Aaron Hernandez Found Guilty; Gets Life Without Parole

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found guilty of the June 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, a 27 year old landscaper and semi pro football player. Lloyd was also dating the sister of Hernandez’ fiancé. Hernandez was also found guilty of several other weapons charges. Two accomplices of Hernandez are also accused in the murder and are being tried separately.

The 25 year old Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole, an automatic sentence for first degree murder in Massachusetts, though the sentence is also automatically appealed. His troubles with the law don’t end here; he faces another trial for two counts of murder in a 2012 drive by shooting in Boston. That trial was scheduled for May but may be pushed back into the summer.

Hernandez is the poster child for having it all and then throwing it all away. A talented tight end both in college at Florida and with the Patriots, he had established himself as a top tier player at his position and had a $40 million contract, but apparently being a tough guy was more important. We’ll see if he feels that way after he’s been in prison for a few decades. Speaking of prison, Hernandez was ordered to serve his sentence at a prison in Walpole, Massachusetts. The prison is about a mile and a half from Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots play their home games. Oh, the Irony.