The Cleveland Browns general manager will also be punished for sending text messages to the sidelines during games, according to reports.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 3, 2015
Aaron Hernandez's Fianceé Testifies About Box That Allegedly Contained Murder Weapon
The day after Odin Lloyd was murdered, Shayanna Jenkins disposed of a large box at Hernandez’s request. She maintains that she had no idea what was inside.
WBZ TV
Shayanna Jenkins, Aaron Hernandez's fianceé and mother of his child, continued her testimony in his murder trial Monday by answering a series of questions about a box that prosecutors said contained the murder weapon.
Hernandez is accused of the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, who was the boyfriend of Shayanna's sister, Shaneah, at the time of his death.
Shayanna removed the box, covered in a black bag, from their home the day after Lloyd was murdered. She that Hernandez called her and told her it was "important" for her to dispose of a large cardboard box that was kept in their storage room, but she says she never learned what it contained. Prosecutors allege the murder weapon — a Glock .45 — was in this box.
During her testimony, Shayanna was asked if Hernandez ever told her what was in the box. She said he did not, and said she never asked. When prosecutors asked if she rummaged through the box, she said she did not. She told the jury that all she saw in the box were a few smaller boxes and some clothing. She says she added baby clothing to the top of the box, but quickly mentioned that she was not concealing its contents.
According to her memory, the box was roughly 35 to 40 pounds.
Footage from the home's surveillance system shows Shayanna carrying the large bag and box out through the backyard and bringing it to the driveway to put it in the trunk of her sister's car. She said she didn't put it in the backseat because it was too large.
Shayanna told the jury that she does not remember the site where she disposed of the box, saying the emotions of everyone around her – including Shaneah and Hernandez – were weighing on her and made her nervous. She says she drove around southern Massachusetts aimlessly, trying to shake off nerves.
Shayanna was granted an immunity deal in exchange for testifying in February, and there was speculation about how she would approach her obligation to take the stand. When it was clear that she was not going to remain silent, which would likely lead to contempt of court charges, the next question was about how much she would say. Would she flip on Hernandez and give the prosecutors strong evidence? Would she speak as obligated but claim she couldn't remember details, large or small, about the days leading up to Hernandez's arrest? Or would she lie, and risk perjury charges to protect Hernandez.
Boston Globe
Earlier in the trial, her sister Shaneah testified that Shayanna told her she needed to borrow her car to get money to pay the housekeepers. Shaneah said it was unusual for Shayanna to borrow her car, and that she seemed anxious when she left the house. A housekeeper later testified that Shayanna paid them with a check.
On Monday, a copy of that check was shown to the jury.
Surveillance video showed Shayanna at an ATM in Plainville, Mass. during her outing the day after Lloyd was murdered. A bank statement showed that Shayanna withdrew $800 from the ATM in Plainville, and $500 from an ATM in East Greenwich earlier that day. When asked why she was withdrawing money, Shayanna told the jury she needed to pay the housekeepers.
The prosecutor showed a photo of a $300 check made out to her housekeeper for "Weekly Cleaning."
Prosecutors did not give any reasons for her $1,300 withdrawal, but on Friday Shayanna testified that she went to Rhode Island to meet with a Hernandez co-defendant to give him some money at Hernandez's request.
Shayanna maintained that she had no further conversations with Hernandez about the removal of the mysterious box, and what it might have contained.
Courtroom reporters say Shaneah Jenkins left the courtroom in tears as her sister testified about where she went and why on the day after Odin Lloyd was murdered. She returned a few minutes later.
Thứ Bảy, 28 tháng 3, 2015
Watch As A Russian Soccer Player Gets Hit In The Head By Flare Thrown From Stands
Luckily, he was conscious when he was transported to the hospital.
Immediately after kickoff in a Russia–Montenegro match, Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfee was hit in the head by a flare tossed from the stands.
Thứ Sáu, 27 tháng 3, 2015
Aaron Hernandez's Fianceé Expected To Take The Stand Friday
The 25-year-old mother of former New England Patriots star’s daughter must make a difficult choice today.
Ted Fitzgerald / AP
Shayanna Jenkins is not in an enviable position.
Jenkins, Aaron Hernandez's 25-year-old fianceé and the mother of his daughter, is expected to be called to the witness stand Friday in his trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd. In February, she was granted immunity from criminal charges in exchange for testifying against him. If she takes the stand and refuses to speak, she'll be charged with contempt of court. However, prosecutors hope she will flip and testify against Hernandez, the father of her two-year-old daughter, Avielle.
In this murder trial — the first of two that Hernandez faces this year — Jenkins plays a central role.
The victim, Odin Lloyd, was the boyfriend of Shayanna's sister, Shaneah. Hernandez and Lloyd were introduced by the sisters, though Shaneah has testified that the men were little more than cordial acquaintances. Shayanna is positioned to choose between potentially betraying her sister or her fianceé, with whom she has a child.
