Fansided

No verdict yet again in Aaron Hernandez trial

By Andrew Ross

Jun 26, 2013; North Attleborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots former tight end Aaron Hernandez (left) stands with his attorney Michael Fee as he is arraigned in Attleboro District Court. Hernandez is charged with first degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd. Mandatory Credit: The Sun Chronicle/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2013; North Attleborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots former tight end Aaron Hernandez (left) stands with his attorney Michael Fee as he is arraigned in Attleboro District Court. Hernandez is charged with first degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd. Mandatory Credit: The Sun Chronicle/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The jurors of the Aaron Hernandez case are in no rush to make a decision and did not come to a verdict on Friday.

The Aaron Hernandez first-degree murder trial has felt like it’s been going on for an eternity (testimony began at the end on January), and it looks like it could draw out a bit longer.

More from New England Patriots

After deliberating for a fourth straight day, the jury of the trial was unable to come to an agreement and was sent home. They will have the weekend off and then continue the deliberation on Monday.

The jury first began deliberations on Tuesday after the closing arguments were finished, and they spent four more hours (making it a total of nearly 20 hours) on it today before they were sent home. Some people might be frustrated that it is taking longer than expected for a verdict, but you can never be too safe when it comes to handling a man’s life. The jury will be deciding on one of these three options for Hernandez: not guilty, first-degree murder or second-degree murder.

Of course, Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to the June 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd.

It would be a shock if Hernandez was found to be not guilty, but the difference in sentence between first-degree and second-degree murder is huge. Hernandez would spend his life in prison with no chance of parole if he is charged with first-degree murder, but second-degree murder allows a chance of parole after 15 years. Hernandez is only 25 years old, so a chance of having a life at the age of 40 would be a huge deal for him.

The jury can decide it was a second-degree murder if they believe there was no extreme cruelty in the killing of Lloyd. It would be confusing for them to believe that since the victim was shot multiple times, and that seems…well, extremely cruel.

Even if Hernandez somehow dodges a bullet in this case, his future still looks like it will be behind bars as he has even more legal troubles. Later this year, Hernandez will go on trial yet again, but this time for a double murder incident of two men in a July 2012 shooting in Boston. Like this case, he has pleaded not guilty to that one as well.

It doesn’t matter how long it draws out, Hernandez has seemingly already determined his fate. It’s one of the saddest stories from the sports world as Hernandez was such a star in three season with the New England Patriots.

More from FanSided

Home/New England Patriots