Hernandez murder trial expected to last 6 to 10 weeks

By: Samantha Lavien
Slavien@abc6.com
Twitter: @samanthalavien

Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez was back in court Monday weeks before his murder trial is set to begin.

Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to killing Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée.

Family members of Lloyd were among those in the courtroom for the hearing which focused mainly on jury issues.

Prosecutors said the trial will likely last between 6 and 10 weeks. Jury selection alone is expected to be around 10 days.

The prosecution says they plan to call 45 witnesses throughout the trial.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft were among those named on a list of roughly 300 potential witnesses released Monday.

Prosecutors also filed a list of 32 exhibits with the court. Those exhibits range from prison phone records to ballistic reports and surveillance video.

During Monday’s hearing, Hernandez’s defense attorney brought up concern that potential jurors may already be familiar with Hernandez’s other alleged crimes.

The judge previously ruled that other charges against Hernandez including the 2012 fatal double shooting outside of a Boston nightclub cannot be mentioned in this trial.

Prior to Hernandez’s appearance his fiancée Shayanna Jenkins also faced a judge for a brief hearing.

She has pleaded not guilty to perjury in connection with Lloyd’s murder.

Jury selection for the Hernandez trial begins January 9th. A final pre-trial hearing is scheduled for January 6th.

(C) WLNE-TV 2014