Aaron Hernandez conviction may be vacated based on an old legal rule. In other words his conviction may be over turned and he will be considered innocent. This is only due to his death/suicide.
According to the Boston Globe and Boston Herald, an old legal principle called “abatement ab initio” states that if a person hasn’t exhausted all legal appeals at the time of their death, a guilty verdict is officially vacated. Hernandez, was appealing the verdict in the Lloyd case.
John M. Thompson, Hernandez's attorney appointed by the state, told the Boston Herald “I was doing research this morning,”
“The first thing we have to do is get a death certificate. Once we have the official documentation, we will file the motion and see whether it’s contested.”
Martin W. Healy, chief legal counsel to the Massachusetts Bar Association, told the Boston Globe the principle is from common law, observed by several older states but it rarely comes up in practice. Healy told the Boston Globe “Unfortunately, in the Odin Lloyd matter, for the family, there won’t be any real closure, Aaron Hernandez will go to his death an innocent man.”
Hernandez was convicted in April of 2015 of murdering Lloyd and was serving a life sentence. Hernandez was acquitted in a separate double murder case last week. He was convicted of gun possession in that case and immediately sentenced to 4-5 years, but Thompson told the Herald there would likely be a motion to throw out that conviction also.
I am sure there are some financial benefits to his family for having the conviction over turned. Although as we know that if there is any money left in the Hernandez estate, or possibly in the future. The Loyd family can file a civil suit.
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