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Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is led into the courtroom to be arraigned on homicide charges on Wednesday, May 28, in Boston. Hernandez pleaded not guilty in the 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. He has also been charged in the 2013 death of semipro football player Odin Lloyd.

At a press conference on May 15, Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley announces that Hernandez has been indicted for the July 2012 killings of de Abreu and Furtado and charged with three counts of armed assault with attempt to murder. Prosecutors allege Hernandez killed de Abreu and Furtado after de Abreu bumped into Hernandez at a nightclub, causing him to spill his drink.

Hernandez is brought into the Attleboro, Massachusetts, District Court for his arraignment on June 26, 2013. He was charged with first-degree murder in Lloyd's death. Hernandez was release by the Patriots less than two hours after his arrest.

Hernandez answers questions during Media Day on January 31, 2012, before Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants in Indianapolis.

Hernandez carries the ball as the Patriots play the Cincinnati Bengals in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on September 10, 2010.

Hernandez looks up after being tackled during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 27, 2011, in Philadelphia.

Tattoos on Hernandez's arm are visible during the pregame warmup on December 4, 2011.

Hernandez scores a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills on January 1, 2012, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Hernandez catches a pass against Chase Blackburn and Aaron Ross of the New York Giants during Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012, in Indianapolis.

Hernandez runs for a 12-yard touchdown past Deon Grant of the New York Giants in the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012, in Indianapolis.

Hernandez celebrates his touchdown in the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVI.

Hernandez, center, reacts during the SEC Championship game between the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide on December 6, 2008. The Gators went on to win the national title.

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Watch "Downward Spiral: Inside the Case Against Aaron Hernandez" at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday on CNN.

(CNN) -- Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez is behind bars, accused of murdering three people.

Long before he made national headlines, he was a standout athlete in Bristol, Connecticut, who came from a family described as a local sports dynasty. Hernandez left high school halfway through his senior year in January 2007 to join the University of Florida Gators. He entered the NFL draft after his junior year and was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round.

By the end of the second season, he inked a five-year contract extension worth $40 million. But less than a year later, he was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd. Two hours after his arrest on June 26, 2013, the Patriots dropped him from the team.

Hernandez has also been charged in the slayings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, and some of his closest associates are facing serious charges in connection with the alleged crimes.

Hernandez has pleaded not guilty and is expected to go on trial next year. Here is a primer on some of the names you might be hearing about ahead of his trials:

Inside the case against Aaron Hernandez

Odin Lloyd was found dead on June 17, 2013.

Odin Lloyd

Odin Lloyd was a 27-year-old semi-pro football player. He was found dead on June 17, 2013, less than a mile from Hernandez's home in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. He had been shot seven times. Lloyd met Hernandez while dating Shaneah Jenkins, the sister of Hernandez's fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins. Hernandez is charged with orchestrating Lloyd's execution.

Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado

Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado were killed outside a Boston nightclub on July 16, 2012. Prosecutors say de Abreu accidentally bumped into Hernandez, spilling a drink. Later that night, Hernandez was driving an SUV and allegedly pulled up alongside de Abreu and Furtado's car near the nightclub and fired a .38-caliber revolver at them.

Alexander Bradley

Alexander Bradley is a former friend of Hernandez who was allegedly with Hernandez on the night de Abreu and Furtado were killed. He is not facing any charges in that case, but he is jailed on unrelated charges. He is suing Hernandez for allegedly shooting him in the face in February 2013. Bradley claims Hernandez accused him of "disrespecting him" over a cell phone left in a Miami strip club.

Carlos Ortiz was also charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd and has pleaded not guilty.

Carlos Ortiz

Carlos Ortiz, nicknamed Charlie Boy, is also charged with murder in the death Odin Lloyd and has pleaded not guilty. A law enforcement source said he cooperated with police and described the night of Lloyd's death.

Ernest Wallace

Ernest Wallace, nicknamed Hobo, is also charged with murder in the death of Odin Lloyd. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors call him the "muscle man" for Hernandez. They say he was in the car with Hernandez, Lloyd and Carlos Ortiz an hour before the car is seen on video heading to the industrial park where Lloyd was killed.

Aaron Hernandez's fiancée investigated

Shayanna Jenkins

Shayanna Jenkins is Hernandez's fiancee and the mother of his daughter. She is charged with perjury, allegedly lying to a grand jury about guns in their home. She has pleaded not guilty. Her sister, Shaneah, was dating Odin Lloyd at the time of his death.

Shaneah Jenkins

Shaneah Jenkins is the girlfriend of Odin Lloyd. Her sister is Hernandez's fiancée. In court, the two sisters sit on opposite sides, Shayanna with the defense and Shaneah with the prosecution.

