Conn. man arraigned in Hernandez murder case

Associated Press

ATTLEBORO, Mass.

An arrested man from the hometown of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was transferred to Massachusetts on Friday to face a gun charge connected to the murder case against Hernandez while a third suspect surrendered to authorities in Florida.

Carlos Ortiz, who lives in Bristol, Conn., and Ernest Wallace, who walked into a South Florida police station, were the men identified earlier as being with Hernandez and the victim the night of his shooting death, a prosecutor said.

Ortiz was charged with carrying an unlicensed firearm in North Attleborough, where Hernandez lives, on June 17, the day Boston semipro football player Odin Lloyd was found shot to death near Hernandez’s home. Details of the charge weren’t released.

Wallace, whose wanted poster was released Thursday night, surrendered in Miramar, Fla., police said. Authorities had been seeking Wallace on a charge of acting as an accessory after Lloyd’s murder. Details of that allegation also weren’t released.

Police arrested Hernandez on Wednesday at his home and charged him with orchestrating Lloyd’s execution-style shooting. Prosecutors said Hernandez orchestrated the killing because Lloyd talked to the wrong people at a nightclub.

Hernandez, Ortiz and Wallace were in a car with Lloyd shortly before his death, Bristol County, Mass., District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter said.

Hernandez pleaded not guilty to murder and was denied bail Thursday.