Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on Wednesday was found guilty of first-degree murder in the June 2013 shooting death of Odin Lloyd.
The verdict, delivered early in the seventh day of jury deliberations at Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River, Mass., comes with an automatic sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.
Hernandez had pleaded not guilty to killing Lloyd, the boyfriend of Hernadnez’s fiancée’s sister. Hernandez’s lawyer did acknowledge during closing statements that his client was at the murder scene but said two of Hernandez’s friends were responsible for Lloyd’s death.
Hernandez still faces two murder charges stemming from a 2012 drive-by shooting in Boston. That trial — which was scheduled to begin in May — was delayed and now will be held in the fall.
Here’s some immediate reaction from inside the courtroom:
[tweet https://twitter.com/ESPNMichele/status/588346811611504640 align=’center’]
[tweet https://twitter.com/BobMcGovernJr/status/588347291121090560 align=’center’]
[tweet https://twitter.com/HagerWBZ/status/588347684567834624 align=’center’]
[tweet https://twitter.com/BobMcGovernJr/status/588347081347227648 align=’center’]
[tweet https://twitter.com/BobMcGovernJr/status/588347877317079040 align=’center’]
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@CBSBoston
