ATTLEBORO, Mass. — Professional football player Aaron Hernandez killed his friend at an industrial park a mile from Hernandez’s house several days after the two feuded during a trip to a nightclub, authorities said in announcing a murder charge against him.
Hernandez was taken from his home in handcuffs Wednesday morning, more than a week after Boston semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd’s body was found. Less than two hours after his arrest, his team the New England Patriots announced they had cut Hernandez from the team.
Lloyd was a 27-year-old semi-pro football player for the Boston Bandits. His relatives said he was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee, that the two men were friends and that the men were out together on the last night of Lloyd’s life. He was shot multiple times in the back and chest, authorities said.
In court, prosecutors described a killing borne out of a trip to a Boston nightclub on the night of June 14.
Hernandez and two friends picked up Lloyd at home at 2:30 a.m. on June 17, prosecutors said. Surveillance footage from Hernandez’s home shows him leaving earlier with a gun. He also told someone in the house that he was upset and couldn’t trust anyone anymore, prosecutors said.
After picking up Lloyd, Hernandez said he was upset with Lloyd because Lloyd had spoken with people Hernandez had trouble with during their outing to the nightclub, prosecutors said.
After that conversation, Lloyd texted his sister, “Did you see who I am with,” prosecutors said. When his sister asked who, he answered at 3:22 a.m., “NFL,” then, a minute later, “Just so you know,” prosecutors said.
Between 3:23 a.m. and 3:27 a.m., people working the overnight shift at the industrial park reported hearing gunshots, authorities said.
It’s not clear who investigators believe fired the shots.
Hernandez’s attorney, Michael Fee, asked for bail, saying Hernandez is not a flight risk, is a homeowner and lives with his fiancee and an 8-month-old baby. He also said Hernandez had never been accused of a violent crime.
“It is at bottom a circumstantial case. It is not a strong case,” Fee said.
The judge ordered Hernandez held without bail pending further proceedings.
Hernandez was wearing a white V-neck T-shirt, with his arms inside the shirt and behind his back as he was led from his North Attleborough home before 9 a.m. Wednesday.
At about 10:20 a.m., the Patriots announced they had released Hernandez and expressed sympathy to Lloyd’s family and friends.
“Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation,” the Patriots said in a statement. “We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do.”
Lloyd’s mother, Ursula Ward, declined to comment at her Boston home Wednesday morning.
State police have searched in and around Hernandez’s sprawling home several times. At least three search warrants have been issued in connection with the investigation.
Last summer, the Patriots gave Hernandez a five-year contract worth $40 million.
