Friends & Family Gather For Funeral Of Odin Lloyd
MATTAPAN (CBS/AP) – Friends and family members of 27-year-old semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd gathered at the church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan Saturday for his funeral, nearly two weeks after he was shot and killed.
Lloyd's body was discovered in an industrial park in North Attleboro on June 17. Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is charged with his murder.
Police arrested Hernandez on Wednesday and accused him of orchestrating an execution-style shooting. Family members said the two were friends who met after Lloyd began dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée about two years ago.
Lloyd played football, baseball, basketball, and was a track MVP. More recently, the 27-year-old played for a semi-pro football team, the Boston Bandits.
A number of his teammates were present at the funeral. So many people showed up to attend the service, that some were forced to stand outside because the church was full.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports
Lloyd Funeral
Members of Lloyd's team showed up for the funeral in their uniforms and chanted his name as pallbearers placed his casket in a hearse outside Church of the Holy Spirit in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood.
Massachusetts State Police Lt. Col. Frank Matthews also attended the funeral. "This is a moment of pause," he said, "for us to take a step back and acknowledge the real loss here."
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail. Two other men are also in custody. Prosecutors say the three were in a car with Lloyd shortly before his death.
Authorities have said trouble that led to Lloyd's killing happened June 14, when Lloyd went with Hernandez to a Boston nightclub. Hernandez became upset when Lloyd began talking with people Hernandez apparently didn't like, prosecutors said.
On June 16, the night before the slaying, a prosecutor said, Hernandez texted two unidentified friends and asked them to hurry to Massachusetts from Connecticut.
A few minutes later, he texted Lloyd to tell him he wanted to get together, prosecutors said. Authorities say Hernandez, Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace picked up Lloyd at around 2:30 a.m. June 17, drove him to an industrial park near Hernandez's home and shot him five times. They have not said who fired the shots.
Prosecutors said an ammunition clip found in Hernandez's Hummer matched the caliber of casings found at the scene of Lloyd's killing.
Hernandez's lawyer argued in court that the case is circumstantial. He said Hernandez, who was cut by the Patriots the day he was arrested, wants to clear his name.
Ortiz's attorney, John Connors, said he will seek bail for his client at the July 9 hearing. He described Ortiz as a "gentle person" and said he will advise Ortiz to plead not guilty to the gun charge he is facing.
Wallace surrendered in Miramar, Fla., on Friday, police said. Authorities had been seeking Wallace on a charge of acting as an accessory after Lloyd's murder. Details of that allegation weren't released.
Hernandez was drafted by the Patriots in 2010 and signed a five-year contract worth $40 million last summer. He could face life in prison if convicted.
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