Man Arrested In Connection With Ex-NFL Star's Murder Trial

[April 18, 2014]  BOSTON (Reuters) — A man in Florida has been charged with witness tampering and obstruction of justice in a gun-trafficking case linked to the murder trial of ex-National Football League star Aaron Hernandez, authorities said on Thursday.

Oscar Hernandez, who is not related to former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, was arrested on Wednesday and will be brought to Massachusetts to face the charges, the U.S. attorney's office in Boston said in a statement.

Aaron Hernandez has been in jail since June on charges he and two associates fatally shot semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd near his home in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. He has pleaded not guilty.

Authorities investigating Lloyd's murder found three guns that they determined were bought in Florida in April 2013. One of the guns was found inside a gray Toyota Camry with a Florida license plate that was parked in the garage of a North Attleboro house, according to the indictment against Oscar Hernandez.

The indictment did not identify the owner of the house, but the Boston Globe newspaper, citing a law enforcement source, reported it that belonged to Aaron Hernandez.

The indictment claims Oscar Hernandez lied to a Florida grand jury when he denied buying the Camry and shipping it to the house, and that he tampered with a witness when he attempted to "influence the testimony" of the person from whom he had purchased the car.

(Reporting by Richard Valdmanis)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.