The Associated Press
1:35 P.M.
The family of the man killed by former NFL star Aaron Hernandez has thanked people from around the world who sent cards and flowers and reached out on social media.
Odin Lloyd’s sister, Olivia Thibou, said Wednesday that prosecutors in the murder trial were her “dream team.”
The family spoke shortly after Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder in Lloyd’s 2013 shooting death and sentenced to life without parole.
Lloyd’s mother, Ursula Ward, cried as she said, “Just like God has left his footprint in the sand, my baby’s footprint is in my heart forever.”
District Attorney Thomas Quinn referenced Hernandez, saying: “The jury found that he was just a man who committed a brutal murder. The fact that he was a professional athlete meant nothing in the end.”
Defense lawyers left without comment.
1 P.M.
The jurors who found Aaron Hernandez guilty of murder say they were shocked by the defense admission that the former New England Patriots player was at the scene of the killing.
The jury talked to the media yesterday shortly after convicting Hernandez of first-degree murder in the 2013 shooting of Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee. The conviction carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
During closing arguments, Hernandez’s lawyer James Sultan for the first time acknowledged that Hernandez was present when Lloyd was killed. He said Hernandez was a witness and his two co-defendants committed the killing. They are awaiting trial.
The jury says the defense admission that Hernandez was at the scene created more corroboration that he was guilty.
12:50 P.M.
The jurors who convicted Aaron Hernandez of murder say the judge spoke to them privately after they rendered their verdict and told them other allegations against the former New England Patriots player.
All 12 jurors and three alternates spoke to the media yesterday after finding Hernandez guilty in the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee.
Jurors said the judge talked to them about other allegations not presented in the case. Those included two 2012 slayings that Hernandez is charged in and the last text Lloyd sent minutes before he died that said he was “with NFL.”
The jurors said the information reaffirmed their feeling that they’d made the right decision.
12:20 P.M.
The jurors who convicted former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez of murder say there were many tears in the jury room.
The panelists spoke to the media yesterday afternoon, shortly after the verdict was announced and Hernandez was formally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The jury convicted Hernandez on all charges, including the most serious charge of first-degree murder. They found that Hernandez used extreme atrocity or cruelty in committing the killing. One juror cited the fact that Lloyd was shot six times in helping him make that determination.
They wouldn’t discuss the nature of their deliberations in the jury room.
11:45 A.M.
Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been formally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murder.
Hernandez stood impassively as the court officer announced the sentence Wednesday. It came shortly after he was found guilty on all charges in the death of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd in June 2013. Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee at the time.
The sentencing was a formality because a first-degree murder conviction in Massachusetts carries an automatic sentence of life without parole.
The 25-year-old Hernandez and his lawyers left the courtroom by a side door to a holding cell area after the sentence was pronounced.
11:35 A.M.
The younger sister of the man killed by former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez says writing her brother’s eulogy was the hardest thing she’s ever done.
Olivia Thibou spoke Wednesday before Hernandez was formally sentenced to life in prison without parole for fatally shooting her 27-year-old brother, Odin Lloyd, in June 2013. Hernandez was convicted earlier Wednesday of first-degree murder.
Thibou called yesterday a great day but also “an awful painful day.”
She says her brother was a good man, very careful, and never picked up guns. She says: “And this is how he died.”
Hernandez briefly looked back at the assembled media as Thibou spoke about Lloyd.
11:25 a.m.
The mother of the man killed by former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez says she forgives anyone who had a hand in her son’s death.
Ursula Ward gave a victim impact statement Wednesday after Hernandez was convicted of killing her son, Odin Lloyd, in June 2013.
She says she felt her heart stop beating for a moment on the day she laid Lloyd to rest. She says, “I felt like I wanted to go into the hole with my son.
The rest of Lloyd’s family wept and dropped their heads as Ward spoke.
Two other people have also been charged in Lloyd’s death. They will be tried separately.
