Aaron Hernandez Jurors: 'We Did The Right Thing' With Guilty Verdict
FALL RIVER (CBS) – Members of the jury that convicted Aaron Hernandez of first degree murder said they believe they "did the right thing" with their decision.
Read: Aaron Hernandez Guilty Of First Degree Murder
Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Wednesday after jurors found him guilty on the first degree murder and weapons charges.
Jurors said that when they learned about the Boston double murder Hernandez is also accused of, it reassured them that they "did the right thing."
"We followed the court's orders to assume the man sitting in that seat is innocent until the prosecution proves he's guilty. And that's what happened today," a female juror said.
Related: Aaron Hernandez Jurors Reach 'Warranted, Justified Verdict'
The men and women who made up the jury said it was a grueling several months as the prosecution and defense made their cases.
Members said there were tears shed in the jury room throughout the trial, as they heard evidence about the murder of Odin Lloyd.
Jurors Discuss Reaching Aaron Hernandez Verdict
While the nearly three-month trial disrupted jurors' lives, a male juror said it was something they knew was part of their civic duty.
"It was our duty to do. Whether we are serving our company or our country it was our duty to give it 100 percent," the male juror said. "Although we have our personal lives, responsibilities and distractions, I think everyone focused 100 percent on this case from the moment we walked in the door to the moment we left."
Watch: Judge Sentences Aaron Hernandez To Life In Prison
Jurors did not get into specifics of what happened during deliberations, but they did say that the PCP defense introduced by Hernandez's attorneys did not play into their decision.
Members also said the lack of murder weapon did not impact them.
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft's testimony was compelling, jurors said, because Hernandez allegedly told him he hoped the time of the murder became public because he was in the club. The exact time Lloyd was killed would not have been known, jurors added.
Finding Hernandez guilty is something jury members said they hopes brings "peace and some closure" to the family and friends of Lloyd.
