Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez was convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd last year, but the tight end argued that he was innocent of the crime. The lawyer for Hernandez's accomplice, Ernest Wallace, said that the former NFL player "shot and killed" Lloyd in the summer of 2013.
Wallace was in court this week to start his trial for his role in the murder of Lloyd. Wallace was with Hernandez on the morning of the murders and was seen on video in the car that drove Hernandez to the location where the murder took place. Wallace's lawyer did not dispute many facts of the case, including that Wallace was with Hernandez when the murder occurred, but he did say that Wallace had no idea what was going to happen that night.
"It was Aaron Hernandez who shot and killed Odin Lloyd," defense attorney David Meier said.
Meier said that Wallace "absolutely" did not know what Hernandez was going to do that night, and that the evidence in the case will show that. Carlos Ortiz, another accomplice in the case, is having a separate trial from Wallace. Hernandez has already been convicted of the crime and is serving a life sentence. The prosecution is arguing that Wallace was depending on Hernandez for money and participated in the murder.
"It was a cooperative effort,'' Bomberg said. "It was a joint venture by this defendant [Wallace], Aaron Hernandez and Carlos Ortiz."
During Hernandez's trial, Shayanna Jenkins, the mother of Hernandez's child, said that Wallace and Ortiz were at her home on the night of the murder. Jenkins was present in court during the trial for Hernandez and was seen sobbing multiple times when he was convicted for his crimes. Jenkins took the stand during the trial, and she previously told police that Lloyd was a drug dealer.
Lloyd's body was found less than a mile from the home the Jenkinses shared with Hernandez. Before Hernandez was arrested originally, Jenkins spoke to police about the body and her connection to Lloyd. Jenkins' sister was dating Lloyd at the time of his murder. Eventually Jenkins stopped cooperating with police and was later charged with perjury in the case.
