BOSTON (AP) - A judge has agreed to delay the start of testimony at the upcoming double murder trial of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez.
Judge Jeffrey Locke said in his ruling Friday that jury selection will still begin on Feb. 13. But he said the selected jury won’t be sworn in until March 1, giving Hernandez’s lawyers an additional 16 days to prepare for opening statements and the start of testimony.
During a court hearing Thursday, Hernandez’s lawyers had asked to delay the trial.
The former tight end for the New England Patriots is accused in the 2012 fatal shootings of two men he encountered in a Boston nightclub. He has pleaded not guilty.
Hernandez is already serving a life sentence in the 2013 killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd.
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