About two weeks ago I was reading an article from Pro Football Talk and I was shocked to learn that now-former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez not only was arrested in connection with the death of Odin Lloyd, but charged with killing Lloyd himself. He faces life in prison without parole if convicted.
From a football perspective: The Patriots released Hernandez within two hours of his arrest, according to profootballtalk.com and espn.com. The Patriots are already short a tight end with Rob Gronkowski having forearm and back surgeries this offseason. I don’t know if Tom Brady will have any reliable receivers to throw to unless Gronk gets healthy super-fast. In either case, I see the Patriots being eliminated from the playoffs in the divisional round, because Denver and Houston are right there, and Indianapolis is comparable to the aforementioned teams.
Now, on to Hernandez. I don’t know the full story behind what happened the night Lloyd was killed, so I will just say that, since Hernandez can afford the best attorneys to try to get him acquitted of the murder charge, this will not be a slam dunk case for the prosecution. I’ve seen on PFT reports of nothing but heresay between the accomplices and each other and Hernandez, which, in my opinion, isn’t admissible evidence in court. The detectives have not even found the gun that was used to kill Lloyd. Even the surveillance video showing Hernandez carrying a gun outside his house doesn’t sway me. For all the interested parties know he could be using the gun in the video to defend his property.
As of 12:15 AM on Saturday, July 13, I think Hernandez and his accomplices would walk. It takes proof beyond a reasonable doubt and clearly as of the aforementioned time there is reasonable doubt.