Miramar Suspect In Hernandez Case Denied Bond
MIRAMAR (CBSMiami) – The third man arrested in connection with the murder case involving former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was denied bond during a hearing Saturday morning in Broward County.
Ernest Wallace, 41, faces a charge in Massachusetts of accessory after the fact to murder and allowing an unauthorized person to drive. Wallace was listed as wanted by the state of Massachusetts late Thursday and turned himself in to Miramar Police after seeing media reports listing him as wanted.
Wallace's Boston attorney, David Meier, told CBS4's Gaby Fleischman his client will waive any rendition proceedings in order to return to Mass. as soon as possible to face charges in the case.
Wallace is the third person arrested in the murder case of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd in North Attleborough, Massachusetts earlier this month. Carlos Ortiz was arrested in the case and later transferred to Massachusetts to face a gun charge.
According to the Bristol County, Massachusetts Prosecutor, Aaron Hernandez, Ortiz, and Wallace were in a Nissan Altima with Lloyd shortly before he was shot to death.
"We now have in custody the three individuals who were in the silver Nissan Altima," Sutter said Friday when Ortiz was arraigned on the gun charge in Attleboro District Court.
All three men have ties to Bristol, Conn.: Hernandez grew up there, Ortiz had been living there and authorities had conflicting addresses for Wallace there and in Miramar. Hernandez pleaded not guilty to murder and was denied bail Thursday. Ortiz also was being held without bail pending a court hearing on July 9.
According to CBS4, Wallace lived in South Florida before 2003 and most of his family still lives in the area today. CBS4 stopped at his sister's home in Northeast Miami-Dade, but she did not want to say anything. And when CBS4 stopped at the home of Wallace's parents in Miramar, no one was there.
Miramar Police are now awaiting details about how the official extradition to Massachusetts State Police will be handled.
Hernandez remains in a Massachusetts jail Friday facing a first-degree murder charge in the case that has shocked the sports world. Hernandez has been denied bail twice since being arrested and will likely remain in jail until his trial which could take more than a year to finally get into court.
The current case started back on June 16, when prosecutors said Hernandez texted two friends asking them to come from Massachusetts to Connecticut in a hurry. Prosecutors said Hernandez then texted Lloyd telling him he wanted to get together.
Prosecutors said the three men picked up Lloyd around 2:30 a.m. June 17 and drove him to an industrial park near Hernandez's home and shot him five times. The state has not said who fired the shots.
Police have reportedly found evidence including chewing gum with Hernandez's DNA on it, ammunition matching the ammunition used in the killing, and other potential evidence related to the shooting death of Lloyd.
Since his arrest, an investigation has also picked up momentum looking at Hernandez and a double-murder from 2012. The drive-by shooting last year may have had something to do with Lloyd's murder this year, according to the Boston Globe.
The Globe reported that Lloyd may have had information about Hernandez's involvement in the 2012 double-murder and that he was possibly ready to implicate Hernandez.
Hernandez was arrested earlier this week and was almost immediately cut by the New England Patriots. The Patriots had just signed Hernandez to a five-year, $40 million contract before last season. The Patriots will suffer salary cap penalties in 2013 and 2014 for releasing Hernandez.
During the draft, one team said it wouldn't take him under any circumstances, and he was passed over by one club after another before New England picked him in the fourth round. Afterward, Hernandez said he had failed a drug test in college, reportedly for marijuana, and was up front with teams about it.
However, since Hernandez's arrest, published reports have said he failed multiple drug tests while at the University of Florida, possibly as many as six times. UF officials said it wasn't six failed drug tests, but wouldn't give an accurate number of times Hernandez failed the tests.
Hernandez also has had a civil suit filed against him in South Florida. The civil suit alleges Hernandez shot a man through the eye after an argument at a Tootsie's strip club. No criminal charges were filed in the alleged strip club shooting.
Hernandez became a father on Nov. 6, 2012 and said at the time he intended to change his ways: "Now, another one is looking up to me. I can't just be young and reckless Aaron no more."
Hernandez could face life in prison if convicted.
