First-degree murder defendant and former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been denied bail.
After hearing from both the prosecutor and Hernandez’s lawyer, Judge Renee Dupuis said the case against Hernandez sounds strong and that she does not think Hernandez should be free.
“I think the Commonwealth has presented a case that’s circumstantial, to be sure, but a very, very strong circumstantial case,” Dupuis said.
James Sultan, Hernandez’s lawyer, argued that until he has been proven guilty, he deserves to be able to live his life, although Sultan did say Hernandez would accept bail conditions like GPS monitoring or house arrest.
“Of course, Mr. Hernandez is charged with a very serious crime, but that shouldn’t be enough to hold him without bail,” Sultan said. “Aaron Hernandez, who’s 23 years old, has, to the best of my knowledge, no criminal record of any kind.”
Sultan noted that prosecutors have not presented any evidence of an eyewitness who can testify that Hernandez murdered Odin Lloyd. But Bristol County Assistant District Attorney William McCauley said the physical evidence, including ammunition that has been found and a picture that may show Hernandez holding the murder weapon, is strong enough to suggest that Hernandez has no business getting out of jail. The judge agreed with that, and deputies led Hernandez from the courtroom back to the County Jail.