The former NFL star faces fifteen total criminal charges in the state of Massachusetts. How his lawyers will proceed with his cases depends on one murder charge, on which a jury has been deliberating for five days.
Steven Senne / AP
A Massachusetts jury's ultimate decision in Aaron's Hernandez's trial – Monday is their fifth day of deliberating over one murder and two weapons charges – will likely have an impact on the twelve other criminal accusations still outstanding against the former NFL star.
The trials are going to act as a legal "series of dominos," Daniel Medwed, a criminal law professor at Northeastern University, told BuzzFeed News.
Hernandez is currently on trial in Bristol County for the murder of his friend, semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, along with a single gun and ammunition charge each. If the jury finds he was guilty of the murder charge, then they will have to decide if it was first or second-degree murder.
If Hernandez gets first-degree murder – which is contingent on premeditation or extreme cruelty and carries a life sentence without parole – he will likely resolve the remaining 12 charges by pleading out, Medwed said. He added that this approach would likely be favored by Hernandez's lawyers and prosecutors. One of Hernandez's lawyers, Charles Rankin, declined to comment for this article.
If Hernandez gets second-degree murder – or anything less – he could be eligible for parole in fifteen years – "then it becomes tricky," Medwed said. "His other charges will affect his parole eligibility and also his likelihood of success on parole."
That means Hernandez's attorneys will likely decide how to proceed with his Boston case based on what is more likely to protect his eligibility and likelihood of receiving parole, Medwed said.
(Another option is a plea deal. But Gregg Miliote, the director of communications for the Bristol County district attorney's office told BuzzFeed News that Hernandez and his attorneys did not make any attempt to reach a deal for his current trial.)
In Suffolk County (Boston):
Double homicide
Three counts of armed assault with intent to murder
Assault and battery by means of dangerous weapon
Unlawful possession of a firearm
In Bristol County:
Possession of high capacity feeding device
Unlawful possession of a firearm
Unlawful possession of ammunition
Assault and battery of an inmate
Criminal threats against corrections officer
Hernandez is also a defendant in four civil suits in Massachusetts and Florida.
Cj Gunther / AP
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