NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — One of Aaron Hernandez’s lawyers says he’ll ask a court to have the ex-NFL star’s murder conviction erased now that Hernandez killed himself in prison.
John Thompson said Friday he’ll file the necessary paperwork in Bristol County. That’s the Massachusetts jurisdiction where Hernandez was tried and convicted in the 2013 slaying of Odin Lloyd.
Thompson didn’t say when he’ll file the request. The district attorney will be able to challenge it.
Courts in Massachusetts and a number of other states customarily vacate the convictions of defendants who die before their appeals are heard.
All first-degree murder convictions in Massachusetts trigger an automatic appeal. Hernandez’s appeal was still in its early stages and hadn’t yet been heard when he hanged himself early Wednesday.
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