Prosecutors laid out their murder case Thursday against former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, days before his old teammates play in the Super Bowl. His lawyer said prosecutors ignored evidence and the NFL star “never had a chance.”
In an opening statement at the trial in Fall River, Massachusetts, Hernandez watched while a prosecutor showed jurors a freeze-frame from home surveillance video, showing Hernandez holding what the prosecutor said was a Glock pistol.
The prosecutor also showed footage of the victim, Odin Lloyd, getting into a car with Hernandez, and a second clip from shortly after from Hernandez’s home, without Lloyd in the car.
Lloyd, a semipro football player, was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée. Prosecutors say Hernandez and two friends picked Lloyd up from his home, drove him to an industrial park and shot him dead.
Michael Fee, the defense lawyer, said Hernandez had no motive to kill Lloyd. “The investigation was sloppy and unprofessional,” he said. “What about the facts that showed Aaron’s innocence?”
Hernandez, 25, is also charged in a 2012 double homicide in Boston, but jurors will not be told about that case.
IN-DEPTH
- Former NFL Star Aaron Hernandez Begins Murder Trial
- Hernandez's Lawyers Want to Know If Fiancee has Plea Deal