Former NFLer Aaron Hernandez Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder, Sentenced to Life in Prison Without Parole

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder for the 2013 shooting death of Odin Lloyd.

Hernandez, 25, looked to his right and pursed his lips after the jury forewoman read the verdict. The first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole in the slaying of Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old landscaper and amateur weekend football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee. Hernandez's mother, Terri, and his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, cried and gasped when they heard the verdict. Shayanna Jenkins wept on his mother's shoulder. Hernandez later mouthed to them: "Be strong. Be strong." The former football pro was also found guilty on firearm and ammunition charges. For reasons that were never made clear to the jury, Lloyd was shot six times in the middle of the night on June 17, 2013, in a deserted industrial park near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough. Police almost immediately zeroed in on Hernandez because they found in Lloyd's pocket the key to a car the NFL player had rented. Within hours of Hernandez's arrest, the Patriots cut the former Pro Bowl athlete, who was considered one of the top tight ends in the game. Prosecutors presented a wealth of evidence that Hernandez was with Lloyd at the time he was killed, including home security video from Hernandez's mansion, witness testimony and cellphone records that tracked Lloyd's movements. Hernandez's lawyer, James Sultan, acknowledged for the first time during closing arguments that Hernandez was there when Lloyd was killed. But the attorney pinned the shooting on two of Hernandez's friends, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, saying his client was a "23-year-old kid" who witnessed a shocking crime and didn't know what to do. Wallace and Ortiz will stand trial later. Prosecutors have suggested Lloyd may have been killed because he knew too much about Hernandez's alleged involvement in a deadly 2012 drive-by shooting in Boston. But they were not allowed to tell the jury that because the judge said it was speculation. As a result, they never offered a motive beyond saying Hernandez appeared angry with Lloyd at a nightclub two nights before the killing. Hernandez faces further legal trouble: He is awaiting trial on murder charges in the drive-by shooting. He is accused of gunning down two men over a spilled drink at a nightclub. In the Lloyd killing, the defense argued that investigators fixated on Hernandez because of his celebrity and conducted a shoddy investigation in their zeal to confirm their suspicions. Prosecutors said Hernandez organized the killing, summoned his two friends to help carry it out, and drove Lloyd and the others to the secluded spot in the industrial park. During closing arguments, prosecutors also accused Hernandez of pulling the trigger, though under the law it was not necessary to prove who fired the shots to convict him. Security video from inside Hernandez's home showed him holding what appeared to be a gun less than 10 minutes after Lloyd was killed. The surveillance system also captured Hernandez, Wallace and Ortiz relaxing at his home hours after Lloyd was shot, hanging out in the basement "man cave," lounging by the pool and cuddling Hernandez's baby daughter. Hernandez was an All-American out of the University of Florida who was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round in 2010.

source: AP

Before sentencing, the court heard victim impact statements from several of Odin's family members, including his mother, uncle, aunt and sister. Ursula Ward, Odin's mother, said she forgives anyone who hand a hand in her son's death. She says she felt her heart stop beating for a moment on the day she laid Lloyd to rest. She says, "I felt like I wanted to go into the hole with my son." Two other people have also been charged in Odin's death. They will be tried separately.

Despite, being a convicted murderer who will spend the rest of his life in prison, the deluded Internet trolls are still trying to get that d.

All that sexy going to prison for life 😡 #AaronHernandez imma miss you Bae 😕😘

— J. ♌ (@_x_Jaye_x_) April 15, 2015

aaron hernandez is so damn sexy idc if he's a first degree murderer

— jakey (@jakep211) April 15, 2015

#AaronHernandez 2 sexy 2 get life 😩😩

— CHOmyGod (@CHOmyGod) April 15, 2015

My husband was found guilty @AaronHernandez 😩😭

— Alexa (@AlexaaaaVelez) April 15, 2015

Woke up to the news announcing that my husband Aaron Hernandez is going to be sentenced for life 😪

— Monica Rojas (@MloveelyXo) April 15, 2015

NO NOT MY HUSBAND!!!!! Ex-NFL player Aaron Hernandez convicted of 1st-degree murder http://t.co/Krg53gTxzA

— MA112613 (@MrMuskels) April 15, 2015

Damn Aaron Hernandez is cute tho:(

— jb (@jab_56) April 15, 2015

I can't believe Aaron Hernandez got life 😞 somebody that cute has to rot away the rest of his years in Prison 😢😠😡

— B . (@Anaerb_) April 15, 2015

Aaron Hernandez is so fu_ckin cute tho.. he don't belong in jail. 😩

— tiffany renee' (@_tiffanyloveee) April 15, 2015

Now I can't marry Aaron Hernandez 😒😔 this is the worst day ever

— Sammmm (@samharmonn27) April 15, 2015