http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/12694600/aaron-hernandez-found-guilty-2013-killing-odin-lloyd

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder in a deadly late-night shooting and was sentenced to life in prison, sealing the downfall of an athlete who once had a $40 million contract and a standout career ahead of him.

Hernandez, 25, looked to his right, pursed his lips and sat down after the jury forewoman announced him guilty in the slaying of Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old landscaper and semipro football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée. The conviction carried a mandatory sentence of life without parole and automatically triggers an appeal to Massachusetts' highest court.

No date for that appeal has been set.

Hernandez's mother, Terri, and his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, cried and gasped when they heard the verdict, and Lloyd's mother also cried. Shayanna Jenkins wept on his mother's shoulder. Hernandez, his eyes red, mouthed to them: "Be strong. Be strong."

The former football pro was also found guilty on firearms and ammunition charges. The jury deliberated for 36 hours over seven days before rendering its verdict.

Hernandez was ordered to serve his life sentence at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole, Massachusetts. That prison is approximately 1.5 miles from Gillette Stadium, where Hernandez played three seasons for the Patriots.

Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward, was one of six who gave victim impact statements after Hernandez was convicted, saying she forgives anyone who had a hand in her son's death.

She said she felt her heart stop beating for a moment on the day she laid Lloyd to rest.

"I felt like I wanted to go into the hole with my son," she said.

He'll be pushing for a mistrial because his defense kind of fucked him, but admitting he witnessed the murder after refusing to admit that before will bury his chances of seeing the light of day (outside of confinement) ever again.