une 27, 2013 -- Updated 0909 GMT (1709 HKT)
North Attleborough, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Authorities charged former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez
with first-degree murder on Wednesday, hours after police arrested him
and the NFL team that once gave him a $40 million contract dropped him
from its roster.
New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez
Hernandez's character questioned before
What's the evidence against Hernandez?
Aaron Hernandez led away in handcuffs
Photos: Athletes charged with murder
Prosecutors say Aaron Hernandez, who was dropped Wednesday by the New England Patriots, "orchestrated" the execution of a man. FULL STORY
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SAW IT COMING?
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PHOTOS: ATHLETES CHARGED WITH MURDER
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PHOTOS: ATHLETES CHARGED WITH MURDER
June 27, 2013 -- Updated 1233 GMT (2033 HKT)
Prosecutors: Hernandez orchestrated man's death
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Sheriff: A gang unit will investigate Hernandez's tattoos
- The former New England Patriots player is charged with murder
- Prosecutor: "He orchestrated the crime from the beginning"
- A defense attorney says the evidence is circumstantial
Hernandez is accused in
last week's shooting death of Odin Lloyd, whose body was found in an
industrial park area less than a mile from Hernandez's home.
Hernandez "drove the
victim to the remote spot, and then he orchestrated his execution,"
First Assistant District Attorney Bill McCauley said in court Wednesday.
"He orchestrated the crime from the beginning, he took steps to conceal and destroy evidence, and he took steps to prevent the police from speaking to ... an important witness," the prosecutor said.
Hernandez pleaded not guilty.
A judge ordered him held without bail.
New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez
Hernandez's character questioned before
What's the evidence against Hernandez?
Defense attorney Michael
Fee had said that the evidence is circumstantial and that bail should be
granted so that Hernandez can return home to spend time with his
fiancee and 8-month-old child.
"It is a circumstantial
case. It is not a strong case," Fee said, arguing that Hernandez was not
a flight risk and had cooperated with authorities.
Lloyd's family tearfully watched during Wednesday's hearing. They did not speak to reporters after leaving the courthouse.
Hernandez, 23, wore a white T-shirt when he appeared in court. He stood beside his attorney, his hands cuffed.
After the court hearing, Fee said Hernandez is "doing fine."
A gag order issued during the hearing stopped attorneys from providing additional details afterward.
The Patriots released Hernandez Wednesday after he was arrested and booked at a police station in North Attleborough.
Hernandez's next court
date, for a probable cause hearing, is scheduled for July 24. That's
when the state would have to prove it has enough evidence to move
forward. But it's possible that Hernandez will be indicted before then,
in which case a probable cause hearing would be unnecessary.
Prosecutor: Surveillance footage shows Hernandez with gun
After days of secrecy in
the closely watched investigation, the prosecutor's comments in court
provided the first detailed account of Lloyd's killing and the evidence
detectives have uncovered.
A jogger found Lloyd's
body, riddled with gunshot wounds, in a secluded area of an industrial
park near Hernandez's house June 17, McCauley said.
Aaron Hernandez led away in handcuffs
Photos: Athletes charged with murder
Investigators later found five shell casings at the scene. Inside Lloyd's pocket, McCauley said, they found a wallet and keys to a car that Hernandez had rented.
Earlier that same day,
around 2:30 a.m., the prosecutor said, the 27-year-old Lloyd was seen
leaving his Boston home with Hernandez in a silver Nissan Altima.
Less than an hour later,
surveillance cameras at the North Attleborough industrial park showed
the vehicle heading toward the remote area where Lloyd's body was later
found, McCauley said.
"The car goes down there
at 3:22," McCauley said. "Four minutes later, the car is visible again.
During the interval between 3:23 and 3:27, people who were working the
overnight shift hear gunshots."
Minutes later,
surveillance video from Hernandez's home security system shows the
former NFL player arriving back at his house with two other people,
according to the district attorney. Hernandez appears to be holding a
firearm, McCauley said.
