The jury that convicted the former New England Patriots star of first-degree murder Wednesday speaks out after the verdict. It was the “hardest thing I’d ever done in my life, by far.”
Aaron Hernandez listens as the guilty verdict is read during his murder trial Wednesday.
Dominick Reuter / AP
FALL RIVER, Massachusetts — A two-month trial and seven days of deliberations led to a jury of twelve people unanimously finding Aaron Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder, on the basis of "extreme cruelty or atrocity."
After forewoman Malessa Strachan delivered the verdict, Judge E. Susan Garsh addressed the jury privately and thanked them for their service.
Garsh told jurors that Hernandez is set to stand trial in Boston as the defendant in a double homicide case, along with other assault allegations. The judge said Hernandez allegedly shot his former friend, Alexander Bradley, between the eyes in Florida. Bradley, who recently testified against him, has a noticeable scar from the shooting.
Hearing about other allegations of murder — or attempted murder — by Hernandez reassured the jury they had "done the right thing" by returning a first-degree murder verdict.
Hernandez was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Typical courthouse protocol is to disallow reporters from speaking with released jurors until they are outside the courthouse, but because of the high-profile nature of this case, the Bristol County District Attorney's office made special arrangements to mutually benefit the jurors and the story-hungry media.
The twelve jurors and three alternates were brought into the jury selection room and stood before the media.
Dominick Reuter / AP
They joked that they had agreed to the arrangement because they hoped it would reduce the likelihood of media "showing up at [their] homes."
Strachan immediately read a short prepared statement:
"To the family of Odin Lloyd, we would like to say we know this verdict will not bring him back, but we do hope this will help you find peace and bring you some closure. We would also like to thank everyone in advance for respecting our privacy."
The jurors refused to speak about any conversations that might have occurred during their 35 hours of deliberations. The only explanation given for the lengthy deliberation period was the seriousness of the crimes with which Hernandez was charged, and the sentencing implications.
Jurors said they were "not prepared" for the extreme emotional reaction that rippled through the crowded courtroom as soon as the murder conviction was announced.
Announcing the verdict was the "hardest thing I'd ever done in my life, by far," said Strachan. She said that if she could speak with Hernandez, who stared the jurors down upon every entrance and exit from the courtroom, she'd have "nothing" to say to him.
During closing statements, Hernandez's attorney James Sultan admitted that his client was likely at the scene of the crime with two other friends, but claimed the Commonwealth had not proven it was anything more than a wrong place, wrong time situation.
The jurors called that decision "shocking," but would not discuss how heavily it weighed on their decision.
Later that day, Bristol County District Attorney Tom Quinn told reporters that Sultan's admission was not much more than a "strategic decision" by his team's opponents.
During the extensive and often times dramatic jury selection, each potential juror was brought to the front of the courtroom to be questioned about his or her ability to be fair and unbiased. On Wednesday, jurors confessed it was "awkward and uncomfortable" to have Hernandez huddled behind them while the judge questioned them.
However, Sean Traverse assured the room that he understood his role was to avoid judging Hernandez until his team was sent for deliberations.
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