Report: Hernandez not ruled out as suspect in murder case

AP

As a small army of news organizations chases the Aaron Hernandez story, there will be conflicting and, necessarily, incorrect reports.

Our goal will in part be to sift through those reports, making sure you know what the various outlets have uncovered.

And I say all of that because the latest report will raise some eyebrows and/or drop some jaws.  According to Karen Anderson of WBZ-TV in Boston, Hernandez has not been ruled out as a suspect in the death of an “associate” found roughly a mile from his North Attleboro home.  Anderson also reports that Hernandez currently is not cooperating with authorities.  (There had been conflicting reports as to whether Hernandez was initially uncooperative.)

Anderson cites a single unnamed law-enforcement source for both pieces of information.  Without knowing who the source is, how the source knows what the source knows, and whether the source has an agenda, it’s impossible to assess the accuracy of the report.

WBZ-TV also reports that the victim is Odin Lloyd, 27, of Dorcester.  Odin played semi-pro football with the Boston Bandits.

His body was found by a jogger, who told WBZ-TV that when police arrived they said it appeared Odin had been shot somewhere else and dumped in the industrial park roughly a mile from Hernandez’s home.

127 responses to “Report: Hernandez not ruled out as suspect in murder case

  1. Uh oh. If Hernandez has nothing to hide, why would he not be cooperating with authorities? Wow. This sounds like a story that won’t be going away anytime soon.

  2. The Pats sign Tebow, then the owner spitting lies about his ring being stolen, and now this. This team is a complete joke . This is team is a total circus and a disgrace to the league.

  3. He doesn’t look very innocent after hiring a lawyer and refusing to cooperate with the authorities.

  4. I worked in the news for years. Cops never say ‘we’re ruling xyz out as a suspect’ early in a case.

    Because they don’t want to look like dummies later if xyz was involved somehow.

    Saying Hernandez is not ruled out as a suspect can be read as ‘Hernandez could be a suspect’, but it’s just cop talk.

    Also police may think one of Hernandez’s other associates is involved and could end up leaning on Hernandez to help solve the case. Saying flat out ‘he’s not a suspect’ takes away leverage later on.

  5. And I say all of that because the latest report will raise some eyebrows and/or drop some jaws
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Anybody with common sense would not be surprised considering all the reports. He may not be directly involved but the police had enough to convince a judge that he might be. Now that we know the victim was shot and it wasn’t some sort of party that went bad via overdose, there seems to be a significant amount of trouble brewing for Hernandez and some of his “associates”

  6. He’s pretty dumb if he shot him and dropped the body about a mile away from his house. And left the car he rented at the scene.

  7. Looks like patriots fan can’t make fun of ray Lewis anymore. Sounds like they have more evidence on Hernandez then they did ray…

  8. Which Goodell will intervene on this one? The one who preempts the court of law and suspends for up to a season with no due process (Jones), or the one who lets court proceedings play out and issues no NFL punishment if it’s deemed another jurisdiction has doled out sufficient punishment (Vick)…

  9. Ah, the joys of instantaneous news making the requirement for being “FIRST!” to report it leaving truth and proper journalistic investigation by the wayside.

    Isn’t it great?

  10. If he is innocent, then he should cooperate with the police. I know it can be shocking that a car rented in your name is huge evidence, but this just hurts you more than helps!

    It also seems odd the body was only a mile away, either someone wasn’t thinking clearly or someone wants to cast suspension onto Hernandez.

  11. Patriots all lie, CHEAT, and break rules and laws. The public already is 70% certain that he is guilty. Roger Goodell will not be able to sweep this one under the rug for Greedy Bobby Kraft

  12. Man the Patriots TE’s are looking pretty thin with Gronk on the mend from multiple surgeries and Hernandez involved in who knows what….maybe that signing of Tebow will pay off at the TE position!! LOL

  13. Guilty of murder or not. We all know that the classy Patriots owner and head coach will keep him on the team if he can get them a few wins

  14. This guys career is over. I feel so awful for him & the patriots…it’s sad. And pls, Pats fans, don’t say “maybe BB knew something, so they signed Tebow..” What??????? BB knew Hernandez was a murderer, didn’t tell anyone, signed Tebow & will turn him into the next Gronk by Sept????? Yup that’s exactly how it went down…that’s why Tebow is w/the QBs during practice and wears a red #5 jersey…you’re all 100% right

  15. This looks like it could (and likely will) drag on.

    Gronk probably out at start of season with back and neck issues.

    Ladies and gentlemen, your new Patriots tight end Tim Tebow…….

  16. You’re dealing with something pretty serious here,mike, maybe be sure before you start putting headlines that imply he is involved…maybe.

