Aaron Hernandez, who used to play for New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL), pleaded not guilty on Wednesdat to the murder case of Odin Lloyd .

In June, Hernandez made headlines when his name got dragged into the murder of friend Odin Lloyd. Lloyd was a semi-professional football player who played for the Boston Bandits since 2007. Lloyd's dead body, with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back, was located in an industrial park near Hernandez's house on June 18, 2013.

Hernandez's house was immediately searched by police authorities several hours after Lloyd's corpse was found. The suspicion of Hernandez's connection with the murder increased when new evidence came up that Hernandez deliberately knocked down his security system at home. In addition, Hernandez allegedly hired several house cleaners the very same day that Lloyd's dead body was found.

On June 26, 2013, Hernandez was taken to police custody, and charged with first-degree murder later that day.

Hernandez initially pleaded not guilty to six charges, including murder and weapon possession charges on Sept 6, as reported by The Star.

The next court hearing was set on Oct 9, where Hernandez also pleaded not guilty of the said crime. He took the witness stand for the very first time. "I am not mentally ill," Hernandez told the court. He was also asked several simple questions. "I played football," Hernandez answered when he was asked what his profession is.

"Aaron is okay," Hernandez's lawyer told the reporters. "We are anticipating a trial before a jury of his peers," Ranking added.

Hernandez's arrest has led to his contract termination with the New England Patriots. It means that he will never be able to collect his salaries, amounting to $19.3 million. If Hernandez is convicted, he will face a lifetime in prison.