Tanya Cummings-Singleton

Tanya Cummings-Singleton is a cousin of Hernandez. In her garage, police found the SUV allegedly driven by Hernandez and linked to the 2012 Boston double homicide. She was twice charged with contempt of court for refusing to testify before two grand juries despite immunity offers. She has pleaded guilty to obstruction in the Lloyd case. She is also suffering from cancer.

Thaddeus Singleton

A Bristol County, Massachusetts, grand jury indicted former NFL player Aaron Hernandez on a first-degree murder charge, as well as five weapons charges, on August 22. The former New England Patriots' tight end was arrested in the shooting death of his friend Odin Lloyd in June. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty. Here's a look at other professional athletes who have been charged with murder. Some have been able to create new lives in the free world. Others are incarcerated.

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, seen here in August, is accused of murdering his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on February 14, 2013. Pistorius became the first amputee to compete in the able-bodied Olympics when he ran for South Africa in London 2012.

Rae Carruth, who was a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, became the first active NFL player ever charged with first-degree murder. His pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams, was killed in December 1999, and prosecutors said he arranged for her to be killed in a drive-by shooting. Carruth was eventually convicted of conspiring in her murder and is now in prison. The unborn child, a boy, survived.

Middleweight boxer Rubin Carter, known as "Hurricane" in the ring, served 18 years in prison for a triple homicide that took place in a bar in 1966. A federal judge overturned his sentence and that of his supposed accomplice, John Artis, in 1985, ruling that the conviction was based on "racial stereotypes, fears and prejudices."

Groundbreaking skateboarder Mark "Gator" Rogowski confessed to beating and raping Jessica Bergsten, then choking her to death and burying her in the desert in 1991. Bergsten was a friend of Rogowski's former girlfriend, and Rogowski testified that he acted out of misplaced anger against his ex. Rogowski was denied parole in 2011 and will not be eligible for parole again until 2018.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and two others were charged with murder in 2000 after a fight in a popular Atlanta bar district left two men dead on the street. The murder charges against Lewis were dropped after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice and testified against his friends; they were later acquitted. Lewis announced his retirement before helping the Ravens win the Super Bowl in 2013.

Bruno Fernandes das Dores de Souza, a former goalie for the Brazilian soccer club Flamengo, was convicted in the murder of his ex-girlfriend, a court said in March 2013. He was sentenced to 22 years and three months for the murder of Eliza Samudio, who had disappeared in 2010. Souza, his lover and his ex-wife were among nine people charged with torturing and murdering Samudio, who had been trying to prove Souza had fathered her son.

Although O.J. Simpson was found not guilty, the former football star's 1995 murder trial has kept him a household name. Simpson was acquitted in the death of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman. In October 2008, Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison on multiple counts, including armed robbery and kidnapping, in connection with a robbery at a Las Vegas hotel in 2007.

Athletes charged with murder

Athletes charged with murder

Athletes charged with murder

Athletes charged with murder

Athletes charged with murder

Athletes charged with murder

Athletes charged with murder

Athletes charged with murder

Photos: Athletes charged with murder

Thaddeus Singleton, husband of Tanya Cummings-Singleton, was killed in a car accident after Lloyd's slaying. Police say his speeding car went airborne and crashed. A source says police planned to interview him about his relationship with Hernandez.

Shaquilla Thibou

Shaquilla Thibou is the sister of Odin Lloyd. Prosecutors say she saw her brother get into a car with Hernandez, Wallace and Ortiz before he was killed. Prosecutors say she received a text from her brother that night telling her he was with "Nfl," adding, "just so u know."

Terri Hernandez

Terri Hernandez is Aaron Hernandez's mother. She is a school secretary.

Dennis Hernandez

Dennis Hernandez was Aaron Hernandez's father. He had a close relationship with his sons and was deeply involved in their sports training. He died unexpectedly after hernia surgery when Hernandez was 16.

DJ Hernandez

DJ Hernandez is Aaron Hernandez's older brother. He was a star high school athlete. He also was a standout athlete at the University of Connecticut and now is an assistant coach at the University of Iowa.

Andrew Booker

Andrew Booker shared a jail unit with Aaron Hernandez. The two allegedly got into a jail fight, and Hernandez was indicted in Booker's assault.

Hernandez prosecutor welcomes pressure

The prosecution

District Attorney Samuel Sutter is leading the prosecution against Hernandez, along with William McCauley and Patrick Bomberg. "Probably my career ... will be defined more by this case than all of the other things we've done," Sutter told CNN.

The defense

Attorneys James Sultan, Michael Fee and Charles Rankin are handling Hernandez's defense. Rankin says "not one shred of evidence has been presented yet." He said he is confident Hernandez will be exonerated.