FALL RIVER, Mass. — The investigation and murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez cost prosecutors nearly half a million dollars, a spokesman said Friday.
Hernandez was convicted in April of first-degree murder for shooting Odin Lloyd in 2013. Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée, and the motive for the killing remains unclear. At the time of the murder, the star tight end had a $40 million contract with the Patriots.
The Bristol County district attorney’s office spent $360,462.30 on overtime for state police and $101,834.64 for expenses such as experts and travel, for a total of just over $462,000, spokesman Gregg Miliote said.
The tally does not include what the office spent for salaried employees who worked on the prosecution. The trial lasted more than three months, including jury selection and deliberations, and three prosecutors and several other staffers were in court for the duration.
“It would be impossible to quantify man hours of prosecutors and staff,” Miliote wrote in an email.
The amount also does not account for the work of local police departments or the county sheriff’s office, he said.
It’s unclear how much money Hernandez has spent on his defense. He had a legal team of three lawyers, James Sultan, Charles Rankin and Michael Fee. They did not immediately return emails seeking comment.
Lloyd was shot to death in a deserted area of an industrial park near Hernandez’s home in North Attleborough. Two other men also are charged with the killing but have yet to go on trial. Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz have both pleaded not guilty.
Hernandez, a native of Bristol, Conn., was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, but his legal woes are far from over. His lawyers have said he plans to appeal the verdict.
In addition, Hernandez still faces two murder charges in Boston, where he is accused of gunning down two men after an encounter inside a nightclub in 2012. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty.
Thumbnail photo via The Sun Chronicle (Pool)/USA TODAY Sports Images
