Shayanna Jenkins, Aaron Hernandez Marriage Denied by Court due to Shield Laws?
Aaron Hernandez stands accused of murder but wants to marry his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins. His request to marry her from behind bars was denied, possibly because of shield laws that would prevent Jenkins from testifying if they were married.
"I don't subscribe to that," Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson told USA Today. "I feel that those rights are things that you access on the outside, if you're a good citizen. We'll do everything we can to not have that happen."
Prosecutors want Jenkins to testify against Hernandez in the upcoming trial; she had been cooperating with police all along but suddenly stopped when Hernandez allegedly told her to remain quiet. That set off warning bells for the prosecution, who saw the wedding as a possibly means to avoid Jenkins' testimony.
Hernandez is charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd and is being held without bail at the Bristol County Jail in Massachusetts. He is due in court on July 24 for an initial probable cause hearing. According to reports, Hernandez is in solitary confinement and allowed out of his cell for three hours per day. He will likely be moved to general population soon.
Hernandez allegedly has had a questionable relationship with Jenkins. Police were called to their home last year because of a report of a domestic dispute. No one was arrested or charged. There have been other calls of domestic disturbances from the Hernandez-Jenkins home, as well as Hernandez's bar fight in 2007. Hernandez and Jenkins have a 7-month old daughter who is currently in Jenkins' custody.
His past could come back to haunt him during trial, given that he has a record of violent episodes and a record of police calls and incidents.
"We're not going to revamp our entire security system to perform marriages inside our prison," Hodgson told the NFL Network. "If you want to get married, what you do is, you stay out of jail."
