Bob Kraft takes the stand in Aaron Hernandez trial


Mike Florio, NBCSports:
Testifying on Tuesday in the first Aaron Hernandez murder trial, Patriots owner Robert Kraft provided a piece of evidence that could be very useful for the prosecution.

Via Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports, Kraft told jurors that Hernandez denied involvement in the murder of Odin Lloyd, explaining that he was in a “club” at the time of the shooting.

As Wetzel notes, the evidence introduced to date makes it clear that Hernandez wasn’t in a “club” at the time of the shooting. Which indicates Hernandez lied to Kraft.

Two days after the murder of Odin Lloyd, with helicopters hovering over Gillette Stadium, Bob Kraft confronted Aaron Hernandez in the weight room at the Patriots' facility.. The two of them moved to an adjacent office to discuss the possible involvement of Hernandez in the murder of the semi-pro football player.

USA Today:
"I understood there was an incident that had transpired, and I wanted to know whether he was involved, and if he was, any player that comes into our system, I consider part of our extended family, and I wanted to get him help," he said.

"What did he say?" prosecutor William McCauley asked.

"He said he was not involved. That he was innocent and that he hoped that the time of the murder incident came out because he said he was in a club," Kraft said.

The stadium meeting with Aaron Hernandez lasted between five and 10 minutes. "He hugged and kissed me and thanked me for my concern," Kraft said. Bob was quite clear on the details of the June 19, 2013 meeting with Aaron Hernandez. The same could not be said of Shayanna Jenkins, Aaron Hernandez' fiancée, who was unable to remember the chain of events shortly after the murder. Shayanna could not recall where she dumped the "black case" which may have contained the murder weapon.

Defense attorneys are working diligently to create "reasonable doubt" with the jurors. The 30 minutes Bob Kraft spent in court was time well spent for the prosecution.

I think it is safe to say that the Bob Kraft information gave on the witness stand will not be challenged by Aaron Hernandez. In order to rebut the testimony of the Patriots' owner, Aaron Hernandez would have to take the witness stand.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln



Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

For more of my articles, click here.