It’s one of those stories that feels like it belongs in a gritty Netflix drama, not the 6:00 PM sports highlights. You remember the image: Aaron Hernandez, the superstar tight end for the New England Patriots, sitting in a Fall River courtroom with that blank stare while his $40 million life evaporated in real time. But if you’re looking for a simple "yes" or "no" on whether he was found guilty, things get weirdly complicated. Legal loopholes and posthumous rulings have turned his case into a massive headache for historians and law students alike.
Honestly, the short answer is yes. But there was a window of time where, legally speaking, he was technically considered innocent. Yeah, it’s confusing.
The Verdict That Changed Everything
On April 15, 2015, a jury finally delivered the news everyone had been waiting for. Aaron Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd. Lloyd was a semi-pro football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée. The details were brutal. Lloyd had been shot multiple times in a deserted industrial park near North Attleborough.
The jury didn't just find him guilty; they found he acted with "extreme atrocity or cruelty." That’s a specific legal distinction in Massachusetts that carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. No wiggle room. No early release.
👉 See also: ESPN Fantasy Football PPR Cheat Sheet: What Most People Get Wrong
But here is where people get tripped up. Most people forget that Hernandez actually faced two major murder trials.
The Second Trial (The Spilled Drink)
While he was already rotting in a cell for the Lloyd murder, Hernandez went back to court in 2017. This time, he was accused of a 2012 drive-by shooting in Boston that killed Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu. Prosecutors said it all started because one of the men accidentally bumped into Hernandez and spilled his drink at a nightclub.
In a shocker that felt like it came out of nowhere, the jury found him not guilty of those murders on April 14, 2017. He was only convicted of a single illegal firearm charge.
📖 Related: Champions Hoy En Vivo: Why There Are No Games and When the Real Madness Returns
Five days later, he was dead.
Why People Think He Was Found Not Guilty
If you search "was Aaron Hernandez found guilty," you’ll see some old articles claiming his conviction was "vacated." That’s not a typo. For a while, the law actually said he wasn't a murderer.
When Hernandez committed suicide in his cell on April 19, 2017, his legal team triggered an ancient, sort of bizarre legal doctrine called abatement ab initio.
Basically, the rule stated that if a defendant dies before they finish their first appeal, the whole case is tossed out. Since the appeal hadn't been heard yet, a judge was forced to vacate his conviction. In the eyes of the law, for about two years, Aaron Hernandez died an innocent man.
The 2019 Reinstatement
The state of Massachusetts eventually realized how much this hurt the victims' families. In 2019, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts stepped in and said, "Enough is enough." They officially abolished the rule of abatement ab initio.
They ruled that the conviction should stay on the record. It doesn't mean the appeal was denied—it just means the jury's verdict stands, even if the defendant isn't around to fight it. So, as of right now, Aaron Hernandez is officially guilty of the murder of Odin Lloyd. ## A Timeline of the Legal Chaos
- June 2013: Hernandez is arrested at his home. The Patriots cut him within 90 minutes.
- April 2015: Found guilty of first-degree murder (Odin Lloyd). Sentenced to life.
- April 14, 2017: Acquitted of the 2012 double-murder charges.
- April 19, 2017: Found dead in his cell at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center.
- May 2017: Conviction is vacated due to the abatement rule.
- March 2019: The high court reinstates the guilty verdict permanently.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of fans think the CTE discovery changed his legal status. It didn't. After he died, researchers at Boston University found that Hernandez had one of the most severe cases of Stage 3 CTE ever seen in someone his age. While that explains a lot about his impulsive and violent behavior, it had zero effect on his "guilty" status in court.
The legal system doesn't really care about your brain chemistry once the jury has spoken and the appeals are dead.
The reality is that Hernandez lived a double life that most of us can't even wrap our heads around. One day he’s catching touchdowns from Tom Brady, and the next he’s allegedly stalking people in the South End of Boston. It’s a mess.
🔗 Read more: India vs Bangladesh Live Score: Why This Rivalry Still Gets Everyone Talking
If you're trying to settle a bet or just satisfy your curiosity, the paperwork is closed. The conviction is active. He is guilty.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're interested in the deeper legal nuances or the science behind the case, here is how you can dig deeper into the actual documents:
- Read the SJC Ruling: Look up Commonwealth v. Hernandez (2019). It’s the actual document that explains why they brought the conviction back. It's fascinating if you're into law.
- Review the CTE Report: The Boston University CTE Center released a detailed breakdown of his brain scans. It's a sobering look at how football might have played a role in his decline.
- Check the Civil Suits: Even though the criminal cases are over, the civil lawsuits from the victims' families often reveal more about where his money actually went (hint: there wasn't as much left as people thought).