Key players in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial
As jury selection kicks off in ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez's murder trial, CBSN's Eboni Williams takes a look at some of the key players in the case.
Aaron Hernandez
Aaron Hernandez was 23-years-old and a star tight-end for the NFL's New England Patriots when he was charged on June 26, 2013 with first-degree murder in the death of his friend, Boston semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. Lloyd was found dead in an industrial park about a mile from Hernandez's North Attleborough, Mass. home on June 17, 2013. Following his arrest, the Patriots released Hernandez from the team.
Hernandez, now 25, pleaded not guilty in the case on Sept. 6, 2013.
Prior to his arrest, the NFL star had signed a $40 million dollar five-year contract extension with the Patriots.
Odin Lloyd, Shooting Victim
Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-pro football player, was found shot to death on June 17, 2013. Lloyd met Aaron Hernandez while he was dating Shaneah Jenkins, the sister of Hernandez's fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins. Lloyd was last seen in a car with Hernandez and two Hernandez associates, Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, after partying with the three men earlier that night.
Shayanna Jenkins, Hernandez's Fiancee
Shayanna Jenkins is Hernandez's fiancée and the mother of his young daughter. Jenkins pleaded guilty to obstruction charges after refusing to testify in front of two different grand juries about what she knew about weapons in Hernandez's home. After a challenge from the prosecutor's office, the judge ruled that she (along with Hernandez's mother, Terri Hernandez) will be allowed to sit in the gallery during the murder trial, even though she will likely be called as a witness.
Earnest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz
Earnest Wallace, 42, an acquaintance of Hernandez, is also charged with murder in the death of Odin Lloyd and has also pleaded not guilty.
Wallace is reported to have played an "uncle-like" role in Hernandez's life. Prosecutors have called him the "muscle man" for Hernandez and say he was seen in surveillance video in a car with Hernandez, Lloyd and Ortiz on the night Lloyd was killed.
Wallace has a criminal record that consists of drunken driving and various misdemeanor charges.
Another acquaintance of Hernandez, Carlos Ortiz, 27, is also charged with murder in the case and has pleaded not guilty.
Other Possible Witnesses in the Trial
Prosecutors released a list of over 200 potential witnesses they may call during trial, including Hernandez's mother and brother, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, Patriots team owner Robert Kraft, and Alexander Bradley, a former friend of Hernandez who sued the ex-NFL star for allegedly shooting him in the eye during an unrelated incident in Florida. Bradley will not be permitted to mention the alleged Florida shooting during Hernandez's murder trial.
Key Potential Evidence
-Surveillance video from security cameras around the industrial park where Lloyd's body was found. The video highlights the Silver Nissan Altima authorities say Hernandez was in, headed toward a secluded area at 3:22am.
-Testimony from nearby workers that they heard gunshots between 3:23 a.m. and 3:27 a.m.
-Surveillance video from Hernandez's home showing the Silver Nissan Altima pulling into Hernandez's driveway at 3:29am...a half mile from the death scene...only Hernandez, Ortiz and Wallace got out of the car.
What's Missing?
-After significant efforts, investigators never recovered a murder weapon. Lloyd was killed with a .45 caliber pistol. Prosecutors say that Hernandez had his fiancée dispose of the gun and other evidence of the murder.
-Who is the trigger man? It remains unclear who actually pulled the trigger to end Lloyd's life. However, prosecutors are trying the case under a "joint venture" theory so that they will not be required to prove who pulled the trigger, only that all three were actively involved in the killing.
Key Things that Proceeded Trial
-Judge Susan Garsh denied the prosecutors' request to remove Hernandez' trophy case when the jurors visit his home to be walked through the prosecutor's theory of the case. The Judge ruled in favor of the defense lawyers' argument that the home should look exactly the way it did on the night of the murder. This could impact the lens through with jurors view Hernandez; prosecutors argue that seeing the trophies could endear jurors to the defendant due to seeing evidence of his athletic success and celebrity.
-Hernandez has pled not guilty to a separate double homicide that took place outside a Boston nightclub in 2012. Suffolk County prosecutors say that he shot and killed Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado after a drink was spilled on Hernandez. Judge Marsh ruled that no information related to the double murders can be mentioned in the Lloyd case because the allegations are too prejudicial and don't provide any probative value.
-Prosecutors were granted their request to take jurors to the cell phone towers near the area where Lloyd was murdered in order to re-enact their theory of the case.
Trial Timeline
Jury selection begins January 9, 2015 and is expected to last 1-2 weeks. The trial is expected to last 6-10 weeks. Hernandez's remaining trial for the 2012 double murders has been postponed until the conclusion of the Lloyd trial.