Aaron Hernandez Fiancée Says She Destroyed Evidence

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

As the murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez continues, fiancé Shayanna Johnson testified that she followed instructions and removed a cardboard box from the couple’s home and then disposed of it in a “random dumpster.”

The former NFL player is being tried for the June 17, 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, the boyfriend of his fiancée’s sister. This is one of two murder trials that Hernandez faces.

Prosecutors maintain that Hernandez’ fiancée had removed a box from the home under orders from the player and that the box contained the murder weapon.

“Prosecutors believe Hernandez stowed the .45-caliber Glock that was used to kill Lloyd on June 17, 2013 in that box,” the Boston Herlad reported on Monday. “Surveillance footage from June 18, 2013, showed Jenkins holding a large black trash bag and leaving the home. In that bag was the large box, which Jenkins said weighed nearly 40 pounds.”

In her testimony, Johnson fully admitted that she did, indeed, remove a box from the home and that she dumped it in a dumpster after taking instructions from Hernandez via a phone call.

Johnson also claimed that she could not remember in what dumpster she tossed the box saying that she found the dumpster after driving aimlessly around for over an hour. She also claimed she never looked inside the box and never knew what was in it.

The woman also said she covered the box in baby clothing to “hide” what was in the box, but then claimed she didn’t especially know why she felt she needed to hide anything.

Prosecutors also introduced evidence to show that during her hours-long aimless drive Johnson didn’t take any calls and that several calls from her mother and sister went unanswered.

Prosecutors recently put into evidence proof that Hernandez and his friends were partying hard the night that Odin Lloyd was murdered. Hernandez was said to have been smoking marijuana at a club that night.

The trial began after potential jurors were given a 15-page questionnaire about Hernandez and the trial in January.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com

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