Massachusetts judge overturns ex-NFL star Hernandez's murder conviction

[DonViejo]

Source: Reuters



Tue May 9, 2017 | 12:06pm EDT

By Scott Malone | BOSTON
A Massachusetts judge on Tuesday overturned former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez's conviction on charges of murdering an acquaintance in 2013, granting his attorneys' request since the athlete died before exhausting the appeal process.

Prosecutors had argued Hernandez's prison suicide should have prevented the judge from overturning the conviction following his death, which is routinely allowed by Massachusetts state law when the conviction in question has not been fully appealed.

The 27-year-old Hernandez hanged himself last month in a prison cell where he was serving a life sentence for the June 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd. The suicide stunned his family because it came just days after Hernandez been found not guilty of a 2012 double murder.

"This court cannot know why Hernandez chose to end his life," said Superior Court Judge Susan Garsh, who handled the 2015 trial in which a jury found the former tight end guilty of fatally shooting Lloyd in an industrial park near his home in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. "There being no reason to recognize any exception in this case in the interest of justice the court has no choice" but to vacate Hernandez's conviction, Garsh said.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-crime-hernandez-idUSKBN1851WX

[rtracey]

1. well

Either way, him and his victim are dead, so the only thing it really does, (in my opinion), validates the murder of Odin Lloyd, and gives his family that nice feeling of not getting the justice they deserve.

[Blue_Adept]

2. There are long established legal reasons for this

[Jake Stern]

10. And what would those be?

Besides blatantly denying justice to victim's family

[geek tragedy]

3. he died a convicted murderer, a coward, and a pig nt

[Snake Plissken]

4. Now the New England Patriots have to pay the six million dollars in his contract they owe his estate

and it makes it that much more difficult for the victim's family to sue for damages

[Kittycow]

7. Attorneys on both sides will be raking it in.

OJ was found Not Guilty but lost the wrongful death suit so perhaps there's hope for the Odin family.

[Snake Plissken]

8. Hopefully, but you're right, the real winners here are the attorneys

In the end they'll end up with most of the money

[Kittycow]

9. Yep.

[Blue_Tires]

5. Meh... He was still a piece of shit regardless of legal loophole...

[RhodeIslandOne]

6. Will he be ready for minicamp? n/m

[Jake Stern]

11. A great reason for Massachusetts to abolish this principle

Now victim's family will be shafted out of any sense of justice because of the epic absurdity of an antiquated rule. Any evidence established in the criminal trial cannot be used in the civil suit against his estate.

On edit: This is the same rule led to John Calvi, who murdered 2 and left 5 wounded in attacks on reproductive health clinics and John Geoghan, a priest who victimized children over decades having their convictions overturned.

[BeyondGeography]

13. +1

Or just rename it the Suicide Incentive Clause.

[onetexan]

12. so what are the legal ramifications of this conviction overturn?

i assume if his family wants to file a civil suit they can (not sure who against - the state for wrongful conviction maybe?).