FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) – The prosecution rested Thursday in the murder trial of former New England Patriots star tight end Aaron Hernandez after spending more than two months presenting a case that he killed the boyfriend of his fiancee’s sister.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder in the June 17, 2013, killing of Odin Lloyd, who was found dead in an industrial park less than a mile from Hernandez’s home. At the time, Hernandez had a $40 million contract with the Patriots.
Prosecutors called 131 witnesses since testimony began Jan. 29, including team owner Robert Kraft, who testified this week that two days after the killing, Hernandez looked him in the eye and told him he was innocent. They also submitted hundreds of pieces of evidence, including surveillance videos from inside Hernandez’s home that showed him holding a black object that appeared to be a gun less than 10 minutes after Lloyd’s killing. A joint found near Lloyd’s body had DNA from both men on it.
Hernandez’s legal team has gone after that evidence, calling into question the testimony of an employee of weapons manufacturer Glock who had identified the black object as a gun and arguing instead that it was a piece of electronics such as an iPad or a TV remote. They also have gone after the police investigation, painting it as bumbling and inept and saying Hernandez was targeted as a suspect because he is a celebrity.
The prosecution’s case ended Thursday with its final witness, Dr. William Zane of the state medical examiner’s office. His testimony was graphic at times as he detailed the gunshot wounds that killed Lloyd, using a mannequin to demonstrate where he was shot and at what angle the bullets entered his body. Lloyd was shot six times, and Zane said three of the shots were fatal.