A Connecticut man has been arrested and charged as a fugitive in the investigation of murder and firearms charges against former National Football League player Aaron Hernandez, a prosecutor said on Thursday.
Connecticut prosecutor Brian Preleski identified the man as Carlos Ortiz, 27, of Bristol, Connecticut. A statement said he was being held in the investigation of the shooting death of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, a friend of Hernandez. Lloyd's body was found in North Attleborough, Massachusetts on June 17 in an industrial park near Hernandez's house.
Hernandez, a rising star tight end who was fired by the New England Patriots within hours of his arrest in Massachusetts on Wednesday, was charged with the murder of Lloyd during his initial court appearance.
His lawyer entered a plea of not guilty and called the prosecution's case - based on surveillance videos and cell phone records - circumstantial. Hernandez, 23, was ordered held without bail.
Prosecutors in Massachusetts on Wednesday said that Hernandez, along with two friends, had picked Lloyd up at his Boston home and driven him to a North Attleborough industrial park where Hernandez shot Lloyd five times with a high-powered handgun.
Prosecutors said Hernandez and Lloyd had argued a few nights before Lloyd's death when they went to a Boston nightclub together and Lloyd spoke with people that Hernandez said he "had trouble with."
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