    Maybe is not good enough for this kind of situation.

  17. NO ONE can blame the man for not freely talking to police. Everyone should have a lawyer present when they are questioned, even if they have NOTHING to do with the crime.

    That being said, pro athletes are not the smartest men on the planet, and many of them, because of the money in their bank account, think they are above the law.

    If Hernandez had anything to do with it, he NEEDS to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Not only for being involved, for being so AMAZINGLY stupid for using a rental car in his name, and leaving the body a mile from his house.

  18. “Which Goodell will intervene on this one? The one who preempts the court of law and suspends for up to a season with no due process (Jones), or the one who lets court proceedings play out and issues no NFL punishment if it’s deemed another jurisdiction has doled out sufficient punishment (Vick)…”

    I’m willing to bet it’s the one that shreds documents crucial to the implication of his crony, benefactor, and partner in crime Bob Kraft.
    Birds of a feather…

  19. There is a big difference between “not ruled out as a suspect” and actually being a suspect.

  20. I love the people saying if he has nothing to hide he should cooperate.

    So much for the fourth amendment, I guess.

    And of course the cops have never twisted an innocent person’s words and used them against them. Nah, that’s never happened.

  21. This just gets weirder by the minute! But at the same time, if his house was searched, something tells me he is somewhat involved in this.

    Maybe he didn’t do it, but if he is harboring info or protecting the guilty party, he needs to do the right thing.

  22. Well when you think about it he is a member of the patriots so he is just doing what our government would do and cover it up and not cooperate. Aaron Hernandez, a true American patriot

  23. Any decent lawyer will tell you the worst thing you can do is talk to the cops without benefit of counsel.

    These days, especially, police and district attorneys with their eyes on promotion and higher office have no problems framing individuals, lying in court, and then sending innocent men and women off to prison.

    Hernandez is being smart… lawyer up with your mouth closed and you’ll have a whole lot better chance of not getting hosed by the authorities.

    Justice in 2013 America is not the justice a lot of us grew up with, that’s for sure.

  24. Media, Media! Wherefore art thou, Media? Still waiting for the circus tag up north. You get all up on the Jets for playing paintball but when Baby Kraft cries about his ring (why wouldnt he say something when Putin put (it) in his pocket?), they sign Tebow, and now their player could be a suspect in a murder case, you’re nowhere to be found. Typical. You’re just ignorant Jets haters. It’s almost like racism. All’s well when you’re blue. Once you’re green, you’re a circus. Fail media. Fail. Once again you take the first amendment and **** all over it while stuffing it down our throats.

  25. I just don’t see him dropping a body that close to his home. Makes no sense. As for non-cooperating, I’m sure his lawyer is telling him not to say a thing. Anything can be turned into obstruction, anything. As for the rental car, plenty of people have accounts set up so friends and family can just grab a car at the airport. That the SUV is rented in his name isn’t shocking. Now if there are his finger prints on the steering wheel, that’s a whole new ball game.

  26. Why is Hernandez renting a car in his name in Boston? I thought these guys owned cars (plural). When you rent a car you know that you don’t let someone else drive or you better be ready if something happens to buy the car. Why would he rent the car then play fast and loose with it to the extent that it would end up used in a murder? I get the whole “rental car dump the body car is harder for the cops to locate” motive behind using the rental car to commit a crime. But for Hernandez to rent a car and allow it to fall into the hands of a murder is white hot. This isn’t good for anybody.

  27. How does this make him look guilty?? If I’m was being wrongly accused of a crime, especially a murder, I wouldn’t say a word, and I’d hire a lawyer asap. Just saying nothing he has done so far makes him look guilty, it just looks like he’s trying to protect himself.

  28. If he is innocent and not cooperating with authorities it is because his lawyers told him not to. They don’t want anything he tells them to be used against him.

  29. Professional athletes and their personal associations / activities never cease to amaze…..living under the microscope of the media there’s always another Pro to step in and take the stand…..I mean spotlight

  30. For all of you ‘lawyers’ out there who want to jump on the ‘he is guilty’ bandwagon or ‘if he’s innocent why is he hiring lawyers or being uncooperative’ propaganda, please see the Supreme Court ruling on pre-Miranda silence and how law enforcement can use that as proof of guilt.

  31. Honestly, Mike, I would be happy if you could just tell us what “associate” means.

  32. A source of a source of a source… Wow now thats journalism. Anything to make headlines and get attention before the truth comes out.

