Archive for September 2014
Aaron Hernandez case: Who's who?
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- Aaron Hernandez expected to go on trial in 2015
- He has pleaded not guilty to three first-degree murder charges
- Some of his closest associates are also facing charges
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
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
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
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.
More bodies found on volcano
- 36 people are now presumed dead following volcanic eruption
- 24 bodies still remain on the mountain, while 12 have been recovered and pronounced dead
- Seismologists warn that another big eruption could take place in the coming days
- Mount Ontake began erupting Saturday, unleashing a cloud of ash that engulfed hikers
Mount Ontake, Japan (CNN) -- Five more lifeless bodies have been found on the slopes of Japan's Mount Ontake, bringing the total number of presumed dead in a volcanic eruption Saturday to 36.
Twenty-four bodies still remain on the mountain, while 12 have been recovered, identified and pronounced dead, Nagano Prefecture Police said Monday.
The search for more missing hikers has been suspended due to dangerous conditions at summit. Hydrogen sulfide gas is being spewed from the mountain, police said, putting rescuers in danger.
The volcano in central Japan unleashed a huge cloud of ash late Saturday morning that billowed down the mountainside and engulfed hikers in its path. Witnesses described hearing a sound like thunder when the eruption began.
Japan's volcano gave no warning
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30 people found 'lifeless' on volcano
Volcanic ash envelopes hikers
Desperate relatives
Relatives of the missing gathered near Mount Ontake over the weekend desperately seeking information. Among them was Kiyokazu Tokoro from nearby Aichi prefecture, whose son, Yuki, was hiking on the volcano with his girlfriend.
He said he knew they were near the summit at the time of the eruption because his son's girlfriend had sent a photo to a friend minutes beforehand.
"All I can do is beg for your help to get information," he told CNN. "Please help us."
Authorities estimated there were 200 to 250 hikers in the area at the time of the eruption. Most of them were reported to have managed to make the long trek down the mountain.
But some people remained trapped in several lodges on Mount Ontake, and others were missing altogether, local authorities said.
More than 350 rescue workers -- a mix of police, firefighters and military personnel -- began climbing two separate routes up the mountain on Sunday morning, authorities in the nearby village of Otaki said.
They said they observed 17-20 inches (40-50 centimeters) of volcanic ash covering the ground in some areas.
High alert
The Japan Meteorological Agency has raised the Volcanic Alert Level for Ontake from 1 to 3. That means the public is advised to not approach the volcano, the summit of which is at an altitude of 10,060 feet (3,067 meters).
The agency warned that another large eruption could take place in the next six days or so. Small continuous eruptions continued Sunday.
The volcano's plume of smoke and ash was reported to have disrupted air travel in Japan, causing delays at several airports.
Mount Ontake, the second tallest volcano in Japan, after Mount Fuji, is a popular destination for hikers, especially in the fall when the foliage's rich autumn colors are on display.
The last major eruption of Mount Ontake, which is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) west of Tokyo, took place in 1979, according to the Global Volcanism Program at the Smithsonian Institute.
That eruption lasted months, spewing out more than 200,000 tons of ash, the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.
CNN's Brian Walker contributed to this report.