by Patrick H. Moore
The circumstantial evidence against former star tight end Aaron Hernandez in the shooting death of 27-year-old semipro football player Odin Lloyd appears to be overwhelming. The prosecution apparently has video evidence tracing his movements both before and after the slaying. In meticulously laying out the case against Aaron Hernandez at his arraignment last week, the Bristol County (Mass) prosecutor, William McCauley, skirted the issue of who pulled the trigger in the June 17 killing. Rather, he spoke of Hernandez “orchestrating” the murder.
Kevin Manahan of USA TODAY Sports recently discussed the Hernandez case with attorney David Rudolph, who represented Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth in his 2001 murder case. Carruth was found guilty of conspiring to murder the woman who was carrying his child and is now serving a sentence of 18-to-24 years, with a possible release date of 2018.
According to Rudolf the question now becomes:
Did Hernandez — whom police say was captured on his own home surveillance tape minutes after the slaying with a gun in his hand — actually do the shooting? Or was it one of the two men now in custody who allegedly were summoned by Hernandez as muscle that night?
Rudolf says that prosecutors always “want the high-profile defendant.” Rudolf further believes that negotiations have already begun with alleged accomplices.
“They want the high-profile defendant. That’s always the case,” Rudolf told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday. “And if he isn’t the shooter and they have to offer the shooter a deal to get him, they probably will, if that’s what it takes.
“The prosecution has a circumstantial case (against Hernandez), but it’s a strong circumstantial case. Sometimes those are stronger than eyewitness cases, because evidence doesn’t lie.”
Hernandez’ co-defendants are both in custody. Carlos Ortiz, 27, was captured in Bristol, Conn. Ortiz, who is being held without bail, waived extradition Friday and was shipped to Massachusetts, where he was arraigned on a weapons charge.
Wallace, who at age 41 is the oldest of the murderous trio, “turned himself in to authorities in Miramar, Fla., on Friday after hearing a bulletin that labeled him as ‘armed and dangerous.’” Wallace also waived extradition Monday and will be transported to North Attleborough, Mass., where he will be arraigned before the end of the week. Wallace faces a lesser charge of accessory after the fact, according to an official spokeswoman familiar with the case.
Lawyers for Ortiz and Wallace have refused to comment on the case.
In his interview, Rudolph made several other statements that shed light on what may have already happened and potential subsequent developments in this case:
- Rudolph suggested that either Ortiz or Wallace, or both, may have already “flipped” on Hernandez. He believes their lawyers may have already discussed the possibility of them turning state’s evidence with the district attorney’s office and that informal agreements may have played a key role in negotiating the lesser charges.
“(Prosecutors or police) are going in there and they’re saying, ‘We have you on video. We know you’re involved. You’d better tell us what went down or you’re going to go down with (Hernandez) for murder.”
- Rudolf, in stating that he would be shocked if a deal has not already been discussed, added that the prosecution may be telling Ortiz and Wallace that Hernandez is trying to blame the slaying on them.
- Rudolf also commented on McCauley’s use of the word “orchestrated.” He wonders if McCauley was only declaring what prosecutors believed they could prove on the day of the hearing — that by texting Ortiz and Wallace to come to Massachusetts and by renting the vehicle used in the alleged killing, they could prove that Hernandez was the coordinator of the hit? Or was it a deliberate choice of words because prosecutors believe one of the other men fired the shots? “‘Orchestrated,’ to me, may mean that Hernandez was not necessarily the shooter. When you say someone ‘orchestrated’ it, the unspoken thing is he might not be the shooter. I found that to be an interesting choice of words.
“But,” Rudolph concluded, “Whether he was the shooter or not, he’s still the guy they want to get.”
Whatever deals the D.A.’s office is able to cut with the co-defendants, and whatever they may ultimately convince the jury, assuming the case goes to trial, the only passes that Aaron Hernandez is likely to catch anytime soon will be thrown by the quarterback of some Massachusetts state penitentiary football team. It’s sad to see a fine athlete such as Hernandez completely wreck his life — not to mention take the life of another — out of a supremely bloated sense of entitlement. We are creating monsters by pampering children to an extreme degree just because they are bigger, stronger, faster or more athletically skilled than their peers. Aaron Hernandez stands as living proof .
Click here to see earlier posts on the Aaron Hernandez murder case:
Aaron Hernandez Arrested for Murder: Bill Belichick Drops Him Like a Hot Potato
Eat Your Heart Out, Bill Belichick: Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez Wanted in Murder Probe