Aaron Hernandez murder trial: Former NFL star sentenced to life in prison without parole for murder

Jury deliberated more than 35 hours to reach the verdict

Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez (Getty Images)

Former National Football League star Aaron Hernandez has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Odin Lloyd in 2013 and has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Mr Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancé, was shot six times in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Massachusetts.

Jurors evidently did not buy the defence’s claim that while Hernandez was present when Mr Lloyd was killed, he did not commit the murder. The prosecution said that Hernandez killed Mr Lloyd and then covered up the murder.

The 12-person jury also found Hernandez guilty of the unlawful possession of a firearm and the unlawful possession of ammunition.

Hernandez’s involvement in the crime captured public attention because he was a rising star in the NFL for the New England Patriots, who cut him from the team immediately after his arrest. Hernandez had signed a $41 million contract with the Patriots before he was arrested.

Hernandez faces another trial beginning later this year in Boston, where he is charged with fatally shooting Cape Verdean nationals Daniel Abreu and Safirdo Furtado outside a nightclub after one of them spilled a drink, the AP reported.

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