The murder of Odin Lloyd happened on June 17 of 2013, in the northern part of Attenborough, Massachusetts. This case would have been just another murder case if it wasn't for the nature of Aaron Hernandez's profession as a star tight end for the New England Patriots. The revelation of Hernandez as the key suspect in Odin Lloyd's murder, information that came out as a result of the investigation was just as scrutinized as the murder that was being investigated. Before his murder, Lloyd was a 27-yeard-old who played semi-pro football for one of the oldest football teams, the Boston Bandits, where he played linebacker. He was known as a happy guy and also worked for a landscaping firm (sportsworldreport.com,2013) (T). On June of 2013, precisely nine days after murdering Odin Lloyd, Aaron Hernandez was arrested and apprehended in police custody (Brand, 2018). Later on, police also arrested Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, the two other suspects connected to Odin Lloyd's murder and who were with Aaron Hernandez on the night of the crime. On August of the same year, Aaron Hernandez was charged by a grand jury for the execution of murder action to Lloyd (Brandl, 2018).
History of the Defendant
Aaron Josef Hernandez was born in Bristol, Connecticut on November 6, 1989, to father Dennis Hernandez and mother, Terri Valentine-Hernandez. As a kid, Aaron was a well-behaved kid with a passion for sports. He shared this passion with his father who was a former high-school football star known as "the King" (X). Aaron's father pushed him hard to be a good athlete, and they were particularly close because of that. Sadly, while a sophomore at Bristol Central High School, his father passed away while undergoing a routine hernia surgery (T). Dennis' death considerably affected Aaron, and this once well-behaved kid's pain turned into anger making Aaron start acting out, according to his mom (W). But even with the mourning of his father's death, Aaron was able to do extremely well on the football field becoming one of the number one ranked tight-end recruit in the country at the time. After finishing high school, he chose to play for the Gators of the University of Florida. And a few years later in 2012, emerged as a pro-athlete in one of the all-time best teams in NFL's history, The New England Patriots. His popularity and talent earned him a new $40 million contract extension with the Patriots. However, in 2013, his rise started to fall upon arrest in connection with the murder of a semi-pro line-backer, Odin Lloyd. Two years later, Aaron Hernandez was convicted of killing Lloyd and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sadly, on April of 2017, at the age of twenty-seven, Aaron Hernandez committed suicide in his cell. ADD DAUGHTER AND FIANCE
Events Leading to the Night of the Murder
To get a full understanding of the night of the murder, the days leading up to June 17th should be taken into consideration. Earlier that week, Boston Bandits' assistant coach, Mike Branch, along with other witnesses, had seen Odin Lloyd driving by a shiny, black Chevy Suburban that Aaron had rented for him and which Aaron, told Lloyd "he could keep it until Monday." (E) Although there is no explanation why Aaron rented the SUV for Lloyd to use, this gesture is presumed to be a result of the relationship that they previously had. Odin had met Aaron sometime in the past two years, through his girlfriend, Shanea Jenkins, who was a law student and also the sister of Shayanna Jenkins, Aaron's fiancé.
Aaron and Lloyd were seen hanging out at clubs and bars, including the night of the 15th. On the night of the 16th, the two friends planned on meeting up again but this time, with Aaron's two other friends Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, who Aaron met through his cousin, Tanya, years before. Ortiz and Wallace were known to have extensive criminal records, and Ortiz's criminal record suggested that he was involved in the drug scene in Bristol, Aaron's hometown. From these interactions, police were able to create a timeline of the night of the murder.