. If she lied on the stand (she was on tape carrying a box, remember), she would have faced perjury charges. I assume she realized her first concern was her daughter who would have no parents if either one of these scenarios played out.
Also, as far as doubt: sure, there is always doubt, but not "reasonable" doubt. The man's car is seen directly before and after the murder in a deserted industrial park in the middle of the night, about 30 miles away from the victim's home and about 3 miles away from the defendent's. He is seen on camera less than 10 minutes later entering his home and carrying something that bore a fuzzy but convincing resemblance to the murder weapon. "Reasonable" conclusion?
Also, as far as doubt: sure, there is always doubt, but not "reasonable" doubt. The man's car is seen directly before and after the murder in a deserted industrial park in the middle of the night, about 30 miles away from the victim's home and about 3 miles away from the defendent's. He is seen on camera less than 10 minutes later entering his home and carrying something that bore a fuzzy but convincing resemblance to the murder weapon. "Reasonable" conclusion?
5
Of course she looked inside, of course we can't believe a word that came from her mouth. She lied to cover up for Hernandez, the reason being that he killed Odin Lloyd, and she knew it. She was indicted for perjury. How does this inspire any sort of doubt about H's guilt?
Even if he did not pull the trigger he is guilty of association with idiots. Some athletes are given a life millions can only dream of, then they still act like and hang with thugs. Will they ever learn.
8
What a maroon.
Just signed a contract for $40M and his best idea was to play gangsta.
Me, I'd been where the weather was pleasant, the women of easy virtue abundant and recreational substances reasonably priced.
Just signed a contract for $40M and his best idea was to play gangsta.
Me, I'd been where the weather was pleasant, the women of easy virtue abundant and recreational substances reasonably priced.
16
Interesting. Maybe we should think twice next time we want to genuflect at the alter of Kraft/Belichick for their rigorous and multidimensional evaluations of all aspects of players they consider signing.
13
It strikes me as on odd defense to suggest that Hernadez had no motive because of his $40 million contract. He has gotten away with violent crimes in the past, where football organizations, including college, looked the other way and let him get away with it. The more he had, the more immunity he felt he had. Owners and football programs don't care about the integrity of their players.
139
I thought for sure he would suit up this year or be traded to the Jets........... wrong again
4
I think he was thinking the same thing, he appeared quite cocky during the trial. I think this knocked him for a loop. Justice served.
5
A senseless act; a senseless loss of life;his daughter will know him thru bars. Tragedy ongoing. Hope the Lloyd family get some peace knowing that Mr.Hernandez will never take a breath of free air again.
12
Almost like he was following a script called "gangster." Someone disses you, you shoot 'em. He will not be missed.
155
As far as the rest of the wosrld goes, he is a dead man even if he still breathes
5
Warning to those in prison with whom he will interact: here comes a dangerous dude!
4
That is exactly it. Too many young guys from poorer neighborhoods idolize ficitional lifestyles like in Goodfellas and Scarface.
Add to that how highly scouted sports phenoms are treated with everyone telling you how great you are and sweeping transgressions under the rug so you can remain playing for your school, you end up thinking you can do and live how ever you want and that rules and laws don't apply to you.
Add to that how highly scouted sports phenoms are treated with everyone telling you how great you are and sweeping transgressions under the rug so you can remain playing for your school, you end up thinking you can do and live how ever you want and that rules and laws don't apply to you.
8
I'd like to understand why, that's the elephant in the room. I will accept he killed someone. Why he did it is more important to society. Football culture? Too many hits to the head? He was just not a nice guy?
That would be reporting.
That would be reporting.
49
That would be a separate article - this article, is (As are all of this - specific - type) nothing more than a jury summation and a recap of a recap of a crime, for which the verdict was handed down.
Also - whilst I didn’t read it in this article, but another, the prosecutors weren't allowed to tell the jury WHY they felt the crime was committed (one theory was the victim knew too much about Hernandez's involvement with a killing Hernandez was involved in in '12, for which he still is going to trial for.
Nothing more.
What you say- which isn't 'wrong' (how could it be?), is an article about the cause of a (particular) person's violence, or, are you suggesting a report on whether any of this things you mentioned can lead football players' as a group to commit crime?
I'll throw in my 2 cents, and say this; I'm NOT a football fat, at all. But, I do know of manny (most) former football players who have led fine lives.
