Surprising news out of Boston today, as former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been acquitted of the 2012 murders of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.
A jury delivered the news this afternoon after 37 hours of deliberation.
Hernandez is currently serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd.
In addition to being found not guilty of homicide, Hernandez was acquitted on three counts of armed assault with intent to murder, one count of assault and battery by means of a deadly weapon, and one witness intimidation charge.
In addition to murdering de Abreu and Furtado, Hernandez had been accused of shooting three other men, including his friend Alexander Bradley, who was shot in the face.
Bradley served as the key witness for the prosecution, and much of the defense’s case was based on discrediting him as a career criminal who’s simply looking avoid jail time.
While he beat most of the charges against him, however, Hernandez was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm, which likely result in another 3 to five years being added to his sentence.
So don’t go adding him back to your fantasy lineup just yet.
The prosecution alleged that Hernandez shot Furtado and de Abreu to death in a car outside a Boston nightclub after one of them accidentally spilled a drink on him.
They also claimed that his bullets struck three other men who survived, including Bradley, who was in the driver’s seat.
Hernandez’s defense team reportedly argued that it was Bradley, not Hernandez who opened fire on the vehicle that night.
The trial may seem inconsequential, as Hernandez is already serving a life sentence, but experts familiar with the case say the acquittal carried tremendous importance to Hernandez on a personal level.
Witnesses say a tearful Hernandez embraced his legal team when the jury read the verdict.
Attorney Ronald Sullivan said that he was “delighted” by the outcome and that Hernandez was “relieved” by the verdict.
“He was charged for something somebody else did, and that is a weighty burden for anyone to shoulder,” Sullivan told CNN.
Hernandez did not testify in his own defense in either trial.