Aaron Hernandez Double-Murder Trial Date Set: Latest Details, Reaction

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 13 for his trial stemming from the alleged double murder of two men outside a Boston nightclub in 2012. 

According to the Associated Press, "Judge Jeffrey Locke told Hernandez's lawyers on Tuesday to consider the date Feb. 13 'very firm' after they said they could not be ready for trial by the fall."

In June, Reuters' Scott Malone reported that Hernandez hired Florida-based lawyer Jose Baez and Harvard Law School professor Ronald Sullivan to serve as his lead counsel for the double-murder trial. 

"Hernandez strongly maintains his innocence, and I plan to establish that before a jury of his peers," Baez said in a statement, per Reuters. "We understand that numerous reports of our client's alleged activity have been published, but we ask the public to afford Mr. Hernandez the presumption of innocence and let the facts unfold in a court of law."

On Friday, the Associated Press reported prosecutors would be allowed to access Hernandez's cellphone to find evidence. 

According to a May 2014 report from Mark Blaudschun for USA Today, Hernandez is alleged to have fatally shot two immigrants from Cape Verde in a drive-by shooting after one of them accidentally bumped into him and spilled a drink at the Boston nightclub. 

In April 2015, Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for the death of Odin Lloyd.

The 26-year-old is not eligible for parole under the terms of his sentencing.