Aaron Hernandez was seen grinning in court on Friday as the jury heard how he texted a friend to 'hurry up' shortly before the alleged murder of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd. The former New England Patriots player, 25, is on trial for the June 2013 killing of Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée.
Prosecutor Patrick Bomberg presented dozens of text messages exchanged between Hernandez and co-defendant Ernest Wallace in the days surrounding the murder. One message, sent at 10.23pm on the night of the killing, read: 'hurry up' along with expletives. Another earlier message said: 'Please make it back Cuz Im Def trying to step for a little.'
The court also heard that several messages between Hernandez and Wallace were deleted from Hernandez's phone after the killing. Ricardo Leal, a Sprint telecommunications employee, testified that some texts appearing in records did not show up on the device.
Prosecutors allege Hernandez orchestrated the murder, with Wallace and a third man, Carlos Ortiz, also charged. All have pleaded not guilty. The jury heard that Wallace called Lloyd five times on the night of the murder, with the last call coinciding with Lloyd being seen on CCTV getting into a car outside his home.
Lloyd's body was found at an industrial park near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. Police found shell casings from a .45-caliber handgun nearby and linked Hernandez to the scene through a key found in Lloyd's pocket belonging to a rental car Hernandez had used.
