"There being no reason to recognize any exception in this case in the interest of justice the court has no choice" but to vacate Hernandez's conviction, Garsh said. Hernandez killed himself in prison last month while serving a life sentence. They said his conviction wasn't considered final because the automatic appeal he was entitled to had not been heard.
A former National Football League player's murder sentence has been overturned - because he killed himself in jail before his appeal could be heard.
The judgment in the matter could have immediate repercussions in pending civil lawsuits against Hernandez's estate. Her attorney, Douglas Sheff, said he doesn't believe the civil case will be undermined by the dismissal of Hernandez's conviction.
Hernandez was cleared last month of killing two Cape Verdean nationals, Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado, outside a Boston nightclub in 2012.
The estate of Aaron Hernandez is now valued at $0.00 according to reports, however, the Aaron Hernandez home is on the market and will likely be sold for somewhere around $1.3 milion.
Bristol County Superior Court Judge Susan Garsh listens to arguments for abatement from attorney John Thompson, Tuesday, May 9, 2017, during a hearing on a request to vacate the murder conviction of Aaron Hernandez, in Fall River, Mass. Judge Garsh ruled Tuesday, that Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez's conviction in a 2013 murder can be erased because he died before his appeal was heard.
She said: "This court can not know why Hernandez chose to end his life".
"We don't know what that refers to". The Patriots have declined to comment on players' contracts or financial terms.
Wenger surprised to see Arsenal players hug Manchester United rivals
I am blamed for decisions I have not made. "It is hard to imagine that somebody signs a player that the manager does not know".
Hernandez's lead attorney in the double murder trial, Jose Baez, has pledged to independently investigate the death. Thompson said he has recent correspondence from Hernandez in which he said he was interested in pursuing an appeal of his conviction.
Hernandez was found hanged in his cell April 19.
An autopsy performed by the state medical examiner's office determined the cause of Hernandez's death was asphyxia by hanging and the manner of death was suicide.
The tight end was dropped by the New England Patriots hours after he was arrested.
The practice of posthumously vacating convictions is hotly debated.
Hernandez's appellate lawyer told a judge during a court hearing Tuesday that a long-established legal doctrine in MA requires the court to vacate his conviction because Hernandez died before his appeal of his murder conviction could be heard.
John Salvi was convicted of murder in 1996 for opening fire at a Planned Parenthood in Brookline, but his conviction was vacated when he committed suicide in prison before his appeal was heard.
Federal courts have widely adopted the abatement principle.
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