Aaron Hernandez jury wasn't "rational," lawyers claim in appeal of murder conviction
FALL RIVER — “No rational jury” could have convicted Aaron Hernandez of first-degree murder, the former Patriots star tight end’s lawyers say in newly filed court documents seeking an appeal of Hernandez’s conviction.
Hernandez’s attorneys argue that jurors relied on “improper speculation, conjecture and guesswork” to convict Hernandez, 25, for the June 17, 2013, murder of Odin Lloyd in North Attleborough. The defense team said prosecutors never presented any evidence that proved Hernandez acted with malice or intentionally participated in Lloyd’s murder.
The arguments are included in a memorandum Hernandez’s lawyers filed Tuesday in support of a motion asking that Superior Court Judge E. Susan Garsh enter not guilty verdicts on the charges of murder and illegal carrying a firearm. The motion is a routine part of the post-verdict appeals process. Garsh rejected a similar defense motion after prosecutors rested their case last month in Hernandez’s 10-week murder trial at Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River.
On April 15, jurors convicted Hernandez of first-degree murder, which carries an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole, and illegally carrying a firearm. The jury convicted Hernandez of first-degree murder after deciding that he had acted with “extreme atrocity or cruelty.” Lloyd, 27, of Dorchester, was shot at least six times at point-blank range with a .45-caliber handgun.
Prosecutors have 30 days to respond to the defense team’s motion for the not-guilty finding. Garsh could issue a ruling based on the written motions, or she could schedule a hearing for oral arguments before making a decision.
Meanwhile, Hernandez’s fiance, Shayanna Jenkins, is scheduled to appear in Superior Court Friday morning for a status review hearing. Jenkins, 25, is charged with one count of perjury based on allegations that she lied 29 times to a grand jury in 2013. Jenkins testified during Hernandez’s trial after receiving a grant of immunity.