BOSTON — Aaron Hernandez’s murder conviction was reinstated Wednesday in a sweeping ruling from Massachusetts’ highest court that does away with the legal principle that made the former NFL star innocent in the eyes of the law after he killed himself in prison. The Supreme Judicial Court unanimously found that the legal rule that erased Hernandez’s conviction is “outdated and no longer consonant with the circumstances of contemporary life.” It ordered that Hernandez’s conviction be restored and that the practice be abolished for future cases. The district attorney whose office prosecuted Hernandez’s case applauded the court’s decision. Prosecutors argued that the legal doctrine is outdated and unfair to victims. Hernandez’s attorney had previously argued the legal doctrine should remain intact, saying juries make mistakes.

Source: National Post March 13, 2019 15:33 UTC