# NFL's Aaron Hernandez murder suspect? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 20, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517 "2013-06-20T22:34:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/141 "2013-07-01T21:30:30Z")
I think that those of you who are convinced that Aaron Hernandez will be convicted should review the O.J. Simpson case: > **[Murder trial of O. J. Simpson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson_murder_case)** > > The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson was a criminal trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court starting in 1994, in which O. J. Simpson, a former National Football League (NFL) player, broadcaster and actor, was tried and acquitted for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The pair were allegedly stabbed to death by Simpson outside Brown's condominium in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on the night of June 12, 1994. T... The substantial majority of Americans thought he was guilty–yet he got off. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/142 "2013-07-01T21:39:29Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > 🆒 I knew I’d heard that brilliant strategy somewhere before. > [@PastTense](#): > > I think that those of you who are convinced that Aaron Hernandez will be convicted should review the O.J. Simpson case: > [Murder trial of O. J. Simpson - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson_murder_case) > > The substantial majority of Americans thought he was guilty–yet he got off. OJ was famous and popular in a way Hernandez is not: he was one of the best running backs ever, he was in the Naked Gun movies, and he seemed really nice. Hernandez isn’t the best tight end on his team and his background suggests he’s a complete dick. And I don’t think the evidence issues will be the same either. If DNA becomes an issue in this case - and at this point it doesn’t sound like they’ll need any - it won’t be the mystery it was to jurors in the mid 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/143 "2013-07-01T21:43:20Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > I think that those of you who are convinced that Aaron Hernandez will be convicted should review the O.J. Simpson case: > [Murder trial of O. J. Simpson - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson_murder_case) > > The substantial majority of Americans thought he was guilty–yet he got off. Yes he did. Of course, there was a racist cop who perjured himself on the stand, and a generally bungled prosecution in a circus trial involved, too. Oh…and a virtual Dream Team of defense lawyers…Cochran as the mouthpiece, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld (possibly the best two DNA defense guys in the business), Alan Dershowitz (leading constitutional law scholar/professor/appeals guy), Robert Shapiro, and F. Lee-freaking Bailey his damnself as the strategist. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/144 "2013-07-01T21:59:42Z")
Indeed. So far, the police involved in the investigation and the DA’s office appear to be taking things very professionally, unlike the LAPD, which didn’t exactly have the best reputation at the time (or much of the time since then). That was before the age of social media. It’s unthinkable back then that OJ would have had photos floating around proudly showing off his illegally acquired/possessed handgun. And there was never the slightest hint he was involved in criminal gangs. And, as a more mature and retired NFL star, he was hardly known to be carousing or fighting with ne’er do wells at 3:30 in the morning with regularity. Also in the hard to believe in hindsight category, OJ was fired from playing the Terminator because the producers didn’t think Americans would buy him as a killer. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/145 "2013-07-01T22:27:43Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > That was before the age of social media. It’s unthinkable back then that OJ would have had photos floating around proudly showing off his illegally acquired/possessed handgun. There was a picture from his broadcasting career showing him in a certain pair of shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/146 "2013-07-01T22:52:28Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > … a certain pair of shoes. Yeah, but they were kind of ugly. ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/147 "2013-07-02T18:13:44Z")
> [@chargerrich](#): > > I keep reading about how most (all?) of this evidence is circumstancial… and by definition it is, but it also seems pretty damning. > > I know that proving guilt is sometimes quite different than what our logic tells us. I mean come on, Hernandez did it and we know it and so did O.J. BUT can they prove it? > > I am not a lawyer, but would love some opinions on how strong the case is as of right now. If they do NOT find the gun, if they do NOT get some witness to testify, can he walk even with all this mounting (but circumstancial) evidence? At his bail hearing the judge denied bail because even though all the evidence was circumstantial, it was a very very strong case. [Unfortunately the only video I could find of it was from TMZ](http://www.tmz.com/2013/06/27/aaron-hernandez-bail-review-murder-odin-lloyd-court/) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/148 "2013-07-03T13:47:49Z")
