A judge denied Aaron Hernandez’s request for bail Thursday, one day after the former New England Patriots tight end was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a friend.
Hernandez’s lawyer James Sultan argued that his client is not a risk to flee and that the case against him is circumstantial.
But Bristol County Assistant District Attorney Bill McCauley said the evidence is “overwhelming.” A search of a condo leased by Hernandez turned up an ammunition clip matching the caliber of casings found at the scene of the killing of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd, McCauley said.
Complete Hernandez Coverage
The first-degree murder charge against Aaron Hernandez means the prosecution believes Odin Lloyd’s killing was planned and deliberate, writes Lester Munson. Story
Always a charmer, Aaron Hernandez had us all fooled, including the Patriots, writes ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss. Story
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• ESPNBoston.com: Mini-mailbag
• Radio: Cossack | Schefter | Reiss
Charges Against Aaron Hernandez
Charge Counts
First-degree murder 1
Carrying firearm w/o license 1
Poss. large-capacity firearm 2
Poss. firearm w/o FID card 2
Judge Renee Dupuis called the prosecution’s case “circumstantial but very, very strong.”
“The facts, as I understand it, suggest that basically a cold-blooded person killed another person because that person disrespected him,” Dupuis said.
