American football player Aaron Hernandez has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of first-degree murder.
The former New England Patriots player was charged with killing Odin Lloyd on June 17, 2013. Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee, was found shot to death in an abandoned industrial yard.
In addition to the murder charge, Hernandez has also been found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. As the verdict was read against him, Hernandez sat down, while his mother, Terri Hernandez, and fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, burst into tears after the football player was found guilty, ABC News reported.
Jenkins had testified, with immunity, for the prosecution.
Lloyd's mother, seated among relatives, also sobbed in the courtroom.
After the sentencing hearing, state Assistant District Attorney William McCauley revealed that the verdict was a relief. The lead prosecutor said that they are the front person and they have so many people counting on them to bring about a successful result.
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Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said that Hernandez's position as a professional football player affected the attention given to the trial, but insisted that he received a fair one.
Hernandez was automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole because of the first-degree murder conviction. And jurors deliberated for nearly 36 hours before deciding on the guilty verdict.
Prosecutors had alleged that Hernandez and two other men picked up Lloyd from his house and brought him to the industrial park near the Patriots' Gillette Stadium, about a mile from Hernandez's home.
Hernandez had pleaded not guilty of murder, the report added.
