Hernandez hopes defense has ‘ounce’ of credibility
Aaron Hernandez’s game plan to beat one of two firstdegree murder raps might include a marijuana Hail Mary.
That’s according to Boston Herald legal columnist and reporter Bob McGovern, who notes that included in a list of potential witnesses are two unidentified experts whom attorneys for the former Patriots tight end may call at his trial, which is expected to start next week.
One of the experts may be called to testify on “marijuana use in the NFL, while another might address the “medical and psychological impacts for people who ingest marijuana” and if there’s any connection between using pot and violence.
Hernandez’s affinity for marijuana was integral in his first murder trial, in which he was convicted of killing Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player, in June 2013. McGovern notes that Lloyd — who was called the “blunt master” by one of Hernandez’s former attorneys — was Hernandez’s source for marijuana, which he would at times smoke up to an ounce per day.
Attorneys for Hernandez — who is already serving a life sentence for killing Lloyd — characterized the disgraced NFL star and Lloyd as “smoke buddies,” according to McGovern, questioning why he would want to cut off his supply source.
But Hernandez’s new defense team, which includes lead attorney Jose Baez — who gained notoriety for his defense of Casey Anthony — will likely use his excessive pot use as a backdrop to show he had a diminished capacity when he allegedly gunned down two men in a drive-by shooting in 2012.