Juror dismissed from Hernandez murder trial following judge's concerns

The murder trial of former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez was halted briefly on Tuesday while the judge addressed concerns about a juror.

Bristol County Superior Court Judge E. Susan Gersh ended up dismissing the juror following questioning. According to Gersh, there was "credible evidence" that the juror had been discussing the case, had attended more Patriots games than she had previously admitted, and had indicated that it would be difficult in her mind to convict Hernandez without a gun. The juror had also apparently displayed prior interest in serving on the Hernandez jury.

All of these factors combined in Gersh's mind to conclude that the juror posed "a substantial risk" to the fairness of the trial.

Gersh had cleared the courtroom to speak with the juror privately in the first day of proceedings since last week. Snow in Boston had delayed the resumption of the trial. There are now 17 jurors remaing in service, with 12 determining Hernandez's fate and five serving as alternates.

Hernandez faces murder and weapons charges in the death of Odin Lloyd, and has pleaded not guilty. Lloyd was shot and killed in June 2013, and his body was found in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass. Hernandez also faces murder charges in Suffolk County, Mass. stemming from the shooting deaths of two men in Boston in 2012.

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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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