Aaron Hernandez’s very-bad, awful, no good week continues (although not as bad as victim Odin Lloyd‘s) as he was arrested at his house this morning. His perp-walk was uneventful, except for Hernandez being led out with his t-shirt draped only over his neck and shoulders, hands cuffed behind his back.
Later Hernandez was arraigned in dramatic fashion before a judge, charged with murder and illegal weapons infractions, and ordered held without bail.
From The Boston Globe:
In a dramatic hearing in Attleboro District Court, a Bristol County prosecutor said surveillance videos in Boston, in North Attlebrough, and even in Hernandez’s own home linked him to the slaying of Lloyd, who was shot five times, including once as he lay on the ground, raising his arm in a desperate attempt to save his own life.
The prosecutor said Hernandez, who was accompanied by two men, had the means, motive, and opportunity to kill Lloyd and had been the prime mover in the crime. “He orchestrated his execution,’’ the prosecutor, William McCauley, said.
The identity of Hernandez’s two confederates was not disclosed in court, nor did authorities say whether they were in custody or facing murder charges themselves.
In the North Attlebrough industrial park where Lloyd was found murdered June 17, surveillance videos showed the men arriving in the same silver Nissan that Lloyd got into in Dorchester, the prosecutor said.
When Hernandez returned home around 3:30 a.m., surveillance video at his house showed him walking through his house holding a pistol in his hand, the prosecutor said.
The New England Patriots reinforced their reputation of not putting up with drama by tweeting this out shortly after the arrest:
The New England #Patriots have released Aaron Hernandez.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 26, 2013
Although the Patriots did not waste any time cutting Hernandez, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.com expects them to pursue legal action in order to recoup some of their financial investment:
The Patriots ultimately chose making a strong and clear statement instead of maneuvering to protect their legal rights. But the story isn’t over yet. Based on everything we’ve heard and been told in the past five hours, we fully expect the Patriots to do whatever they can to try to recover money that has been paid to Hernandez, and to block the flow of any future payments.
Hernandez stood stern-faced, showing no emotion at his arraignment. However, he did seem slightly thrown when police investigators arrived at his home to place him under arrest:
In his bail argument on Hernandez’s behalf, attorney Michael Fee argued that the evidence was “circumstantial … not strong.” Fee and his associates entered not-guilty pleas on their client’s behalf, and Hernandez was ordered held without bail.