[The police think Hernandez might be linked to the shooting of two men in Gainesville in 2007.](http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9446754/mass-police-investigate-aaron-hernandez-possible-role-2007-gainesville-shooting-according-sources) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/149 "2013-07-03T14:17:39Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [The police think Hernandez might be linked to the shooting of two men in Gainesville in 2007.](http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9446754/mass-police-investigate-aaron-hernandez-possible-role-2007-gainesville-shooting-according-sources) From the article: > [@](#): > > …shooter was a “Hawaiian” or “Hispanic” male who had a large muscular build, stood about 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4, weighed about 230 or 240 pounds and had a lot of tattoos. To be fair, that describes a _lot_ of people in Gainesville, but knowing what we know now about Hernandez, yeah that doesn’t look good. I’m legitimately starting to wonder if this guy isn’t somehow related to _all_ shootings in the US since the early 2000s. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/150 "2013-07-03T14:31:35Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > To be fair, that describes a _lot_ of people in Gainesville, but knowing what we know now about Hernandez, yeah that doesn’t look good. Yes, it does potentially describe a lot of people. But based on the way this has gone so far and this, from further down- > [@](#): > > Nelson told investigators that he was at The Venue with several friends that night. He said he later saw Aaron Hernandez and the Pouncey twins, and Hernandez told him that one of the twins had his necklace snatched by Cason. After the club closed, Nelson said, one of the twins confirmed the story to him. […] > Two days after the shooting, Gainesville police Lt. Keith Kameg was quoted in the Orlando Sentinel as saying neither Hernandez nor Nelson were suspects. Police have also said that they briefly interviewed Hernandez about the shooting. But, according to the police report, Hernandez declined to speak to Gainesville police nine days after the shooting. Hernandez’s name is redacted from the report because he was 17 and considered a minor at the time. However, there is one reference to Hernandez in which his name is not redacted. In that section under “Aaron Hernandez,” the report says detectives attempted to speak to Hernandez on Oct. 9 but that “he invoked his right to counsel.” > > That same day Cason, who had originally said Nelson and the Hawaiian or Hispanic male were the suspects, “rescinded his identification of Aaron Hernandez and Reggie Nelson,” according to the report. While Hernandez’s name was redacted in the document, it was the first time the report indicated that Cason had positively identified Hernandez as the shooter at some point. > [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m legitimately starting to wonder if this guy isn’t somehow related to _all_ shootings in the US since the early 2000s. The story is developing a ‘Steve Sax is a suspect in every unsolved murder in New York City’ quality. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/151 "2013-07-03T15:34:38Z")
We’re already deeply into Biggest A-Hole in Pro Sports History territory by now, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/152 "2013-07-03T15:35:59Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m legitimately starting to wonder if this guy isn’t somehow related to _all_ shootings in the US since the early 2000s. When they make the movie about this, there’s going to be a scene where the detective figures out that the connection between 24 murders is that they all happened in cities where the Patriots were visiting. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/153 "2013-07-03T15:39:06Z")
[Tim Tebow finally makes his way into the story](http://abcnews.go.com/US/tim-tebow-stop-07-bar-fight-involving-aaron/story?id=19562429#.UdRE-tLHIpU), thanks to a 2007 bar fight. Shockingly, nobody was killed in this twist. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/154 "2013-07-03T15:48:56Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > [Tim Tebow finally makes his way into the story](http://abcnews.go.com/US/tim-tebow-stop-07-bar-fight-involving-aaron/story?id=19562429#.UdRE-tLHIpU), thanks to a 2007 bar fight. Shockingly, nobody was killed in this twist. Eh, Tebow would have resurrected anyone that had been killed, then told Hernandez to say Ten Our Father’s and absolved him of his sins. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/155 "2013-07-03T15:51:31Z")
In a twist that would be strange in any other case but this one, the sheriff holding Hernandez has announced he will try to [block any potential marriage](http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/07/02/aaron-hernandez-marry-jail/2484793/) between Hernandez and his girlfriend. Apparently that could potentially shield her from testifying. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/156 "2013-07-03T16:38:14Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > [Tim Tebow finally makes his way into the story](http://abcnews.go.com/US/tim-tebow-stop-07-bar-fight-involving-aaron/story?id=19562429#.UdRE-tLHIpU), thanks to a 2007 bar fight. Shockingly, nobody was killed in this twist. What was Tebow doing in a bar, when he was 19 no less? Handing out Chick tracts? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/157 "2013-07-03T16:45:07Z")
Hernandez was only 17. No wonder the bar wanted to keep it quiet. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/158 "2013-07-03T16:49:59Z")
It was The Swamp (a bar across from \*The \*Swamp, or Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the UF football stadium). If it’s crowded they’ll pretty much serve you as long as you can see over the bar. I suspect that goes double for UF football players. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/159 "2013-07-03T18:44:41Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > We’re already deeply into Biggest A-Hole in Pro Sports History territory by now, anyway. I think we’ve actually passed from “Pro Sports player is Criminal” territory into “Notorious gangster has sports playing alias” ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517/160 "2013-07-03T20:04:22Z")
[Police were getting ready to question another man with links to Hernandez…but he died Sunday in a car accident. The car he was driving was registered to Hernandez’ uncle.](http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-aaron-hernandez-thaddeas-singleton-20130702,0,2763989.story) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfls-aaron-hernandez-murder-suspect/661517.md?page=9)