Hernandez Associates Indicted On Murder Charge In Death Of Odin Lloyd
BOSTON (CBS) – A grand jury has indicted two more men in connection with the murder of Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro.
Late Friday afternoon, a Bristol County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz with murder in connection with Lloyd's 2013 death.
Both men will be arraigned at a later date.
Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has pleaded not guilty in the killing of Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old Boston man dating the sister of the ex-player's fiancee.
Wallace and Ortiz were originally charged with accessory to murder, and are currently being held on $500,000 cash bail. Ortiz's lawyer says his client was just "along for the ride."
WBZ legal analyst Jennifer Roman says the fact that these two were indicted so long after Hernandez could mean prosecutors want to force them to turn against their onetime associate.
"If they can up the ante so to speak on his alleged co-defendants," Roman explains, "then maybe they'll give more information. Maybe they'll turn and say something that will implicate Hernandez that may then give the prosecution a stronger case against Hernandez."
The Bristol County District Attorney's office won't say if they have any new evidence that led to these indictments.
"Remember at this point," Roman adds, "we still don't know who actually pulled the trigger. And so although they don't know who pulled the trigger, they can say each one of them is just as guilty of murder as the other because they all were part of this grand plan to kill the victim."
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong contributed to this report.
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