Even as his former team prepares for a trip to the Super Bowl, Aaron Hernandez is now on trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Opening statements in the trial began Thursday.
Hernandez has been charged with first-degree murder in the June 2013 death of Lloyd, a semiprofessional football player and an acquaintance of the former Patriot. At the time of his death, Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez' fiancee.
Lloyd's body was discovered in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass. Hernandez, along with associates Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Walker, who were also charged with the crime, has pleaded not guilty.
The case is unfolding in Bristol County Superior Court under the eye of judge Susan Garsh. Eighteen jurors were seated, of which 12 will decide Hernandez' fate and six will serve as alternates.
Hernandez has also been charged in the June 2012 deaths of two men in Boston following an incident in a nightclub. However, Garsh has ruled that jurors will not be permitted to hear the details of the Boston case in this particular trial.
The following information is comprised of reports from media members inside the courthouse.
Opening Statement: Prosecution
• The prosecution began by seeking to humanize Odin Lloyd, to present him as more than simply a name and a statistic. Many of Lloyd's family and friends were in the courtroom gallery wearing wristbands of support.
• Bristol County Prosecutor Patrick Bomberg spent a significant amount of his opening statement demonstrating the links between Lloyd and Hernandez, saying Lloyd worked hard and loved his girlfriend.
• According to Bomberg, Hernandez masterminded the murder of Lloyd, and contacted his associates more than 40 times in two days.
• The prosecution will use cell phone triangulation to demonstrate that Hernandez' phone was in close proximity to Odin Lloyd during the night in question. In addition, the prosecution will show that DNA tests revealed Hernandez' DNA was present on a shell casing found in the car driven that night.
Opening Statement: Defense
• Hernandez' attorney Michael Fee attacked the prosecution's case as circumstantial, pointing to the fact that there is no murder weapon and no one who saw the shooting take place. "There will be evidence that Aaron was with his friend Odin Lloyd before he was killed," Fee said. "But no evidence he killed his friend Odin."
• Fee contended that Hernandez had absolutely no motive to kill Lloyd; Hernandez was at the top of the world, both professionally and personally, and would not risk that. "In June of 2013," Fee said, "Aaron Hernandez was planning a future, not a murder."
Opening statements concluded shortly after 1:30 p.m. ET.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.
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