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Aaron Hernandez's fiancee says ex-NFL star denied murder

"I asked him if he did it and he said no." - Shayanna Jenkins, Hernandez's fiancee

By Doug G. Ware

FALL RIVER, Mass., March 27 (UPI) -- A woman who has been dating disgraced former NFL star Aaron Hernandez since high school testified in his murder trial Friday that he denied killing Odin Lloyd the night he was shot to death in 2013.

Shayanna Jenkins took the witness stand Friday, after being called by prosecutors, and was asked to recall what conversations she had with Hernandez late on June 17, 2013. Prosecutors allege that the former New England Patriots tight end, along with two men, took Lloyd to a remote location in North Attleborough, a suburb of Boston, and shot him multiple times in the back and chest.

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Jenkins, who was at Hernandez's home a mile away from the murder scene, told the court that she had a brief conversation with him following Lloyd's death.

"When Aaron got back from the police station, when I had found out that Odin was murdered, I asked him if he did it and he said no. That was the extent of our conversation," she testified.

Prosecutors, however, believe she knows more than she is letting on. Specifically, based on a text message she received, they think she helped Hernandez dispose of the murder weapon.

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An NBC Sports report Friday detailed the content of that message.

"Go in back of the screen in movie room when u get home an there is the box," Hernandez's text message to Jenkins supposedly read.

Prosecutors believe Hernandez was referring to where Jenkins could find the murder weapon. She admitted to throwing a box from the home into a dumpster, but said it was a coincidence and that Hernandez's message didn't instruct her to throw anything away.

Jenkins' testimony Friday was not heard by the jury, the Post reported.

Jenkins was granted immunity from prosecution last month, which means she cannot be legally punished for whatever role she may have played in the aftermath of Lloyd's death.

Earlier this month, officials said fingerprints belonging to both Hernandez and Lloyd were found in a rental car they believe was used to take the men to the murder site.

Lloyd, a semi-professional football player, was allegedly picked up by Hernandez and two accomplices a short time before his death. He was driven to an industrial complex near the Patriots' Gillette Stadium and killed, officials said.

Prosecutors believe Hernandez, 25, killed Lloyd following a personal dispute and recruited the two accomplices -- Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace -- to help him. Ortiz and Wallace were also arrested for the crime.

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Hernandez was also suspected of involvement in a separate double murder that occurred in Boston in July 2012. Following Lloyd's murder and Hernandez being taken into custody, the New England Patriots terminated his contract.

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