"The defendant goes
walking through the house with the gun in his hand. That is captured in
the video. ... And they all go down to the basement," McCauley said.
"Once in the basement, the surveillance gets shut off."
McCauley said the gun Hernandez was carrying in the surveillance video has not been found.
Investigation continues
For several days, investigators searched the area near Hernandez's home as they investigated Lloyd's death. Authorities said Wednesday the investigation was ongoing.
In addition to the
first-degree murder charge, Hernandez faces five weapons-related
charges, including carrying a firearm without a license.
It was unclear whether there had been any additional arrests in the case.
"One critical part of
this case that we don't know anything about at this point is the two
other men (Hernandez is) accused of being with," CNN senior legal
analyst Jeffrey Toobin said. "Were they shooters? Were they involved?
Will they flip against Hernandez? They are obviously key figures in
this, and we'll watch how that unfolds."
In court on Wednesday,
the prosecutor described what he alleged was a tense conversation
between Hernandez and Lloyd inside the Nissan Altima and described what
Hernandez and his associates had done at the scene of the shooting. He
did not reveal how investigators had learned that information.
Inside the car,
according to McCauley, Hernandez told Lloyd he was angry because of
Lloyd's behavior at a Boston club they had gone to together several days
earlier.
"There were certain
things that had happened during the night that he was upset about and
now didn't trust the victim," McCauley said. "He told him one of the
things he was mad about. ... At the club the victim had spoken to a
couple of people, and the defendant told him that he was upset about
that because he had some troubles with those people."
Victim's family reacts
Lloyd's sister, Olivia
Thibou, told CNN last week that her brother and Hernandez went to a
Boston nightclub together a few days before Lloyd's death.
Her brother was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee, she said.
She said she didn't know of any problems between Hernandez and her brother, who worked for a landscaping company.
Before Wednesday's hearing, Thibou said she was glad to hear about Hernandez's arrest.
"God is great," she said. "It's the best news I've had since my brother was killed last week."
Patriots drop Hernandez
The Patriots -- who gave
Hernandez a five-year, $40 million contract last year -- released him
from the team after his arrest, but before the charges against him were
made public Wednesday.
"Words cannot express
the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested
as a result of this investigation," the team said in a statement.
The NFL released its own statement, calling the involvement of a player in the case "deeply troubling."
Both the NFL and Patriots expressed sympathy for the victim's family.
On Wednesday, about a
half-dozen plainclothes police officers went to Hernandez's house and
then led him out in handcuffs. He was wearing a white T-shirt and
shorts.
Sheriff: Gang unit will investigate Hernandez's tattoos
Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson said he expects living behind bars will be a major adjustment for the former NFL star.
Wednesday night's dinner
at the Dartmouth House of Correction was chop suey, green beans and a
slice of bread, the sheriff said. Hernandez will only be allowed out of
his one-person cell for showers and phone calls. Authorities will
perform background checks on any visitors.
Hodgson said he met with Hernandez "as soon as he came in" to the facility and told him he'd receive no special treatment.
Asked how Hernandez responded, Hodgson said, "He did not seem nervous," adding he was "polite and respectful."
Hernandez is currently
being held in the jail's medical unit while he undergoes further
screening, including mental health, physical and security tests.
As part of the security screening, authorities will determine whether he has any gang affiliations.
"He had tattoos that our
gang unit would be looking at ... to see if he's involved in any kind
of gang," Hodgson said. "Doesn't mean he is."
The tattoos raise
suspicion, the sheriff said, and investigators will follow up with
interviews to further determine the significance of what they saw.
"He'll be treated no better and no worse than any other inmate," the sheriff said.
CNN's Rick Hall and Susan Candiotti reported
from North Attleborough. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet reported from
Atlanta. CNN's Rande Iaboni, Ross Levitt and Rachel Nichols contributed
to this report.
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