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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, April 18 Medford police seek new rules to stop sales of stolen goods Struggling to stay on track Central Point considers new fees for parks, school police People in Business Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, April 18 Jurors see shocking conditions of accused serial killer's farm Emergency services Argument over stolen guns led to first shooting, Monica says Monica takes rare opportunity to cross-examine a witness in her double-murder trial Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. 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Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Erickson shores up business with three contracts Lithia Motors shares break the $100 mark Agriculture New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Broth maker leaves San Diego for Medford Opinion Latest Other Views: State Board of Education dragging its feet over Native American mascots Matthew T. Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Our View: Impeachment should be an option Letters to the Editor, April 17 Michael Gerson: Obama is desperately seeking a legacy Editorials Other Views: State Board of Education dragging its feet over Native American mascots Our View: Impeachment should be an option Our View: Gun background check bill is worth passing Our View: Don't expect a fix for I-5 viaduct through Medford anytime soon Our View: Minimum wage boost is no panacea Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, April 17 Letters to the Editor, April 16 Letters to the Editor, April 15 Letters to the Editor, April 14 Letters to the Editor, April 13 Columns Matthew T. Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Michael Gerson: Obama is desperately seeking a legacy Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Kent Bush: Memories of Oklahoma City bombing still fresh 20 years later George Will: Sustainability gone wild Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Guest Opinion: Pot opponents have good reason for concern Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot Guest Opinion: Phoenix embraces Bee City USA designation Lifestyle Latest stories Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained 6 trout to know App Finder: Best Earth Day apps Health Watch: How to avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau Fishing Report: Friday, April 17 Food Tammy Kelly: Soft-shell crab is in season Community blog: Orange-blossom water enhances honey syrup High on flavor, low on calories: Cookbook offers tasty options for people trying to eat healthier Prudence Hilburn: Test-kitchen products become ‘secret’ specialties Community blog: Leave fruits whole for crumbles in a time crunch Home and Garden Carol Link: Tea olive shrubs can be propagated from new growth 12 ways ceiling fans keep you comfortable and save cash Dear Monty: Profiting with adaptive re-use Paul Rogers: Schedule your time wisely Home Help: 3 upgrades to help give your bathroom spa-like panache Health Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Health Watch: How to avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau Book Notes: A big body is not a bad body Go get physical Community blog: Better Living By Design: A Symposium You Must Not Miss Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Religion briefs: Friday, March 27 Milestones and Achievements Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Five picks for entertainment this week L.A. rockers The Relationship play Howiee's Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Rogue Valley Symphony and 3 Leg Torso mingle classical with modern chamber music Third Fridays celebrates poetry, student art Theater Ashland New Plays Festival chooses new artistic director A tale of two plays at OSF Oregon Cabaret Theatre's "The Musical!" delivers five clever Broadway parodies in Ashland OCT stages 'The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)' Auditions for youth musical set at Camelot Music Alex de Grassi and Andrew York play SOU Live Music in Local Clubs L.A. rockers The Relationship play Howiee's Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Rogue Valley Symphony and 3 Leg Torso mingle classical with modern chamber music Community Events Third Fridays celebrates poetry, student art 'BRAND,' 'Western' among Ashland Independent Film Festival award winners Ashland Co-Dependent Film Festival 2015 Pear Blossom Festival kicks off in Medford Ashland Independent Film Festival announces 2015 lineup Dining Siam Cafe offers 'mild' to 'very spicy' Thai cuisine Restaurant inspections, April 12, 2015 La Tapatia offers authentically delicious cuisine RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: Sunday, April 5 The Laughing Clam in Grants Pass offers seafood-heavy menu Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Jurors see shocking conditions of accused serial killer's farm ... Monica claims she never acted on murderous thoughts ... Governor Brown says Oregon 'back on track' in State of the State address ... Jurors see shocking conditions of accused serial killer's farm ... Monica claims she never acted on murderous thoughts ... Governor Brown says Oregon 'back on track' in State of the State address ... NFL Defense attorney: Ex-NFL star witnessed killing Comment By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Apr. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM By The Associated Press Posted Apr. