NFL Star Aaron Hernandez Convicted of First-Degree Murder (Updated)

Charge carries automatic life sentence without parole

Aaron Hernandez

It’s officially game over for Aaron Hernandez. The 25-year-old NFL star was convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The sentencing phase took place shortly after a Massachusetts jury found the now-former New England Patriots player guilty of murder and gun charges.

The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for seven days in the murder trial.

The case stemmed from the June 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee. Lloyd’s body was found in an industrial park not far from Hernandez’s home in Massachusetts.

Hernandez showed little-to-no emotion when the decision was handed down by the jury foreperson. His fiancee and mother broke in tears when the guilty verdict was handed down.

Hernandez was formerly a tight end for the Patriots. His legal woes are not over. The disgraced athlete still faces a second trial later this year in Boston, where he is charged with shooting two men to death outside a nightclub.

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