Cousin of Aaron Hernandez to plead guilty to criminal contempt

The cousin of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez will plead guilty to criminal contempt at a trial scheduled for August 12, her lawyer, E. Peter Parker, said Monday during a proceeding in Fall River Superior Court.

Tanya Singleton, who prosecutors say turned down an offer of immunity, had pleaded not guilty after refusing to testify before the Suffolk County grand jury that indicted Hernandez on murder charges in a double homicide outside of a Boston night club in 2012. 

Parker said that Singleton also intends to plead guilty to a similar contempt charge in relation to Hernandez's alleged murder of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd in 2013.

Singleton pleaded not guilty to separate charge in the Lloyd case after prosecutors alleged she helped two of Hernandez' alleged accomplices escape Massachusetts, the state where Hernandez allegedly shot Lloyd. Parker said Singleton will not change her plea to that charge.

Hernandez, 24, has pleaded not guilty in both murder cases. In May, Hernandez was indicted on charges related to an assault that allegedly occurred inside Bristol County Jail, where he was being held since his arrest last summer.

A Massachusetts judge ruled last week that Hernandez could be transferred to a jail closer to his Boston-based lawyers.

-- Chris Johnson