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News FALL RIVER, Mass. — Jurors began deliberating Tuesday in the murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez after his lawyer acknowledged for the first time that his client was at the scene of the killing and saw it happen but described him as a kid who simply did not know what to do. "Did he make all the right decisions? No," lawyer James Sultan said during his closing arguments. "He was a 23-year-old kid who witnessed something, a shocking killing, committed by somebody he knew. He really didn't know what to do, so he just put one foot in front of the other." Hernandez is charged in the June 17, 2013, death of Odin Lloyd, 27, who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee. Lloyd was shot six times in an industrial park less than a mile from Hernandez's home. At the time, the star tight end had a $40 million contract with the Patriots. Sultan pinned the killing on Hernandez's co-defendants, his friends Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz. Both men have pleaded not guilty and will be tried later. But Assistant District Attorney William McCauley told jurors the evidence showed that Hernandez was the gunman, that he had a plan to kill Lloyd and that he drove Lloyd to his death in a deserted place in an undeveloped part of the industrial park. "Ask yourself what was the purpose in driving to that spot at that time?" McCauley asked. "He was driving. He's the one who veered off the course to go down. There was no other purpose to go down there." He said Hernandez's behavior after the crime also showed that he was involved. He cited evidence that Hernandez had rented a car for Wallace and directed his fiancee to give the two men $500 to flee, as well as surveillance video from inside Hernandez's home that showed him hanging out with them a few hours after Lloyd was killed — even trusting Wallace enough to let him hold his 8-month-old daughter. "He's laying around the pool, soaking up the sun, drinking up smoothies with his two confederates," McCauley told jurors. The trial featured testimony from 135 witnesses — 132 of them called by the prosecution — as well as hundreds of pieces of evidence. Surveillance videos, cell phone records and witnesses accounts indicated that Hernandez was with Lloyd at the time of the killing, after driving to Boston to get him with Ortiz and Wallace. Lloyd's cell phone pinged several cell towers on the way out of Boston before stopping for good at the industrial park in North Attleborough. Legal analysts said the defense apparently made the calculation that the circumstantial evidence was so overwhelming that Hernandez was there, it would have looked foolish not to acknowledge it. "The defense made the strategic decision that conceding that point was a good tactical decision, and perhaps a way to gain some credibility with the jury," said Christopher Dearborn, a professor at Suffolk University Law School. In his closing argument, Sultan asked jurors to forget what they have heard about Hernandez in the media and outside the courtroom. Hernandez also faces murder charges in Boston, where he is accused of gunning down two men he believed disrespected him at a nightclub in 2012. Evidence about that killing was not allowed into the Lloyd trial. He pointed out that prosecutors never presented a clear motive for why Hernandez would kill Lloyd, saying they were friends and future brothers-in-law and that there was no evidence he would have wanted Lloyd dead. "You didn't hear because it doesn't exist," Sultan said. "Does the prosecution expect you to fill in that gaping hole in its case with guesswork, speculation?" Prosecutors have said Hernandez appeared angry at Lloyd while they were at a nightclub two nights before the killing, and he left the club to retrieve a gun from his car. But they never gave an explanation to jurors for why he may have been angry. Superior Court Judge Susan Garsh told jurors that prosecutors are not required to prove a motive. Sultan also said investigators unfairly fixated on his client, presuming his guilt and finding what they could to support that theory. "The investigation done in this case was incomplete, biased and inept. That was not fair to Odin Lloyd, that was not fair to Aaron Hernandez, and it was not fair to you," he said. "All that effort and this is all they could come up with. What does that tell you?" Dearborn said that even with Sultan's admission that Hernandez was there, the case is still not a slam dunk for prosecutors. "No confession, no eyewitness, no murder weapon and no motive," he said. "They tried to manufacture a really vague motive that doesn't really ring true. They tried to make it about his general volatility." In addition to the murder charge, the jury will decide Hernandez's guilt or innocence on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. Jurors deliberated for a little more than an hour on Tuesday before being sent home for the day. They were scheduled to resume work this morning. By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Apr. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football 2015 Fantasy Outlook for Chargers' Stars Apr. 17, 2015 at 6:15 am Fantasy Outlook for Dolphins Stars Apr. 14, 2015 at 6:37 am Biggest Fantasy Winners, Losers in Free Agency Apr. 8, 2015 at 2:45 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Bears Stars Apr. 7, 2015 at 1:09 am RBs Ready to Break Out on New Teams Apr. 2, 2015 at 10:21 am Who Will Be QB1s with New Teams in 2015? 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