The Families of Aaron Hernandez’s Alleged Victims Seek Compensation From Patriots

Back in 2013, Aaron Hernandez was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd. While on trial for Lloyd’s murder, the former New England Patriots tight end was indicted for the 2012 double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.

As a result, the families of the three victims filed wrongful death lawsuits against Hernandez. In 2015, Hernandez was convicted of the murder of Lloyd and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Two years later, Hernandez stood trial for the double homicide, which resulted in an acquittal of most of the charges. Days later, Hernandez hanged himself in his prison cell, which then led to the nullification of his conviction.

However, the families of de Abreu and Furtado said they would continue to pursue their suit against Hernandez’s estate. Lloyd’s mother also revealed that she would continue to pursue her separate suit against the baller’s estate.

On Tuesday, the families of de Abreu and Furtado presented their case to the court and asked for the New England Patriots to pay them in their wrongful death suit against the estate.

“We would welcome the Patriots looking into that issue and doing the right thing, which is to compensate the victims,” Kenneth Kolpan, who represents the de Abreu family, said.

Lloyd’s mother also requested compensation. According to reports, Ursula Ward’s lawyer asked the Patriots to be “champions of justice,” by paying $6 million to Lloyd’s estate. However, Hernandez’s estate argued that under Massachusetts’s law, civil suits that ask for punitive damages are forbidden against a dead defendant.