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 His fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, pleaded not guilty in October to
charges that she falsely told the Bristol County grand jury in Fall
River, Massachusetts, that she did not know where she had disposed
of a box Hernandez had asked her to get rid of.
Authorities this week broadened their claim, saying that Jenkins
lied to a grand jury 29 times in August about how she handled that
box and on other matters related to the killing of semi-professional
football player Odin Lloyd.
In court documents filed at Fall River Superior Court on Tuesday,
prosecutors said Jenkins committed perjury by making false
statements about conversations prosecutors said she had with
Hernandez about the murder, despite knowing Lloyd's body had been
found near their home, and the ensuing investigation, among other
things.
Hernandez, a former tight end for the New England Patriots, is
accused of fatally shooting Lloyd, 27, in an industrial park near
his North Attleborough home in June. Investigators have not found
the gun.
Hernandez, 24, was a star player with a $41 million contract when he
was arrested on June 26. The Patriots dropped Hernandez a few hours
after his arrest.
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Prosecutors charge that Hernandez called Lloyd
to his home on the night of June 17 and drove him, along with
friends Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, to the industrial area
where they say Hernandez shot Lloyd dead.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which include one
count of murder and several firearms-related offenses. Hernandez
is being held in Bristol County Jail while awaiting trial.
Prosecutors further alleged that Jenkins lied about Hernandez's
possession of guns, including a claim that she had seen only one
gun in their home, and her failure to remember certain
conversations she allegedly had with Hernandez, the court
documents said.
Jenkins' attorney, Janice Bassil, was not immediately available
for comment.
She is not the only close associate of Hernandez to face charges
related to the case. Ortiz was charged as an accessory to
murder, Wallace was charged as accessory to murder after the
fact and his cousin, Tanya Singleton, was charged with
conspiracy after the fact.
All have pleaded not guilty.
(Editing by Scott Malone and Matthew Lewis)
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