  33. Hiring a lawyer makes someone look guilty? Not cooperating with police simply means he is not talking. He is not interfering with anything or else he would be charged by the police for hindering the investigation. Hiring a lawyer and not talking is the BEST thing you can do when charged with anything. Some of you need to brush up on Miranda rights and the Constitution. (but I’m sure you believe that nobody has ever been falsely accused).

    Oh, and before everyone starts playing Nancy Grace, just remember the Duke Lacrosse case. Power hungry DA. Ruined 4 innocent lives.

    Or if you think he should talk to the Police, ask Brian Banks how that worked out.

  34. This is the time of year when Steeler Nation grabs a bowl of popcorn, kicks back, and enjoys as other teams deteriorate.

  35. He is not only ruled out, he is the leading suspect, according to two sources. Now we know why the Patriots have been so keen on acquiring tight ends.

  36. Let’s see what the desktop detectives at Reddit and the New York Post can come up with in this case. They’ll cast a wide net and have numerous suspects, with their pictures plastered all over the internet.

    The police shouldn’t rule out Putin either after being accused of stealing the Super Bowl ring. The former KGB officer has done more dangerous things like ordering the murder of Litvinenko with polonium or blowing up apartment buildings and starting a war with the Chechens to get “elected”.

  37. Lol, nfl network is reporting that hernandez is not a suspect. Someone needs to get their stories straight.

  38. If Hernandez didn’t do it, he knows who did. Come clean. Talk to the cops. Clear your name and bring the perpetrator to justice. Friends lose their friends benefits when they kill someone. It’s in the Bengals and Lions handbook…

  39. However though, let’s not forget, according to SOME people Hernandez must not be guilty because his car was there.

  40. Be wise about the company you keep kids…I cant speculate but things go wrong when you have the wrong people around you, some of them are there to try and bring you down fewer are there to build you up and help you prosper.

  41. And don’t over think the idea that he’s uncooperative.
    A person could say to a police officer, ” I have the utmost respect for you and your job but I’m going to respectfully decline comment without the presence of my attorney.”

    Now he could be a complete assblank but he could just be knowledgable about dealing with the authorities. Just food for thought.

  42. On the surface, sounds like the same kind of circumstances surrounding the Jason Williams (old school NBA) situation all over again although we will have to wait and see who actually killed him of the people in that house.

    these idiots never will learn though even with such an example to draw from as that guy had the world in his hands being a former player who networks couldn’t wait to hire for TV.

    Now instead, he’s a pathetic crackhead who lost his wife, post athletic career, and can’t live down how he killed his limo driver spaced out on drugs and trying to impress his “buddies” by pointing one of his guns at the poor guy and pulling the trigger.

  43. The wheels have been slowly coming off this franchise since they were caught red handed cheating. It appears to be peddle to the metal now.

  44. As a Patriots fan, let the chips fall where they may.

    A murder has been committed. Football is trivial.

    That being said, NO ONE should ever talk to the police in such a situation without their lawyer present. If that’s deemed “uncooperative” by the police so be it. Whether your Miranda rights have been read or not, what you say can and will be used against you.

    With estimates that between 1-2% of the prison population is wrongly accused (extrapolating out to 20,000 – 80,000 people) anyone who wants to “cooperate” with the police without an attorney present should know what the consequences could be.

  45. Hey, Just for those who don’t know much about searches, It’s a HOMICDE!! they got a warrant, which means they have to have a judge look at their PROBABLE CAUSE, a judge signed it, these are not fishing expeditions, they are looking for evidence, which means they believe the house is linked to the crime, could be the owner, could be a freind of the owner or could be both, if their searching his house, he needs a lawyer, and a pretty good lawyer, Billy better be checking the Free Agent market…….

  46. If you are even remotely connected with a murder, and you have the proper money, you get a lawyer, plain and simple. The first thing he is going to tell you is to ‘shut up’, even with the police until the lawyer gets there. I don’t consider this ‘uncooperative’ behavior unusual.

    Also, that fact that the think the body was dumped there, and conveniently the rental car happened to be near by, makes me wonder if this was a really bad attempt at a setup. It’s Boston y’know, and with the flag ship Whitey on trial.

  47. Okay, did the car run out of gas or something? It was so close to Hernandez’s house. Did they even bother to ask Hertz if the car came with a full tank of gas?

  48. ‘This latest news will likely cost him to fall from the 4th to the 6th round in standard fantasy football formats, and from the 3rd to 4th in PPR’s”

    Greg Roseyballs

  49. Patriots must of known about this before anyone else, That is the reason for signing Tebow. They want him as a TE. They also signed Jake Ballard. They knew about this

  50. Will people stop with all of this nonsense about Tebow playing tight end. He hasn’t played tight end in his life. He played QB even in youth football. He’s not working with tight ends in OTA’s. You think he can be an effective tight end in September if he plays the position for the first time in July? Really???

