Commonwealth argues Hernandez conviction should stand

Prosecutors have submitted their argument detailing why the murder conviction of Aaron Hernandez should not be vacated. Their reasoning rests on the fact that Hernandez took his own life.

In a court filing today Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn called the suicide a "conscious, deliberate, and voluntary act". Hernandez was serving a life sentence without parole in the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd when he hanged himself in his prison cell. Lawyers for the former NFL star are looking for the murder conviction to be vacated under a legal principle in Massachusetts saying that when a defendant dies before an appeal is decided, the conviction can’t stand.
But the DA insists by taking his own life, Hernandez himself prevented the appeal from playing out.
Legal analyst Ken Schreiber says Hernandez’s lawyers will likely react by saying the commonwealth is trying to set a new precedent not supported by current law. He also applauded the DA’s approach.

"The only reason the appellate remedies were not exhausted is because Mr. Hernandez chose to take his own life so why should he benefit when he chose to take his own life and have the victims be ultimately further victimized," says Schreiber.

He adds that the Commonwealth is trying to change the law with this case. In 1996, a man convicted of murder in Massachusetts committed suicide in prison and had his conviction overturned.