Red Zone: Football Players Involved in Murder Cases
Aaron Hernandez, O.J. Simpson, and more.
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Aaron Hernandez - New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is the latest of a number of NFL stars to become entangled in criminal controversy. — Britt Middleton On June 17, Odin Lloyd, believed to have been dating Hernandez' sister, was found shot in the head near Hernandez' home in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. On June 26, Hernandez was arrested in connection to the death and less than two hours later the Patriots dropped him from their roster. (Photo: Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
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Jovan Belcher - Sports fans mourned the tragic events of Dec. 1, 2012, the day Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, 25, fatally shot his 22-year-old girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, following a disagreement. They left behind a daughter, Zoey Perkins, now 9-months-old. (Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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Anthony Wayne Smith - Last October, a Los Angeles judge ruled that Anthony Wayne Smith, who previously played for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders in the 1990s, must stand trial for four unsolved murders spanning from 1999 until 2008. Smith was already tried for one of the killings, where a jury deadlocked 8-4 in favor of guilt, according to the Huffington Post. In that case, a man said to be Smith's associate was found beaten and shot dead along a Southern California desert highway. (Photo: Al Bello/Allsport/Getty Images)
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Hubert Thompson - A former Michigan State University player and top NFL prospect, Hubert Thompson was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity in 2009 for hurling a 66-year-old man off a third-floor apartment balcony two years before. Thompson had said he believed the victim, James Malone, was trying to kill him. Thompson was ordered to receive treatment at a high-security state mental institution. (Photo: DuPage County Sheriff's Office)
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Tommy Kane - In 2003 Tommy Kane, a former wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks and later in the Canadian Football League, pled guilty to manslaughter in the stabbing death of Tamara Shaikh, the mother of his four children. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison. In 2010, he was ordered to pay his children and their guardian $590,000 for pain and suffering. (Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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Ray Lewis - Following Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and two other men were involved in an altercation outside an Atlanta nightclub, where two men were fatally stabbed. All three men were indicted on murder and aggravated assault charges. In a plea bargain, Lewis agreed to testify against the other two individuals and pled guilty to obstruction of justice, a misdemeanor. (Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)
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Rae Carruth - In 1999, former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth was convicted of arranging the death of his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams. In a 911 call, Adams said that Carruth stopped his car in front of her vehicle as another car pulled alongside. She said the passenger inside the vehicle shot her before both cars drove away. Adams died one month later, and after going on the run briefly, Carruth was nabbed by authorities in Tennessee. He is currently serving an 18- to 24-year-sentence and is tentatively scheduled for release in October 2018. (Photo: Craig Jones/Getty Images)
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Brian Blades - In 1996, a jury found former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Brian Blades guilty of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of his cousin, Charles Blades. However, three days later, the presiding judge overturned the verdict, citing the prosecution failed to provide enough evidence for conviction. An appellate court upheld his acquittal. (Photo: George Rose/Getty Images)