[Breitbart] A Massachusetts judge has agreed to erase the murder conviction of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, essentially because his suicide prevents his pursuit of justice by putting an abrupt end to his appeal.
In a decision released Tuesday, Judge E. Susan Garsh said case law in Massachusetts is clear that "abatement" defendants, who are denied the ability to finish an appeal before they die, can have their convictions vacated, ABC News reported.
The former New England Patriots tight end committed suicide in his cell on April 19 while serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of football player Odin Lloyd. He died only five days after being acquitted of a second murder charge from an incident in 2012. But, Hernandez had filed an appeal of his conviction and was awaiting the process when he committed suicide. |