In April of 2015, Aaron Hernandez was convicted of the first degree murder of Odin Lloyd, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Of course, Hernandez’s legal troubles did not end there. In May of 2015, after Hernandez was already convicted under circumstances that guaranteed him a life sentence without the possibility of parole, Hernandez was also charged with the first-degree murders of Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado.
As a trial attorney myself, I can tell you that trials are very, very expensive. It is hard to imagine any double-murder trial not costing the state of Massachusetts at least $100,000.
You may be wondering why Massachusetts would spend that kind of money on a trial when Hernandez has already been sentenced to life without parole.
Well, there is a good reason for it and, no, it is not out of principle.
The state’s attorneys aren’t stupid. They know a guy like Aaron Hernandez has nothing to lose and will appeal his case to kingdom come. First-degree murder convictions, in particular, are multi-faceted, complex animals. Slight procedural missteps could force a re-trial.
This second trial is a sort of insurance policy in two different ways.
If Hernandez’s conviction for the Lloyd murder is reversed, but he is convicted of the double-murder, Hernandez will still spend the rest of his life behind bars. Also, if the first conviction is reversed, Hernandez’s lawyers may try to get him out on bail. There is no way the judge would allow that to happen while this double-murder trial is pending. The result is that a dangerous criminal remains in prison instead of on the streets.
Andrew J. Botros is an attorney with the Law Office of Nancy J. Bickford, APC, a San Diego law firm and has represented many professional athletes in divorce and paternity cases. He is a board certified divorce attorney, certified by the California State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization. The Law Office of Nancy J. Bickford, APC, specializes in high-asset and high-income family law matters
