Reddit has become the go-to place for Internet sleuthing, and now the gang of would-be detectives have turned their magnifying glasses toward the Aaron Hernandez case. While police have been busy searching the ex–Pats player's home for clues, Redditors have been compiling the evidence and timeline of events in a pretty handy online document for anyone interested in the case.
Hernandez is charged with murdering his friend Odin Lloyd, a semipro football player, after the two fought at a nightclub.
Laying out their case Wednesday, prosecutors unveiled potentially damning video-surveillance evidence showing Hernandez at an industrial yard where Lloyd's body was eventually found riddled with bullets.
There is no smoking gun, and legal analysts are calling the mountain of apparent evidence, which includes some suspicious bubble gum, circumstantial—but that won't stop conjecture on the social site. The Reddit Sherlocks are on the case.
So, here's a bit of the "full account of the evidence against Hernandez." Fun to look at, but take these gumshoes with a grain of salt—remember how wrong they were about the Boston bombing suspects?
Victim found a half mile from Hernandez's home with numerous gunshot wounds.
Victim was not robbed; had wallet, keys, and phone.
The keys were to a rental car registered to Hernandez.
Phone contained text messages between the victim and Hernandez, within hours of the murder.
Victim's sister said her brother left at 2:30 a.m. in a silver Nissan Altima with three people inside.
Hernandez had been renting a silver Nissan Altima.
Hernandez had recently installed a 14-camera system with cameras inside and out.
Upon reviewing the footage, they noticed that the first six to eight hours of footage after the time of the murder was missing.
At 9:05 he texted the victim, indicating he wanted to come by and get together with him.
At 3:07 a.m. the victim sent a text to his sister: "did you see who I am with." No response. He texted again at 3:11 a.m.: "Hello?"
At 3:19 a.m. his sister replied "who?" At 3:22 the victim texted back, "NFL." Then one minute later: "Just so you know."
Surveillance cameras show the vehicle driving down the road to the murder site at 3:23 a.m.
Between 3:23 and 3:27 a.m. workers nearby hear multiple gunshots.
Autopsy found that all evidence was consistent with the victim being murdered where he was found. In other words, he wasn't dumped. Also consistent: time of death to the time the car was there.
At 3:30 a.m. Hernandez is seen with his companions in his driveway, one of whom has a gun.
Later that day, at 5:30 p.m., Hernandez and his companions return the Nissan Altima to the rental agency. Hernandez offers the attendant blue Bubblicious.
At the rental agency, a piece of Bubblicious and a shell casing were found. The attendant threw them away. When questioned, she told investigators about it. They found it in a Dumpster. The shell casing matched to the casings found at the scene.
