Fall River, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, two associates of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, were both charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd Friday.
A Bristol County (MA) Grand Jury returned separate indictments charging Ortiz and Wallace, both of Bristol, Conn., with murder in connection with the June 2013 shooting death of Lloyd in the Boston suburb of North Attleboro.
The arraignment date has not been set yet.
Hernandez had been already charged with murder in Lloyd's death, with Ortiz and Wallace initially charged with being accessories after the fact.
The ruling is not good for Hernandez due to Massachusetts' joint venture law, which holds all participants equally responsible for a crime if they intentionally participate in its commission.
Thus, prosecutors will not have to prove that Hernandez pulled the trigger in Lloyd's death in order to convict him of murder.
[SportsNetwork.com]
