Aaron Hernandez, who was acquitted today, will not be walking out of prison anytime soon as a free man. And while the former tight end for the New England Patriots was set free of the Boston nightclub shooting, he will have to sit in his little prison cell and serve his life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd.
In 2013 Hernandez murdered Lloyd, who was also his Close Friend and a fellow football player. The former Patriots in an effort to remove the witnesses he shot and killed Odin. He was subsequently found guilty and handed the life sentence he is currently serving.
The victims were killed over a spilled drink
However, this acquittal came as a surprise to many people with social media users on Twitter responding in disbelief at the verdict. According to the prosecutors for the state, the 27-year-old anger was fueled by a spilled drink when he committed the 2012 double murder. After the verdict, the Ex-NFL tight end glanced tearfully at his fiancée who was sitting in the back of the court while the victims’ relatives cried loudly in disbelief.
The defense attorney representing Hernandez hugged him after the surprise verdict, which took just six days to deliberate the case He was charged with first-degree murder for killing immigrants Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu.
The defense attorney said immigrants were drug dealers and gang bangers
The jury convicted him of unlawful possession of a firearm. For the single charge, the judge handed down a sentence of four to five years in prison, which is in addition to the existing life sentence he is currently serving. According to Daniel Conley the Suffolk District Attorney, the family of the Cape Verdean immigrants were devastated at the defense attorney’s portrayal of the murdered men as drug dealers and gang bangers.
However, while the family continues to mourn the loss of their loved ones, they find solace knowing that the accused killer will still have to sit in prison for the 2013 murder of Lloyd.
The prosecutor’s case fell apart after Alexander Bradley their key witness credibility was taken into account. Bradley, who is a drug dealer and Hernandez’s close friend was with him when he opened fire on the victims' car.
However, the defense cited that the prosecutor’s witness played a significant role in the murder of Furtado and de Abreu since he was the driver of the getaway vehicle.
Hernandez freed of shooting the key witness
Bradley, who is blind in the right eye, was shot in the face by the accused killer in an effort to silence him; strangely, the shooter was also acquitted in that case. The prosecutor's main witness is currently locked up in a Connecticut prison serving five years for shooting at a Hartford nightclub back in 2014.
Aaron Hernandez was referred to by defense attorney Ronald Sullivan Jr. as a very good man that chooses to hang out with bad guys like Alexander Bradley. Sullivan also added that his team was elated to see that the jury saw right through the prosecutors' "smoke and mirrors."
After the verdict, Lindsey Stringer, the jury forewoman stated that over 380 exhibits were shown and 70 witnesses questioned; therefore, the jury followed the law and based their decision on the evidence presented in the case.
