Jury reaches verdict in Aaron Hernandez murder trial

After more than seven days of deliberations, the jury in the murder trial of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has reached a verdict, court officials in Fall River, Mass., said today.

The verdict is expected to be announced shortly. Prosecutors charge that Hernandez shot and killed Odin Lloyd in June 2013.

Hernandez faces charges of murder, illegal possession of a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition.

Hernandez faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if he is found guilty of first-degree murder, or life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years if he is found guilty of second-degree murder.

His lawyer acknowledged for the first time Tuesday that Hernandez was present at Lloyd’s killing, but he described his client as a 23-year-old kid who did not know what to do. He pinned the killing on two of Hernandez’s friends, co-defendants Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz. Both men have pleaded not guilty and are to be tried later.

Prosecutors allege that Hernandez planned the crime, drove Lloyd to a secluded area, killed him and then tried to cover it up.

Lloyd was shot six times in an industrial park less than a mile from Hernandez’s home. At the time, the star tight end had a contract with the Patriots worth up to $40 million.