Judge Tells Victim's Mom Not To Cry While Testifying In Hernandez Case
FALL RIVER (CBS) - The mother of Aaron Hernandez's alleged murder victim did not shed a tear, at least not visibly. In an unusual move, the judge warned Ursula Ward before she testified in front of jurors.
"I understand that this is very emotional for you. It's very important that you manage during this time you are testifying, to retain control of your emotions, and not to cry," said Judge Susan Garsh.
Ward has been so emotional, she's left the courtroom several times, as disturbing testimony and pictures have come up in the trial. This time, she was the one on the witness stand, identifying her son, Odin Lloyd, in a graphic close-up autopsy photo.
She talked about how they immigrated from the Caribbean. She said they could not afford to send him to college, so he attended an electrician training program at Bunker Hill Community College. She described the last time she saw him alive.
"I just saw his beautiful pink gums smiling come across the street towards me," Ward.
Before she took the stand, prosecutors played video from the surveillance system at Hernandez's North Attleboro home.
It showed Shaneah in a long embrace with her sister, Shayanna Jenkins, Hernandez's fiance. They had just learned about Lloyd's death. The trial has pitted the sisters against each other.
Shaneah also pointed out her sister in surveillance photos after that hug, heading to the basement with a mysterious black trash bag.
In cross-examination, defense attorneys highlighted the friendship between Hernandez and Lloyd. Attorney Charles Rankin went through a long list of social activities when they were together, including trips to restaurants, clubs, movies, bowling, and family gatherings.
He displayed group pictures showing them together, and party bus photos. When he asked Shaneah Jenkins if Hernandez seemed "shaken up" after the murder, she said "he seemed stressed."
Friday, prosecutors are set to take jurors on a field trip of sorts. They plan to visit locations Hernandez and Lloyd allegedly were in the hours and moments leading up to his murder.