KRISTEN CAROSA IS HERE TO BEGIN
OUR LIVE TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT.
REPORTER: AARON HERNANDEZ LOOKED
UPSET BUT REMAINED CALM AS THE
VERDICT WAS BEING READ.
IT WASN'T THE SAME STORY AS
OTHERS LISTENED.
FAMILY OF BOTH AARON HERNANDEZ
AND ODIN LLOYD WEPT IN COURT
THIS MORNING.
GUILTY OF MURDER IN THE FIRST
DEGREE.
REPORTER: AARON HERNANDEZ HAS
BEEN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON
WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF
PAROLE FOR THE MURDER OF ODIN
LLOYD.
ON JUNE 17, 2013.
AARON HERNANDEZ MAY HAVE BEEN
A WELL-KNOWN NEW ENGLAND
PATRIOTS FOOTBALL PLAYER.
HOWEVER IN THE END THE JURY
FOUND THAT HE WAS JUST A MAN WHO
COMMITTED A BRUTAL MURDER.
REPORTER: LLOYD'S BODY WAS FOUND
LESS THAN A MILE FROM HERNANDEZ'
HOME, HE WAS SHOT SIX TIMES.
HIS DEFENSE ATTORNEYS SAID HE
WAS THERE WHEN LLOYD WAS KILLED
BUT BLAMES THE SHOOTING ON
HERNANDEZ' TWO FRIENDS.
PROSECUTORS SAY HE PLANNED THE
KILLING AND THEN HELPED COVER IT
UP.
WE FELT LIKE WE HAD THEIR
ATTENTION EVERY DAY, BOTH THE
PROSECUTION AND THE DEFENSE.
THEY FAIRLY CONSIDERED THE
EVIDENCE AND THEY'VE RETURNED A
VERDICT THAT'S SUPPORTED BY THAT
EVIDENCE.
REPORT RIGHT BEFORE TODAY'S
SENTENCING ODIN LLOYD'S FAMILY
TALKED ABOUT THEIR LOSS.
ODIN WAS THE BACK BONE OF THE
FAMILY.
ODIN WAS THE MAN OF THE HOUSE.
ODIN WAS HIS SISTER'S KEEPER.
REPORTER: ODIN'S SISTER SAYS HER
BIG BROTHER WAS SOMEONE SHE
ALWAYS LOOKED UP TO.
I WILL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN,
BUT I HAVE TO GO TO HIS GRAVE
SITE TO LOOK AT HIS TOMBSTONE,
TO TELL HIM THAT I LOVE HIM.
REPORTER: EVEN THOUGH THE FAMILY
HAS BEEN DEVASTATED BY LLOYD'S
MURDER, HIS MOTHER SAYS SHE
DOESN'T HAVE HATE IN HER HEART.
I FORGIVE THE HAND OF THE
PEOPLE THAT HAD A HAND IN MY
SON'S MURDER.
EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER.
AND I PRAY AND HOPE THAT SOME
DAY EVERYONE OUT THERE WILL
FORGIVE THEM ALSO.
REPORTER: EVIDENCE COLLECTED IN
ODIN LLOYD'S DEATH LED TO TWO
MORE MURDER CHARGES AGAINST
HERNANDEZ, AND A SEPARATE CASE
IN BOSTON HE'S PLEADED NOT
GUILTY.
THAT TRIAL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN
IN MAY, BUT OFFICIALS SAY IT
WILL BE PUSHED BACK.
JENNIFER: THE JURY THAT DECIDED
HIS FATE WAS GIVEN THE OPTION TO
BOARD A BUS AND BE WHISKED AWAY
FROM THE COURTHOUSE, BUT INSTEAD
THEY TALKED ABOUT WHAT STOOD OUT
TO THEM IN THIS CASE.
SHELLEY WALCOTT CONTINUES OUR
LIVE TEAM COVERAGE IN THE
NEWSROOM.
SHELLEY: WELL, TODAY THE JURY
DISCUSSED SOME OF THE KEY
TESTIMONY THAT HELPED CONVINCE
THEM BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT
THAT AARON HERNANDEZ IS GUILTY.
THAT TESTIMONY TURNED OUT TO BE
FROM THE VERY MAN WHO HELPED
MAKE HERNANDEZ A FOOTBALL STAR.
THE HARDEST THING I'VE EVER
DONE.
REPORTER: THE AARON HERNANDEZ
JURY APPEARED BEFORE CAMERAS
CLEARLY RELIEVED THE TRIAL IS
OVER.
NONE OF US WANTED TO COME
INTO THIS ROOM.
REPORTER: THERE WERE SMILES ALL
AROUND AS THE JURY EXPRESSED
CONFIDENCE IN THEIR DECISION TO
CONVICT THE FORMER PATRIOTS
TIGHTEN.
AFTER SIX AND A HALF DAYS OF
DELIBERATION, THE 12 JURORS
UNANIMOUSLY FOUND HERNANDEZ
GUILTY OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER.
THE TESTIMONY KEY TO THAT
DECISION, THEY SAID, PATS OWNER
ROBERT KRAFT'S APPEARANCE ON THE
STAND, HE TESTIFIED THAT TWO
DAYS AFTER THE MURDER HERNANDEZ
SAID HE HOPED THE TIME OF
LLOYD'S DEATH WOULD BE REVEALED
BECAUSE HE HAD AN ALIBI.
THE JURY SAID THEY THOUGHT AN
INNOCENT MAN WOULD HAVE NEVER
SAID THAT.
TO THIS DAY WE JUST WENT
THROUGH A THREE-MOB TRIAL, THIS
IS NOW TWO YEARS LATER, WE STILL
DON'T MOW THE EXACT TIME OF
ODIN'S MURDER.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW AARON WOULD
HAVE HAD THAT INFORMATION.
REPORTER: THE JURY SAID THEY
PAID CLOSE ATTENTION TO
EVERYTHING, SOME EVEN FILLING AS
MANY AS EIGHT NOTEBOOKS DURING
PROCEEDINGS.
AND WHEN ASKED WHEN THEY THOUGHT
OF HERNANDEZ WHILE WATCHING HIM
IN THE COURTROOM, THEY HAD THIS
TO SAY.
YOU TRY NOT TO FORM AN
OPINION, UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN THE
EVIDENCE.
WE FOLLOWED THE COURT'S
ORDERS, AND ASSUME THAT THE MAN
SITTING IN THAT SEAT IS INNOCENT
UNTIL THE PROSECUTION PROVES
HE'S GUILTY.
AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TODAY.
SHELLEY: THE JURORS WERE ALSO
ASKED WHY THE CONVICTION WAS BUN
BY EXTREME ATROCITY, AND THEY
SAID IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE