Aaron Hernandez Odin Lloyd Trial: Opening Statements Released

The murder trial of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez got underway at long last Thursday as both sides made their opening statements.

Hernandez is charged with the June 17, 2013, slaying of Odin Lloyd, and Thursday marked the first step in determining his innocence or guilt.

While proceedings were set to begin at 9 a.m. ET in Fall River, Massachusetts, they were delayed more than two hours due to issues with two different jurors.

According to NESN, one juror arrived late while another had to be replaced for undisclosed reasons:

Per Fox 25's Ted Daniel, Bristol County Superior Court Judge Susan Garsh received a letter from the juror who was ultimately replaced.

According to NFL Network's Albert Breer, a new juror was eventually chosen from 15 potential candidates:

The prosecution spoke first, with Assistant District Attorney Patrick Bomberg laying out that side's take on how the night of Lloyd's death played out.

Per Liam Martin of WCVB.com, the prosecution alleges that Hernandez gathered his co-defendants on that night and conspired to kill Lloyd before ultimately doing so in North Attleborough, Massachusetts:

In addition to that, the prosecution attempted to describe the nature of the relationship between Hernandez and Lloyd as business-related rather than a traditional friendship:

According to Martin, Bomberg said surveillance video captured Hernandez with a gun in his hand at his home prior to the murder:

The prosecution also attempted to poke holes in Hernandez's alibi:

Bomberg then laid out the defendants' route on the night of Lloyd's death as they went from North Attleborough to Dorchester in order to pick Lloyd up before ultimately returning to Hernandez's home without Lloyd in the car:

Also, surveillance showed Hernandez's car entering the area in which Lloyd's body was eventually found before leaving shortly thereafter:

As the prosecution continued to paint a picture of the night of Lloyd's murder, it overwhelmed Lloyd's mother, according to CNN's Lawrence Crook:

At the conclusion of the prosecution's statement, attorney Michael Fee stepped forward for the defense. He began his statement by matter-of-factly declaring his client's innocence:

Fee was also extremely critical of the investigation into Lloyd's death:

He also dismissed the prosecution's lengthy statement by claiming the truth did not support it:

Although the prosecution attempted to downplay the friendship between Hernandez and Lloyd, Fee was careful to re-establish it in his statement:

In an effort to explain the presence of Hernandez's rental vehicle at the scene of the crime, Fee explained that Hernandez loaned his rentals out regularly:

While the prosecution asserted that Hernandez could be seen holding a gun in the surveillance video from his home, Fee challenged that assertion:

He also pointed out that Hernandez had nothing to hide, which is why he didn't dispose of the surveillance footage:

Fee stated that Hernandez and Lloyd's affinity for marijuana brought them together, as noted by Adam Bagni of NBC 10:

Fee insisted Hernandez had no reason to murder his friend:

Fee didn't deny that Hernandez was with Lloyd at the time of his death, but he dismissed the notion that his client committed the murder:

As expected, the prosecution and defense presented very different statements that figure to set the tone for a long and highly publicized trial.

Thursday's opening statements were just the beginning, and it will be interesting to see how evidence and prospective witnesses ultimately impact the jury.

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