  51. According to one source, the victim dated Hernandez’s girlfriend’s sister.

  52. Refusing to cooperate = maintaining your law-given right to remain silent.

    Some things I do question though….unless he’s actually financially responsible, why would he rent a car? Certainly with a house like that he would own more than one should one break down.

    Also…who dumps a body a mile from their house?

    And then he just happens to have his boys over on a Tuesday afternoon and they try to leave when the cops show up.

  53. But Hernandez was not at “da club” he was at his house, and if I have learned anything from the PFT commenters a player can never get in trouble if they stay home.

  54. Especially in light of the recent Supreme Court decision, not only should one not “cooperate” with authorities, one must explicitly state from the beginning that one will not be speaking. Anyone with common sense and basic intelligence knows that talking to police gets innocent people in trouble more than it gets them out of it. Even he’s completely innocent of anything involving the death, the police will try to coerce him into commuting perjury with some innocuous statement. If you are one of those people who says “if you have nothing to hide you will cooperate”- you are probably well-meaning but the American spirit is rooted in laws and rights including the right not to perjure oneself or feel coerced into a conversation one is not legally bound. Would a lawyer or judge cooperate with police? Nope. If you start talking you start ringing up potential charges. At least get a lawyer and follow advice. Maybe he will cooperate but he’s doing what any good American would do, especially one with means and sense.

  55. In a very short timespan, this story has gotten significantly more serious and markedly more incriminating for AH. At the very least, he is tangentially involved in the murder of an acquaintance. Is this another example of a player not being able to shake off his “posse” from his formative years, even while knowing no good will come from maintaining the relationships? How can an adult and a so-called “college man” have the decision making skills of a jr high school kid severely influenced by peer pressure? How can this man-child and other pros just like him witness so many current and former players ruin their lives in similar situations related to the inability to sever ties with bums from the past? The emotional quotient of so many pro football players must be barely measurable. Football coaches MUST be exceptionally gifted in order to somehow organize and mold these immature, contrary and generally life-long, enabled brats into cohesive, functioning teams ALL simultaneously performing their given assignments on the snap of the ball!

  56. “mackcarrington says: Jun 19, 2013 12:57 PM

    Will people stop with all of this nonsense about Tebow playing tight end. He hasn’t played tight end in his life. He played QB even in youth football. He’s not working with tight ends in OTA’s. You think he can be an effective tight end in September if he plays the position for the first time in July? Really???”

    Based on how ineffective he is at QB given the experience you cited, no.

  57. you people are amazing. Not cooperating now means he is guilty? Maybe the cops showed up at his house and asked to search it without a warrant….would you let them in? I wouldnt. That is “not cooperating”

    Obviously this is tied to him or someone he knows in some way, but lets see what actual facts come of this. I know 90% of the country hates the Patriots, but lets be adults here.

  58. He hasn’t been arrested yet. If he’s arrested for murder, then it’s big. Until then, reports are just reports. He would be arrested by now if it were obvious.

    He is clearly implicated though. People don’t get shot for no reason very often. A drug deal gone bad maybe? Maybe Hernandez doesn’t want to be busted on dope charges, hence his lack of cooperation. The search could be related too. He does have a history with marijuana.

    Him and his buddies probably fled the scene when their friend was shot and now they are trying to claim they weren’t there.

    It doesn’t make much sense that Herandez would be the shooter, but you never know.

  59. thesteelers says: Jun 19, 2013 12:15 PM

    This is the time of year when Steeler Nation grabs a bowl of popcorn, kicks back, and enjoys as other teams deteriorate.
    ———————————————————

    One word for you, pal:

    Milledgeville

  60. Wow, lots of crazies posting here like the Patriots were the only team ‘cheating’. And it really wasn’t cheating since every other team was videotaping as well.

    Goodell sent that memo about videotaping to EVERY team in the NFL. If the Pats were the only team videotaping, then why did Goodell send that memo to EVERY team in the NFL?

    EVERY team cheats. Saints commit bounties, Bengals have half their team in prison, Jets trip players, 49ers commit salary cap violations every year and the Colts and Seahawks pump in phony crowd noise.

    Patriots have been the model franchise in the NFL for years and they’ll get through this. I guess people are just jealous of success and want to tear #1 down.

  61. iamapatsfan says:
    Jun 19, 2013 11:42 AM
    Ah, the joys of instantaneous news making the requirement for being “FIRST!” to report it leaving truth and proper journalistic investigation by the wayside.