At the same time, in the past decade or so, there's been a huge influx of moronic players (Which the 'school' NEVR makes ANY effort to educate), who had ONLY got as far as they did STRICTLY based on their (they'd say) 'football playing ability,' Id say their violent, thug-prone behaviour.
Once a piece a piece of garbage...
Also - whilst I didn’t read it in this article, but another, the prosecutors weren't allowed to tell the jury WHY they felt the crime was committed (one theory was the victim knew too much about Hernandez's involvement with a killing Hernandez was involved in in '12, for which he still is going to trial for.
Nothing more.
What you say- which isn't 'wrong' (how could it be?), is an article about the cause of a (particular) person's violence, or, are you suggesting a report on whether any of this things you mentioned can lead football players' as a group to commit crime?
I'll throw in my 2 cents, and say this; I'm NOT a football fat, at all. But, I do know of manny (most) former football players who have led fine lives.
At the same time, in the past decade or so, there's been a huge influx of moronic players (Which the 'school' NEVR makes ANY effort to educate), who had ONLY got as far as they did STRICTLY based on their (they'd say) 'football playing ability,' Id say their violent, thug-prone behaviour.
Once a piece a piece of garbage...
3
Well , he's going to have plenty time to think about the "Why".
That will be Justice.
That will be Justice.
4
The purpose of a trial is to determine whether someone is innocent or guilty not to ascertain the reason why a person committed a crime. It is law, not psychology or sociology. Only Mr. Hernandez knows why he killed Mr. Lloyd and of course, if he expounded at length as to his reasons, he would admit his guilt.
8
No longer an NFL anything.
A convicted murderer.
A destroyer of families.
An ego gone out of control.
A very sick person.
Guilty as charged.
A convicted murderer.
A destroyer of families.
An ego gone out of control.
A very sick person.
Guilty as charged.
30
Only the real jury needed to watch the trial. I am just an innocent bystander who is not fond of murderers or celebrities who become murderers. Or "Great American Heroes" (not) saying arrogant things like "I'm NFL" and expecting a "pass" for murder. I'm not sure which is worse; the arrogance of such false Gods or the society which created them and is not seemingly shocked by it. Bravo to the jury!
1
I grieve for Mr. Lloyd and shake my head at Hernandez. What a monumental waste. A waste of talent, money, future, and life...both his and Lloyd's.
Mind bending.
Mind bending.
144
He faces a double murder accusation elsewhere. He has destroyed families and destroyed himself in the process.
3
I hope the family and loved ones of Mr. Lloyd feel that justice has been done. Hernandez took his life for the pettiest of reasons and should never see a day of freedom again.
215
I'm sure the family doesn't feel like the outcome is just. Odin's dead and stays dead, and a guy they probably don't know is in jail. This has got to feel like a pretty hollow victory. It's unfortunate, but there's nothing that can make him alive again. It's got to feel very unfair to lose someone like that.
That said, obviously this is the right call - one, it gets this guy off the street, and two, hopefully serves as a deterrent for future potential criminals.
That said, obviously this is the right call - one, it gets this guy off the street, and two, hopefully serves as a deterrent for future potential criminals.
2
Even though circumstantial, the girlfriend's testimony is hard to explain away. That and the last minute closing argument admission that he was at the scene? The jury took it's time and for that they are to be commended.
131
got that right
12
And so it ends for a man who threw away more good fortune than just about any man in the history of mankind.
Not mentioned in the article is that Hernandez has also been indicted for a double homicide for 2 men who looked at him the wrong way in a club. The world is a safer place with this sociopath behind bars for life.
Not mentioned in the article is that Hernandez has also been indicted for a double homicide for 2 men who looked at him the wrong way in a club. The world is a safer place with this sociopath behind bars for life.
308
Re your second paragraph:
See the last sentence in the article.
See the last sentence in the article.
6
In my defense, that last sentence was added after my comment was made.
51
It is too mentioned in the article. Did you read it to the end?
1
You know what is disgusting? The Hernandez group/yearbook photo of the jurors for their interview via CNN (at least that's where I saw it). I think it should be illegal for jurors to discuss a case, period. This behavior is part of why I don't believe in our legal system. It is "your troubles = our entertainment" or better, what Dickinson wrote, "How Public -- like a Frog --" . It's unethical, and I can't believe it's the level of discussion the founding fathers had in mind regarding public rights and access in court rooms.