Aaron Hernandez Jurors Defend Guilty Verdict
— -- Hours after declaring Aaron Hernandez guilty of murder today, all the jurors defended their decision in a rare post-verdict news conference, with one juror saying evidence that a gun linked to Hernandez had been found near the victim’s body was "a shocker."
"You assume the man is innocent until the prosecution proved he’s guilty and that’s what happened today," another one, juror No. 3, told reporters.
None of the commenting jurors were identified by name.
Speaking to the media, all the jurors agreed that they had worked hard to keep track of a mountain of evidence during the nine-week trial.
One juror said everyone had four to eight notebooks to keep everything straight after hearing over 130 witnesses speak in the nine-week trial before they were sent to deliberations, which lasted for nearly 36 hours amid tears.
Among the numerous witnesses was New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Only a few jurors said they didn't realize who he was before he testified.
Members of the jury found that Hernandez used "extreme atrocity or cruelty" in committing the killing and one juror cited the fact that Lloyd was shot six times as a reason.
The jurors also said the evidence that was most surprising was when a .22 handgun found near the body was linked to a Hernandez, though the actual murder weapon was never found.
"When we saw the serial numbers matching, that was kind of, that was a shocker for us," one juror told reporters.
When asked whether they thought they could leave the trial behind, jurors said it might be difficult to get over.
"I think we’ll all remember it,” another juror told reporters. “For the rest of our lives, it’ll definitely be a part of it.”
