Aaron Hernandez hires new defense team in murder case
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Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has hired a new defense team for his 2013 murder case, ESPN reports.
Hernandez, who was convicted in April 2015 in the April 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, has brought in Florida attorney Jose Baez, who represented Casey Anthony in a case that found her not guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in 2011.
Baez made the following statement to ESPN: “Mr. Hernandez strongly maintains his innocence, and I plan to establish that before a jury of his peers. I have fully committed myself to ensuring a fair and just trial for Mr. Hernandez.
“We understand that numerous reports of our client's alleged activity have been published, but we ask the public to afford Mr. Hernandez the presumption of innocence and let the facts unfold in a court of law.”
Harvard law professor Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., criminal defense attorney Alex Spiro, and forensic science counsel Linda Kenney Baden are also part of Hernandez’s new legal team. Hernandez’s old team of attorneys filed an appeal in his case last month.
Hernandez also awaits trial on murder charges for the killing of two men in 2012 outside a Boston nightclub, a case in which he has pleaded not guilty.
