Aaron Hernandez's Fiancee Reportedly Asked to Testify at Odin Lloyd Murder Trial

According to Michelle R. Smith of The Associated Press, via Yahoo Sports, Shayanna Jenkins, the fiancee of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, will appear in front of a jury on Friday and possibly testify in Hernandez's murder trial.

In February, Bristol Superior Court Judge E. Susan Garsh granted immunity to Jenkins at the request of local prosecutors. Travis Andersen and Maria Cramer of The Boston Globe wrote that one reason for the prosecution's decision was that Jenkins could be forced to testify at the criminal trial. Either she testifies or faces contempt charges:

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Jenkins had initially invoked the Fifth Amendment in August 2013 when she appeared before the grand jury, but was granted immunity for her testimony at that time before allegedly lying more than two-dozen times to the panel. She has pleaded not guilty to the perjury charge.

"She now has one of two choices, testify or go to jail for contempt" for refusing to do so, said Martin G. Weinberg, a prominent Boston defense lawyer. "Whether they expect the same testimony and just want to put the fiancee in front of the jury, and have the jury perhaps question her memory and whether she's testifying truthfully, is one strategy I've seen. And another one is to ask harder questions and get better answers. . . . It puts this woman in a very difficult position."

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Hernandez is charged with the alleged murder of Odin Lloyd, who was shot and killed on June 17, 2013. The 25-year-old is also facing additional gun charges. In a separate case, Hernandez has been charged with double murder, stemming from an alleged July 2012 drive-by shooting. A judge agreed to delay that trial in November after defense attorneys argued that the Lloyd proceedings posed a conflict.

At the time of Lloyd's death, he was dating Jenkins' sister, Shaneah. Smith reported that Shayanna Jenkins is alleged to have helped cover up the crime by removing a box from Hernandez's house that prosecutors believe contained the murder weapon.

CNN's Susan Candiotti and Laura Dolan reported in January that Jenkins was seen in surveillance video from Hernandez's home carrying a "rigid" box, which she then put in a garbage bag and carried into a car before departing. She is later seen on the surveillance tape returning home without the bag, which she told a grand jury she instead deposited in a dumpster.