Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez’s lawyers recently requested that Hernandez be moved from the prison in Bristol County, Massachusetts to a facility closer to Boston because they claim Hernandez has been mistreated by the Bristol County sheriff’s office.
Prosecutors in Bristol County, where Hernandez is awaiting trial for allegedly murdering Odin Lloyd, said Thursday that they do not oppose transferring Hernandez to Suffolk County. Hernandez is to be tried in that county for allegedly murdering Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado in Boston in 2012.
Hernandez’s attorneys objected to the sheriff sharing information with prosecutors about Hernandez’s conversations in jail and information that led to assault charges against Hernandez for an incident with another inmate. The Bristol District Attorney’s office strongly denied those allegations while agreeing to the move on the grounds that it would be easier for Hernandez to meet with his attorneys.
“The government vigorously rejects the defendant’s baseless, theatrical and legally unsupportable allegations of misconduct against both the sheriff and the prosecution contained in his submission,’’ the D.A.'s office said, via the Boston Globe. “Evidence suggests that efforts to conceal [Hernandez’s] offenses continued even after the defendant’s arrest and detention. In these circumstances, it was by no means unreasonable for the sheriff to harbor concerns that the defendant might use the prison communication system or visitor privileges to facilitate his criminal endeavors.”
The request for transfer must still be approved by a judge in Bristol County and neither trial is expected to start for some time.