National Football League

Lawyer: Cops coerced Aaron Hernandez associate into talking

Published Jul. 14, 2015 9:35 a.m. ET

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FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) An attorney for an associate of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez says his client was pressured into talking to police investigating the death of Odin Lloyd.

The Herald News (http://bit.ly/1K5E4Kb ) reports that attorneys presented final arguments Monday for why Carlos Ortiz's statements should either be allowed or suppressed when he is tried on a murder charge in Lloyd's 2013 shooting. Hernandez was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Defense attorney John Connors says police used coercive and manipulative tactics to pressure Ortiz into talking even when he said he was tired and wanted to go home. Connors also says police ''minimized'' Ortiz's Miranda rights.

Prosecutors countered that Ortiz was ''alert, sober and lucid,'' during questioning and never asserted his right to an attorney.

The judge didn't immediately rule.

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Information from: The (Fall River, Mass.) Herald News, http://www.heraldnews.com