Aaron Hernandez found guilty of first-degree murder in death of Odin Lloyd

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder in the June 2013 death of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd.

The verdict carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. 

Hernandez remained relatively emotionless as the verdict was read, later mouthing "be strong" to his mother Terri Hernandez and fiancee Shayanna Jenkins. 

Hernandez was also found guilty on firearm and ammunition charges. 

Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee, was shot six times in an industrial park near Hernandez's home. The motive for the killing remains unclear. 

Prosecutors painted a picture for jurors that linked Hernandez to the scene of the crime and the murder weapon - which was never found. Among the hundreds of pieces of evidence submitted, home surveillance video showed Hernandez holding a black object that appeared to be a gun, and a marijuana cigarette found near Lloyd's body had Hernandez's DNA on it.

The jurors opted to find Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder as opposed to second-degree murder because they found that the crime demonstrated extreme atrocity or cruelty.

Many of Lloyd's family members were on hand to deliver victim impact statements prior to Hernandez's sentencing, an incredibly emotional scene for all those in the court room.

"I felt like I wanted to go into the hole with my son," Lloyd's mother Ursula Ward said of attending her only son's funeral. "I will never hear him say, 'Mom, you're so beautiful.' I miss my baby boy Odin so much, but I know I'm going to see him again someday."

“I forgive the hands of the people that had a hand in my son’s murder, either before or after,” Ward added. “And I pray and hope that someday everyone out there will forgive them also.”

Lloyd's sister Olivia Thibou also spoke up, saying "at the age of 25, I was asked to write my brother's eulogy, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

"It feels like a bad dream," Thibou said. "Every day I look at my son, and I know that my daughter never got to meet him. I won't ever see him again, but I have to go to his grave site and look at his stone to tell him that I love him."

Hernandez was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. He signed a $40-million contract extension with the team in August 2012 and was released in June 2013 after the murder allegations emerged.