As the trial for ex-Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez for the murder of former friend Odin Lloyd draws nearer, Hernandez's defense team is on the alert for "stealth jurors" according to The Boston Herald.
The defense team defined these stealth jurors as "thrill-seekers" who are "willing to lie in order to win a seat on the jury with the hopes it might lead to fame or a book or movie deal." This is another level to previous concerns Hernandez's lawyers had about the location of the trial.
Earlier this year the lawyers wanted to move the case away from Bristol County, claiming that "relentless media coverage" has made it impossible for Hernandez to receive a fair trial. "This has poisoned the jury pool in Bristol County,'' attorney Michael Fee said.
In writing, the defense said "As the telephone polls conducted for the Defendant demonstrate, due to pre-trial publicity the likes of which have perhaps never been seen in Massachusetts, a deep and objective jury pool simply does not exist in Bristol County."
Their motion to have the trial was denied by Judge Susan E. Garsh, who ruled that the defense's evidence proving a "poisoned jury pool" was not reliable enough to change venues.
In other Hernandez news, Judge Garsh has banned Patriots gear from the proceedings in writing.
"No person wearing clothing, or a button or other object attached to clothing, or carrying an object that displays any Patriots or other NFL team logo, football-related insignia, or words and/or a photograph that relate in any way to this case will be permitted entry to the Fall River Justice Center during any phase of the trial," Garsh wrote.
This ban on Patriots-related garb is intended to preserve the "dignity" of the trial.
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