Aaron Hernandez’s Odin Lloyd Murder Trial Timeline: Arrest, Conviction, & Death

The rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez and the murder of Odin Lloyd are depicted in American Sports Story. American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez Again examines one of the most Chilling off-the-field true stories in the history of the National Football League. American Sports Story will become the first dramatized series to tackle the true-crime story of Aaron Hernandez and the murder of Odin Lloyd after Netflix’s docuseries Killer Inn. Created by Stuart Zicherman (The Americans) and executive produced by Ryan Murphy, American Sports Story will span 10 episodes. Josh Andrés Rivera leads the cast of American Sports Story Like Aaron Hernandez.

Hernandez grew up in Bristol, Connecticut, where he quickly emerged as an athletic star. He would go on to play football at the University of Florida, where he would help the Gators win a BCS National Championship alongside Tim Tebow and head coach Urban Meyer. Hernandez was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft and played there for three seasons. Hernandez played in Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants Along with NFL legends Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski before they were released from the Patriots in 2013 after being arrested and convicted of first-degree murder.

Aaron Hernandez killed Odin Lloyd on June 17, 2013

Based on the first-degree murder conviction Hernandez received in 2015, the jury found that Hernandez killed Odin Lloyd on June 17, 2013, just two months before the Patriots offered him a five-year, $40 million contract. Lloyd was the boyfriend of Shaneah Jenkins, the sister of Shayanna Jenkins, Aaron Hernandez’s girlfriend and the mother of his child. Lloyd’s body was found in an isolated industrial area in North Attleborough, MassachusettsNot far from a rich community, where Hernand lived in a house. Lloyd was murdered execution-style and shot a total of six times.

The motive behind the crime was not determined during the murder trial and remains unclear Until today. There is speculation that Hernandez killed Lloyd after Lloyd discovered that Hernandez was gay. Hernandez has never publicly commented on his sexuality but several people who were close to him, including a male childhood friend and former teammate, claim to have had sexual relations with Hernandez. Two friends of Hernandez, Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, were with Hernandez and witnessed the murder. They were charged with being accessories to Lloyd’s murder and were sentenced to 4.5-7 years in prison.

Aaron Hernandez was arrested on first-degree murder charges on June 23, 2013.

It did not take long until Hernandez was charged and arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd, considering the considerable amount of circumstantial evidence that pointed to his direct involvement and ultimate guilt. First, Hernandez was the only person who knew Lloyd in the area, which is a very well-to-do community where murders and other serious crimes rarely occur. Hernandez, 23, has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges but has not been released on bail. Since the testimony against him was so strong. He was also involved in a double homicide that occurred in the theater district in Boston, although he was ultimately found not guilty on both counts in a 2017 trial.

The murder trial of Odin Lloyd started on January 29, 2015

Hernandez was held at the Bristol County Jail in North Dartmouth, MA while awaiting trial, which began on January 29, 2015, in Fall River, MA. Prosecutors built a strong case against Hernandez starting with that fact His DNA was found at the scene of Odin Lloyd’s murder. They also presented evidence of bullet shell casings found at the scene of the crime that matched those found in Hernandez’s rental car he drove on the night of Lloyd’s murder. Hernandez’s defense attorney surprisingly admitted that his defendant was at the scene of the crime and claimed that Hernandez was a helpless witness to Lloyd’s murder, and the crime on Ortiz and Wallace.

Aaron Hernandez was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on April 15, 2015.

Hernandez was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Odin Lloyd on April 15, 2015. He was transferred from the Bristol County Jail to the maximum security Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Cedar Junction in Walpole, MA for intake before Serving the remainder of his life sentence at the maximum security Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, which is adjacent to the Medium-security Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Shirley, in Shirley, MA. Celebrity attorney Jose Baez, who famously defended Casey Anthony, successfully defended Hernandez in the 2017 double homicide case and was preparing to represent Hernandez’s appeal in the Lloyd murder case.

Aaron Hernandez died in prison on April 19, 2017

Just five days after a jury found him not guilty in the 2012 double murder case of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, Hernandez was found dead in his jail cell by a corrections officer. Hernandez hanged herself with bed sheets and was pronounced dead at 4:07 a.m. at UMass Memorial Hospital in Leominster, MA. He was smoking the synthetic marijuana known as K2 in the days before his death. Hernandez did not commit suicide but wrote “John 3:16” in reference to the Bible verse on his forehead.What his former Gators teammate Tim Tebow often wrote on his eye black during football games. Hernandez became increasingly religious during his time in prison.

Aaron Hernandez’s murder conviction was vacated on May 9, 2017

Due to an old Massachusetts legal principle known as abatement, Hernandez’s murder conviction was vacated on May 9, 2017, because he died while his case was still technically open due to his appeal. Although the law may seem to have little or no effect on Hernandez, it affects the people closest to the victim(s) and can prevent them from claiming compensation. In the case of Odin Lloyd, The abatement statute dismissed all of the convictions and charges against HernandezThat opened the door for Hernandez’s family to seek compensation for Hernandez’s unfulfilled contract with the New England Patriots.

Aaron Hernandez’s murder conviction was reinstated on March 13, 2019

In 2019, the conviction of Aaron Hernandez for the murder of Odin Lloyd was reinstated by the Massachusetts Supreme Court, which finally ended the antiquated legal rule known as “Prevention of origin“or prevention. The Massachusetts court ruled that the principle was “Obsolete and no longer consonant with the circumstances of contemporary life, if, in fact, it ever was.” (via CNN).

The Lloyd family released a statement that read, “This decision helped the family tremendously to get closure from the terrible loss of their beloved Odin. He was an inspiration to all who knew him and a loyal member of his family and the entire community.” The process of Hernandez and more will be explored in American Sports Story.

Source: ESPN, NPR, CNN, Killer Inn