Judge to hear arguments on bid to erase Hernandez conviction
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A judge is set to hear arguments in a push by lawyers for former NFL star Aaron Hernandez to erase his conviction in a 2013 murder.
The former New England Patriots tight end hanged himself in his prison cell April 19 while serving a life sentence in the killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd. His suicide came just five days after he was acquitted in a double slaying in 2012.
Hernandez's appellate attorneys have made their request under a long-standing legal principle holding that when defendants die before their direct appeal is decided, their convictions are vacated.
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Prosecutors have argued that dismissing his murder conviction would reward his decision to take his own life.
The judge who presided at Hernandez's trial in Lloyd's killing has scheduled a hearing Tuesday.