Aaron Hernandez’s murder conviction might remain attached to his name in death.
The Bristol (Mass.) County District Attorney’s office told TMZ Sports on Tuesday that it will resist attempts to officially dismiss the former New England Patriot’s 2015 murder conviction.
Hernandez’s legal team has filed a motion to void his conviction under an old law known as “abatement ab initio” — in which convictions often are dismissed if a defendant dies before going through the appeals process.
“We have been reviewing the matter and intend to file an opposition to the defense motion within the next week,” the Bristol County DA’s office said.
Hernandez already was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the 2013 shooting death of Odin Lloyd when he committed suicide in prison last Wednesday. Hernandez was found not guilty earlier this month in the 2012 shooting deaths of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.
If Massachusetts voids Hernandez’s conviction, evidence from the trial no longer can be used in court, and the victims’ families would have greater difficulty winning cases against him (or his estate) in civil-court proceedings.
Thumbnail photo via Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe
