FALL RIVER, Mass. — Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez has been found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On Wednesday, a Massachusetts jury found Hernandez killed Odin Lloyd on June 17, 2013. Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee. He was found shot six times in an industrial park less than a mile from Hernandez's home.
Both Hernandez's fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, and Odin Lloyd's family members cried openly in court as the verdict was read. Jenkins' sister, Shaneah, was dating Lloyd at the time of his murder.
Shayanna Jenkins left the courthouse sobbing before victim impact statements were read and Hernandez's sentence handed down.
At the time of the murder, Hernandez had a $40 million contract with the Patriots.
Hernandez's lawyer acknowledged during closing arguments that he was there when Lloyd was killed. But he pinned the shooting on Hernandez's two friends, saying his client was a 23-year-old kid who didn't know what to do.
Prosecutors said Hernandez planned the killing and then helped cover it up.
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VERDICT SHEET:
Murder 1: GUILTY
The jury believes the shooting of Odin Lloyd was premeditated or planned and was not a spontaneous crime of passion and/or there was extreme atrocity or cruelty indicating that Hernandez had no regard for Lloyd and possibly wanted him to suffer.
Weapons charges:
1. The jury believes Hernandez unlawfully carried a firearm. GUILTY
2. The jury believes Hernandez unlawfully possessed ammunition. GUILTY
Hernandez will stay at Cedar Junction for processing, according to the Mass. Department of Corrections, and at some point will end up at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, which is a maximum security facility. His inmate number is W106228.