Aaron Hernandez, former New England Patriots tight end, was found guilty in the murder of former semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd,who was found riddled with bullets in an industrial park near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. He has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Hernandez's trial has been going on since the first week of January, and has included testimony from experts, his fiancée, and even Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Hernandez has been accused of not only orchestrating the murder of Lloyd, but also pulling the trigger.
The murder weapon, a .45-caliber Glock, has never been recovered. Police believe Hernandez's fiancée Shayanna Jenkins disposed of the weapon, and think they have her on tape removing it from his mansion. She was recorded carrying a trash bag from the home with a rigid box inside that prosecutors believe contained the gun. Jenkins did say she was instructed to throw the box away, but never asked about its contents nor knew what was in it. She did say the box had a "skunky" smell consistent with marijuana, which Hernandez was known to use frequently with Lloyd.
The case against Hernandez consists almost entirely of circumstantial evidence. While much of the evidence is damning, the prosecution struggled to establish a motive, and never found the murder weapon. Both of those factors have been speculated to be potentially damning to their case.
Hernandez faced one murder charge, and two weapons charges. At the time of his arrest, Hernandez had just signed a contract extension with the Patriots for five years and $40 million that included a $12.5 million signing bonus.
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