If she testifies against Hernandez, and tells the jury that he is guilty, he will have little left in his defense.
If she does not, she will be held in contempt of court and jailed until the end of the trial, which would leave her child with both parents in jail. And if she does not testify against him and Hernandez is found not guilty, he still faces another trial for a 2012 double homicide, along with multiple charges of owning firearms without a permit. Also, jurors could still find Hernandez guilty on forensic evidence if she does not choose to testify.
Jenkins has had a lot of scenarios to consider. If her attorney has advised her to take the risk of contempt, it's possible she's doubtful of the prosecutor's case against Hernandez.
Before the trial, the Bristol County Sheriff said he would not allow Hernandez and Jenkins to marry. Even so, Massachusetts state law only awards spousal privilege for incidents that occurred after the date of marriage, not before.
Prosecutors have spent two months building their case against Hernandez, and he's caught few, if any breaks, with evidence against him. Experts have testified that a shoe print that was found near Odin Lloyd's body match a pair of Air Jordans Hernandez was seen wearing the night of the homicide. A bullet casing found in the rental car Hernandez was driving the night of the homicide was recovered and matched to the other casings found at the scene. Surveillance video from Hernandez's own home shows him walking around carrying a Glock the morning of Lloyd's murder. Despite the arsenal of circumstantial evidence, prosecutors have yet to establish a potential motive, and the murder weapon was never recovered.
Shayanna Jenkins could clear those loose ends up. Testimony so far has insinuated that she threw away the murder weapon — a Glock .45 — at Hernandez's direction. Shayanna's sister, Shaneah, and the Hernandez family housekeeper have both testified to seeing Shayanna leave the house with a large black trash bag with a box-shaped object in it the day after Lloyd's murder. Jenkins borrowed her sister's car, and told her she was going to the bank to get cash to pay the housekeeper, who later testified that she was paid with a check. Both witnesses have described Shayanna as being "anxious" that day.
Attorneys for both sides have been arguing this week over whether or not to admit transcripts of phone conversations Hernandez made from prison, which are not privileged. He had multiple conversations about creating trust funds for the children of his terminally ill cousin, Tanya Singleton, who has been charged with accessory to murder and sentenced to home confinement for contempt of court. Prosecutors hope Jenkins will tell them Hernandez was paying off potential witnesses against him, but defense attorneys will make the claim that he was trying to support the children of a dying woman.
Shayanna has not appeared in court for three weeks, but reports from the courtroom say she is present Friday, and wearing her engagement ring.
Legendary Basketball Coach Dean Smith Left $200 To Each Of His Players So They Could Enjoy A Nice Dinner
The late UNC coach’s trust sent letters to about 180 former players this month informing them of the gift.
Legendary UNC men's basketball coach Dean Smith passed away last month at age 83, but his players just got a reminder of how much he cared for them.
Getty Images/Doug Pensinger
The trustee confirmed the gift to the players to the Associated Press.
The letters told the players to "enjoy a dinner out compliments of Coach Dean Smith."
Former player Serge Zwikker told ESPN he was incredibly moved by the gesture.
"My wife opened the letter and handed it to me," he said. "At first I didn't know what it was, but when it hit me, it put a tear in my eye. Even after he passed, he was still all about his players."
Jeff Taylor / Reuters
College Basketball Player Thought His Mic Was Off When He Called A Woman "Beautiful"
Warning: Every mic is a hot mic. Nigel Hayes’s reaction is pretty adorable, though.
This is No. 1-ranked University of Wisconsin Badgers basketball player Nigel Hayes.
Mark J. Terrill / AP
His team is competing in the NCAA Tournament, and the second-year forward has given some ~rather entertaining~ press conferences lately.
Charlie Neibergall / AP
Hayes is fascinated by stenographers. Last week, during a pre-game press conference, Hayes tested the stenographer's skills by rattling off a random list of wonky words.
Before he answered a reporter's question, Hayes said, "I'd like to say a few words: cattywampus, onomatopoeia, and antidisestablishmentarianism."
USA Today / Via usatoday.com
When reporters asked about the tongue-twisters, Hayes told them, "She does an amazing job typing words," and that "If I say a word like soliloquy right now, she may have to work a little bit harder to type that word. Or quandary, zephyr, xylophone, things like that, that make her job more interesting."
Thứ Năm, 26 tháng 3, 2015
Serena Williams Made A Flawless Homage To Beyoncé's 7/11 Music Video
I know you care.
Tennis legend and superqueen Serena Williams recorded a super fun version of Beyoncé legendary "7/11" video for Vogue.
Legs movin' side to side...
Spinnin', spinnin', spinnin'...
Can Serena keep up with Queen Bey?