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Hernandez Juror on Verdict: ‘Some of Us Got There for Different Reasons’

The jury in the trial against former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez talked with the media following the guilty verdict. EPA

By Braden Campbell

April 15, 2015

2 minutes to read

Jurors and alternates in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial were peppered with questions in a press conference Wednesday afternoon, two hours after finding the former Patriots tight end guilty on all counts.

The jury found Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder by “reason of extreme atrocity or cruelty,’’ one of three theories that are cause for conviction on the most severe murder charge in Massachusetts.

“There were seven different sections, or bullet points, that comprised the extreme atrocity, and I think some of us got there for different reasons, but still reached the same conclusion,’’ one juror said.

Hernandez could also have been found guilty of first-degree murder if the prosecution proved he premeditated the killing of Odin Lloyd, but the jury could not come to a unanimous decision, one member said. The third theory did not apply to this case.

The jury pointed to Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s testimony that Hernandez said he “hoped the time of the murder came out because he was in a club,’’ as a key factor in their decision.

“We went through a three-month trial, two years later we still don’t know the exact time of (Odin Lloyd’s) murder, so I don’t know how Aaron would have had that information two years ago, if even today, medical examiners still don’t have that information,’’ one juror said.

The verdict came after 35 hours of deliberation that was at times tearful, the jurors said. Over the course of three months the jurors and alternates heard testimony from more than 130 witnesses and considered more than 400 pieces of evidence, which they said led to the lengthy deliberation.

“The system is designed to be fair to both sides … you ask what took so long?’’ one juror said. “You can’t rush a decision like this. You have to consider all sides of the decision.’’

Jurors were asked how various aspects of the case impacted the decision. When asked if the defense’s suggestion that Hernandez’s alleged accomplices, Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, killed Lloyd in a PCP-addled rage, the jury said they did not believe the accusation. As to whether the box that Hernandez asked fiancee Shayanna Jenkins to dispose of contained the murder weapon, as the prosecution implied, the jury said they could not speculate.

Only one member of the jury identified herself during the televised portion of the press conference: April Blanchard, of Taunton. Blanchard, an alternate juror, said it was hard on her to not factor in the decision after spending months in court, but said the jurors chosen found correctly.

“I thank each and every one of them, because they made the right decision,’’ she said.

There was a palpable feeling of relief among the jurors, who laughed as they answered a few questions and occasionally joked.

They now go back to their regular lives after months spent in court, but they don’t expect to forget their involvement anytime soon.

“I think we’ll all remember it the rest of our lives,’’ one juror said. “It’ll always be a part of us. I hope we can get taken off the (jury) list, I think everyone would like to.’’