Ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez convicted of 1st-degree murder
Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Odin Lloyd, sealing the downfall of an athlete who once had a $40 million contract and a long career ahead of him.
The lawyer who successfully defended Casey Anthony in the killing of her daughter says he met with former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, who was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder last year.
The gossip website TMZ caught up to Puerto Rican lawyer José Baez after he met with Hernandez at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center on Monday. The site claimed that Hernandez is considering appealing his life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd and reached out to Baez for a consultation.
Baez confirmed that he met with Hernandez but refrained from commenting on what was discussed. He also wouldn’t say if he will represent the former New England Patriots tight end.
Hernandez, 26, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole in April 2015 for murdering the 27-year-old Lloyd in June 2013. The semi-professional football player was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée at the time.
The former Patriots tight end faces further legal trouble: He is awaiting trial on murder charges in a drive-by shooting of two men, allegedly stemming from a spilled drink at a nightclub.
Hernandez has denied any wrongdoing in the deaths of the three men.
Baez was recently in the news after a private investigator, Dominic Casey, claimed in an explosive affidavit filed in court that Baez had sex with Anthony in exchange for legal services.
“Within two weeks, the misconduct between Casey and José Baez had escalated. I arrived at Baez’s office unexpectedly one day and once again, witnessed a naked Casey,” the affidavit says. “This time she ran from his private office, through the conference room to the hallway. That night I told her that she cannot allow him to continue engaging in this behavior. Casey told me she had to do what José said, because she had no money for her defense.”
The private investigator also claims that Anthony admitted to murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in 2008, three years before a jury acquitted her in the killing.
Baez denied the allegations, saying they came from a former investigator who has a history of making “outrageous claims to both the media and in court proceedings.”
“I unequivocally and categorically deny exchanging sex for my legal services with Ms. Anthony. I further unequivocally and categorically deny having any sexual relationship with Ms. Anthony whatsoever,” Baez said in a statement to Fox News Latino. “I have always conducted my practice consistent with the high ethical standards required of members of the Florida bar.”
Baez suggested he planned to file a lawsuit against Casey for his ongoing accusations.
“This libelous claim (relating to the sexual relationship),” Baez said, “is in line with many other outrageous claims and theories that this individual has advanced regarding the Casey Anthony case.”
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