Already in jail for the July 2013 murder of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, former New England Patriots- and unfortunately, Florida Gators- tight end Aaron Hernandez has now been charged with killing two more people.
Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado were “ambushed and executed”, in the words of the prosecutor, outside a Boston nightclub on July 16, 2012. Eleven months later, Hernandez shot and killed Lloyd.
Whatever chance Hernandez previously stood of getting acquitted is now likely gone. The murders occurred in two separate counties, meaning there are now two sets of prosecutors out to get a murder conviction. The number of people fighting against him has increased- not good for Hernandez’s defense team (obviously).
In addition, the prosecutors now get two shots at a conviction of murder for the former tight end, and also get a very logical explanation for why Hernandez killed Lloyd- Lloyd knew something about these murders that Hernandez didn’t want him to know, so he eliminated the chance of Lloyd’s knowledge of the subject from spreading by killing him. Hernandez has no way of proving otherwise, and no way to land a strong counter argument.
Finally, Massachusetts law states that if you assist in carrying out a murder, you are legally deemed a murderer. This means that even if Hernandez didn’t pull the trigger, it’s still possible to get a murder conviction against him in at least one if not both cases.
It’s a sad, sad day for Gator fans. This was a guy Gator Nation adored for his football talents, and for coming up with the biggest plays in the biggest moments. The lesson to be learned from this, as fans, is that not everybody is who they appear to be; be careful who you allow yourself to love. The lesson to be learned as players is that no matter how talented you are, the law is bigger than you (not to mention moral principles). To say this is a tough time for Gator fans is an understatement… is an understatement. This is the worst feeling I’ve ever had as a Florida Gator football fan. Going 4-8 last season felt like the euphoria of a wedding compared to this.
I know there are plenty of Georgia, Miami and FSU fans reading this, and this is your one warning that making any sort of jokes about the matter will result in a swift and permanent block of your IP address from commenting. Part of why some of you came here from Alligator Army is because I’m a little more lenient than Andy Hutchins with letting dark jokes slide, but death is a subject on which I have zero tolerance. It’s impossible to make murder funny, and quite foolish to attempt to; I solemnly promise that making such an attempt here will be reacted to with an everlasting ban of your IP address.