    Isn’t it great?
    ____________________________________
    That is not at ALL what is happening in this article, only ESPN would report a story like that. Florio clearly is playing this safe, explicitly saying that they are trying to get to the bottom of it and not make assumptions based off of one source within the law enforcement.

    Settle down NE meathead

  62. Murderers, Cheaters, diplomatic idiot drunk owner, ahhhhhhh the PATRIOT WAY.

  63. valarmorghuliss says:Jun 19, 2013 1:29 PM

    The victim was the boyfriend of Aaron Hernandez’s sister.

    Stick a fork in Aaron, he’s done

    ——————–

    Why is he done exactly? Hernandez hasn’t even been arrested yet. Even if he is arrested, as Ray Lewis proved, it ain’t over ’til it’s over.

  64. Ya he did it!!!

    Just like the Boston Bombers were in custody two days before they were actually caught.

    The new media slogan ” We shoot first and aim later”

  65. the comments are hilarious. Meanwhile, some family lost a brother, son, nephew, and friend. Let the fun fly, but the real sad truth is not one of you would unload (what is obviously your own personal poison) if you had to face the family of the man who is dead. tell me to get over it, tell me everyone does it, then look in the mirror and try and tell yourself you are not a sorry ass little coward for making fun of a tragic loss. you should all go home and punch your mothers for not raising you any better.

  66. jimmyt says:Jun 19, 2013 12:35 PM

    The wheels have been slowly coming off this franchise since they were caught red handed cheating. It appears to be peddle to the metal now.

    ——————-

    For sure the wheels have been coming off. 16-0 season… two super bowl appearances… 76-20 regular season record… 5 of 6 division titles.

    The wheels have fallen completely off.

  67. “unnamed sources”

    Yep, those are really reliable.

    All you Pats Haters are the same people who cried and whined about the unnamed sources talking smack in the other team organizations. saying how bogus it all was. But when it comes the Pats, UN-named sources might as well be the word of God.

    Speaking of God, Ray Lewis Haters here in NE are alive and well thank you. A bigger NFL Fraud you could not find. He was convicted of a felony. He is scum.

    Aaron Hernandez hasn’t even been arrested, and some of you Baltimorons are trying to call us out.
    Pathetic

  68. bullcharger says:
    Jun 19, 2013 1:43 PM
    ____________________________________
    Keep living in the past my friend. Glory days are long gone. Brady completed less than 64% of his passes to WRs the past 2 seasons and has a very average TD to INT ratio when not targeting TEs, and you lost Wes Welker, the KEY to your offense. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH

    KARMA IS A BIT**

  69. It’s not like interfering with a police investigation or obstruction of justice are crimes. And it’s not like someone who does that ever gets charged as an accessory to the original crime. Smart move Aaron.

  70. Aaron rented the car in HIS name, and the victim is HIS sister’s BF and the car and body was found 1 mile from HIS house.

    He’s going to be fighting to keep himself out of prison and will probably never play football again.

  71. The deceased, Odin Floyd-RIP, was the boyfriend of Hernandez’s girlfriend’s sister.

  72. According to rotoworld, he was sued in Feb for shooting a man in the face…it’s starting to seem that there may be some fire to go along with this smoke…

  73. Someone needs to get the TMZ report that he was sued for shooting another guy in the face earlier this year…

  74. pillowporkers says:
    Jun 19, 2013 11:49 AM
    so what’s the first offense of committing murder? 4 games?

    136 9
    —————————————————
    It’s a one year suspension, ask Stallworth.

  75. “Without knowing who the source is, how the source knows what the source knows, and whether the source has an agenda, it’s impossible to assess the accuracy of the report.”

    That’s basically how every reader of PFT feels after reading a story here.

  76. I think the story is he shot a man in the arm and the bullet ricocheted and hit the man in the eye.

    The other guy Hernandez shot, not the one he murdered.

  77. fdugrad,

    Why do you assume the “posse” is the problem? Because Aaron can catch a ball? He was obviously a low character person since the reason he was there for the Pats to take him in the second round is because he flunked a million drug tests while in Gainesfille.

    He’s apparently recently paid off a guy that alleged that he shot him in the face, putting out his eye.

    So tell me, how’s his “posse” and the people he can’t “let go of” responsible for any of that?

    Maybe, just maybe, Hernandez is the problem all on his own, and that’s why he surrounds himself with questionable characters.

  78. Best case scenario for Hernandez is for the Police to turn over all evidence to Goodell for safe keeping. That way it never sees the light of day and the Patriots catch another break.

    But the football gods of fate have a different opinion. Karma and their influence have prevented them from ever winning another Superbowl. Justice served up in another form.

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