It’s now up to a jury to decide if former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez is guilty of murder. The defense acknowledged in their closing argument Tuesday that Hernandez was there when Odin Lloyd was killed.
Defense attorney James Sultan pinned the killing on Hernandez's co-defendants, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, who will be tried separately. Sultan tried to explain Hernandez’s actions after the killing, which included giving money to his co-defendants.
“Did he make all the right decisions? No," Sultan said. "Did he make all the right choices? No. He was a 23-year-old kid.”
A kid, he said, who had just witnessed a shocking killing committed by somebody he knew. Sultan reminded the jury they can’t convict Hernandez for being an accessory after the fact.
“They didn’t charge him with that," he said. "He’s charged with murder. And that he did not do.”
Assistant District Attorney William McCauley said Hernandez drove the car to the industrial park where Lloyd’s body was found, and portrayed him as a ringleader.
“He’s the one who’s previously had Wallace and Ortiz do what he wants, when he wants it,” McCauley said.
McCauley said Hernandez and the victim weren’t as close friends as the defense has maintained they were. They knew each other because Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins. Prosecutors say the murder weapon was never found because it was in a box Jenkins threw out.
The jury must now decide if the prosecution has proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, if Hernandez is guilty of murder.
