Michelle R. Smith
Former New England Patriots football player Aaron Hernandez attends a pretrial hearing in the first of two murder cases against him at Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River, Mass., on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. Hernandez is charged with murder in the killing of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd in 2013. He also is charged with killing two men in Boston in 2012. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty in both cases. (AP Photo/CJ Gunther, Pool)
January 09, 2015 - 11:05 AM
FALL RIVER, Mass. - The murder trial of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez began Friday, another headache for America's most popular pro sport.
The National Football League, which has been beset by domestic abuse scandals, could see New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft called as witnesses in the trial.
Hernandez, 25, is charged with killing Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old semiprofessional football player from Boston who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee. At the time of the killing June 17, 2013, Hernandez had a $40 million contract with the Patriots.
Hundreds of jurors were expected to file through on the first day of the selection process.
The court was strictly enforcing a special rule imposed by the judge for the duration of the trial, which bans from the courthouse logos for the Patriots, NFL or any football-related insignia, or words or photographs relating to the case. One man wearing a Boston Bruins jersey and waiting in a security line near potential jurors yelled out, "Go Pats!" and was kicked out of the courthouse.
The trial, expected to last six to 10 weeks, will not be the end of Hernandez's legal troubles. He faces separate murder charges in Boston, where he is accused of killing two men after one of them accidentally spilled a drink on him at a nightclub in 2012. The trial date has not yet been set.
News from © The Associated Press, 2015