Shortly after Aaron Hernandezcommitted suicide in March, a report emerged indicating that the former NFL player’s death could eventually net his family quite a bit of money. Due to a legal loophole in the state of Massachusetts, Hernandez’s lawyers could fight to have his conviction stemming from the Odin Lloyd murder trial dismissed since Hernandez didn’t get the chance to see the appeal process play out due to his death. That would open up the door for his family to fight for the money that was owed to him by the Patriots and the NFL prior to him receiving a guilty verdict in 2015.
But it doesn’t sound like the prosecution in the Lloyd case is just going to sit back and allow Hernandez’s lawyers to get his conviction overturned. According to a new report that was released Monday, prosecutors have filed a motion and called for a judge to keep his conviction intact. The Bristol County D.A.’s Office does not believe Hernandez or his estate should be "rewarded" for his suicide, and they don’t believe that abatement ab initio—the loophole that would allow for a judge to throw out Hernandez’s conviction—applies to Hernandez’s case since his death came about as a result of suicide. Legal documents filed by the prosecution refer to the loophole as being outdated, and prosecutors said they believe throwing out the original conviction would be disrespectful to the Lloyd family.
The latest news surrounding Hernandez proves once again that, even though he died, his estate is still in for a legal battle. But there could be a resolution with regards to this particular matter sooner than later. According to the Boston Globe, Hernandez’s lawyers have until this Thursday to respond to the motion filed by prosecutors. A judge will then hold a hearing on the issue of whether or not Hernandez’s murder conviction should be vacated next week. So we should have some more information about how this will all shake out soon.
