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Editor’s note: This story was originally published on April 19 and has been updated to reflect the official abatement of Hernandez’s murder conviction.

Disgraced NFL star and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez died in April “an innocent man” — according to a little-known legal doctrine in Massachusetts that traces its origins to English common law, one outside expert tells People.

Martin Healy, the chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Bar Association, explains that the state observes abatement ab initio, which in criminal proceedings is applied if a defendant dies before all of their appeals have been resolved.

Under abatement ab initio...

[[tmz:video id="0_1yrlfnj6"]] The lawyer for Odin Lloyd's family says the New England Patriots may be on the hook to pay Aaron Hernandez $6 Million from his NFL contract ... but he wants the team to give the money to the victim's family instead.  Douglas Sheff -- who represents Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward -- addressed the media about "abatement" ... the law in Massachusetts that essentially erases a conviction if the person dies before he's exhausted all of his appeals.  Sheff...

Before disgraced NFL star Aaron Hernandez hanged himself in his prison cell early Wednesday, in Massachusetts, he was convicted or acquitted of killing three other people — whose families each had their own reactions to Hernandez’s death.

“I’m not happy about his death. It’s actually a shame,” Ernesto Abreu told the Boston Globe. “Any loss of life is a shame. I believe in leaving things in God’s hands.”

Abreu’s 29-year-old son, Daniel de Abreu, was killed in 2012 along with Safiro Furtado, 28, one of Daniel’s friends. Prosecutors alleged that Hernandez fatally shot both men in a drive-by,...

Odin Lloyd's mom is going forward with her wrongful death lawsuit against Aaron Hernandez ... even though her case may have just gotten much more difficult.  As we previously reported, Aaron's death complicates things because his conviction in Lloyd's 2013 murder will essentially be wiped out thanks to an obscure Massachusetts law. The conviction would have made Lloyd's case a slam dunk -- but now, with the conviction gone, Lloyd's estate will have to independently prove Hernandez was responsible for Odin's death.

The shocking suicide of disgraced NFL star Aaron Hernandez served as a cold reminder that the 27-year-old convicted murderer once had a promising future.

As a member of the 2008 University of Florida national championship football team, the 19-year-old tight end was playing alongside future NFL players like Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, Deonte Thompson and Mike Pouncey.

“Aaron stood out, even among the football players.” says classmate Katie Benson Sears. “You’ve got to understand that the Gator football players were gods here. They weren’t just big men on campus; they were known in the community. If they went to restaurants,...

Odin Lloyd's mother is moving forward with a wrongful death lawsuit against Aaron Hernandez And the New England Patriots ... hoping to collect on the Millions she claims the team was supposed to pay the former tight end.  Ursula Ward has re-filed docs in state court in Massachusetts that she originally filed back in 2013 ... claiming Hernandez should be held financially liable for the wrongful death of her son.   Of course, Hernandez was convicted of Lloyd's murder -- so,...

Odin Lloyd's mother tells TMZ Sports ... she's still deciding whether or not she will file a wrongful death lawsuit against Aaron Hernandez ... a lawsuit that could potentially be worth Millions of dollars. With Hernandez having been convicted of murdering the former semi-pro football player, the odds are extremely good that Lloyd's family would win a civil case against him.  And since Hernandez was an NFL star who made Millions during his brief career ... there's real money on the line.

8:18 Am Pt -- Odin Lloyd's mother Ursula Ward is now addressing the court -- and explaining how Hernandez destroyed her life.   "I felt like I wanted to go into that hole with my son." "I miss my baby boy Odin so much. But I know I will see him again some day. At that gives me the strength to go on." Odin's mother says she forgives the people who had a hand in her...

Shaneah Jenkins said Friday that Odin Lloyd and Aaron Hernandez were in the "beginning states of a friendship" at the time of his murder. Hernandez, 25, is accused of killing 27-year-old Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating Shaneah, the sister of Hernandez's fiancé Shayanna Jenkins. Shaneah tentatively made eye contact with Hernandez as she identified him for the court, the Boston Globe reports. "He's right there," she said. "He's wearing a black suit with what looks like a blueish tie and a white shirt." The 23-year-old said Lloyd and Hernandez would "hang out and smoke weed" together from time to time,...

Shaneah Jenkins said Friday that Odin Lloyd and Aaron Hernandez were in the "beginning states of a friendship" at the time of his murder. Hernandez, 25, is accused of killing 27-year-old Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating Shaneah, the sister of Hernandez's fiancé Shayanna Jenkins. Shaneah tentatively made eye contact with Hernandez as she identified him for the court, the Boston Globe reports. "He's right there," she said. "He's wearing a black suit with what looks like a blueish tie and a white shirt." The 23-year-old said Lloyd and Hernandez would "hang out and smoke weed" together from time to time,...

Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez was indicted Thursday on a first-degree murder charge in the death of a friend whose bullet-riddled body was found in an industrial park about a mile from the ex-player's home. The six-count grand jury indictment charges Hernandez with killing 27-year-old Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player from Boston who was dating the sister of Hernandez's girlfriend. It also contains weapons counts, according to the Fall River division of Bristol County Superior Court. Hernandez, 23, pleaded not guilty to murder and weapons charges in June, and he is being held without bail at a county jail.