Tanya Singleton, a cousin of Aaron Hernandez, has pleaded guilty to refusing to testify in front of a grand jury but was spared jail time because she has advanced cancer. "Ms. Singleton's health is the only reason she is not being placed in jail," Fall River Superior Court Judge E. Susan Garsh said.
The 38-year-old Singleton was granted immunity, but still refused to testify against the former New England Patriots star. Instead of prison time, Singleton was sentenced to two years of probation. She will also be under house arrest for the first year of the probation, with an exemption for medical and legal appointments. Finally, she has been barred from any contact with Hernandez, or any suspects and witnesses involved in the trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd.
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Garsh strongly worded a rebuke of Singleton, stating "Ms. Singleton's willful conduct was an assault on the rule of law." Singleton's lawyer E. Peter Parker requested the year of house arrest and offered a mild defense of her actions.
She chose family loyalty ... over civic duties," a choice most people would make under similar circumstances, Parker said. Prosecutors are alleging that Singleton's loyalty was not free though.
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"This 'familial relationship' is bolstered by a financial incentive as Hernandez has repeatedly provided money to the defendant,'' prosecutors said according to The Boston Globe.
Singleton's issues with the law are far from over. She is believed to have "material information" about not only the Lloyd murder, but an earlier double homicide in Boston that Hernandez is a suspect in. Singleton is reportedly expected to plead guilty to the same charges again regarding the double murder.
In the Lloyd case, prosecutors made several allegations regarding the information she has. Prosecutors say that Hernandez's accomplices Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz were at Singleton's home the night of Lloyd's killing when Hernandez called them.
Singleton could have allegedly detailed several attempts to get Ortiz out of state before he was arrested; additionally she provided Wallace with a new cell phone and engaged in "secretive conversations that the two were observed to be engaged in along the route.''
Finally, prosecutors believe Singleton could have established connections between the three suspects.
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