Sumith Prasad
The eighth episode of FX’s crime drama series ‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’ opens a window into the life of Aaron Hernandez after he signs a lucrative contract extension deal with the New England Patriots. The NFL star is surrounded by Carlos Ortiz and Ernest “Bo” Wallace, his two friends from his hometown, Bristol, Connecticut. The football player adds Odin Lloyd, who dates his sister-in-law, Shaneah Jenkins, to his gang, but a fallout soon follows. He then takes Odin to a secluded region near his home in North Attleborough with his two friends and kills him. In real life, Ortiz was eventually arrested, and his life turned around following a long legal battle.
Carlos Ortiz Was an Ex-Convict in Probation When Odin Lloyd Was Murdered
Aaron Hernandez and Carlos Ortiz, also known as “Charlie Boy,” had known each other since they were children. They both grew up in Bristol, Connecticut, and their friendship seemingly strengthened when the latter started occasionally living in the house of the football player’s cousin, Tanya Singleton. He had an extensive history as an ex-convict and drug user, having failed multiple tests for cocaine, marijuana, and PCP. According to Jose “Ito” Torres, one of his cousins, he wanted to get out of Bristol with the help of Aaron, which made him join the NFL star’s circle as a driver or errand-runner. Around the time of Odin Lloyd’s murder, the football player mainly spent his time with Ortiz and Ernest “Bo” Wallace, who also used to live in Tanya’s house.
On June 17, 2013, the day Odin was murdered, Ortiz joined Aaron and Wallace to leave for the former’s house in Dorchester. The trio then took the semi-professional football player to North Attleborough. According to Ortiz’s statements to the police right after he was arrested in June 2013, he fell asleep in the car and was woken up when the vehicle reached an industrial park. At the time, he said that all three of the rest of the group exited the car. He further added that he heard gunshots after a short while and that Wallace told him Aaron fired the same. Ortiz returned to Bristol after the murder. On June 25, 2013, he went to meet his probation officer, only to get arrested by the authorities.
Carlos Ortiz Pleaded Guilty to an Accessory After the Fact Charge
Like Ernest Wallace, Carlos Ortiz was initially held in custody with an accessory after the fact of murder charge on him. However, the case against him changed when a grand jury indicted both of them on murder charges in April 2014. His lawyer, John J. Connors, voiced against this change, asking why he wasn’t initially charged with murder if the evidence supported it. In the next month, he pleaded not guilty to murder. Ortiz was also not asked to testify in Aaron Hernandez’s murder trial since the prosecution found him “completely unreliable.”
Ortiz eventually changed his account of what happened on the day Odin Lloyd was killed by stating that Ernest Wallace didn’t leave the car. Connors alleged that the police relied on coercive and manipulative measures to make his client talk, only for the prosecution to respond that the defendant was “alert, sober, and lucid” during the interrogation. In June 2016, Ortiz pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to the murder of Odin Lloyd. The plea came a year after Aaron was found guilty of killing the young man and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Even though he faced the first-degree murder charge, his plea ensured a prison term of 4 ½ to 7 years.
Carlos Ortiz’s Statements to the Police Caused Severe Dissatisfaction Back in Bristol
After Carlos Ortiz pleaded guilty to an accessory after the fact charge, he was transferred to North Central Correctional Institute in Gardner, Massachusetts. While he was involved in the long legal proceedings associated with the murder of Odin Lloyd, his reputation back in Bristol was severely hurt. He was labeled a “rat” in the neighborhood of Davis Drive, where he used to spend his time when he was in the city. Even his cousin, Jose Torres, discredited Ortiz, stating, “He was one of us” in July 2013. Many who knew him were disappointed with what he told the police about the involvement of Aaron Hernandez, the star who represented Bristol on a national level, in the case.
Several of these individuals even expected Ortiz to remain silent about Aaron, which did not eventually happen after his arrest. When his statements to the police became public knowledge, the people who let him crash in their homes allegedly turned against him. “He [Ortiz] can come back here, but if you come back to the streets where everybody thinks you’re hard but you’ve been snitching…,” Torres told USA Today before stopping himself from completing the sentence. “Everybody knows that Charlie told. He’s been labeled a rat. He’s done. He’s done. You’re going to have another breaking news (story) on TV,” Ortiz’s cousin added.
The alleged threat Ortiz faced back in Bristol also meant it wouldn’t be easy for him to reconnect with his loved ones in the city. According to his friends, he had welcomed three children to the world with three women by 2013. One of his children, a son who was four at the time, and the boy’s mother lived in Davis Drive, which made the threat all the more concerning.
Carlos Ortiz is a Changed Man Who Lives in Puerto Rico Today
It is unclear when exactly Carlos Ortiz became a free man. His social media presence suggests that his prison term concluded sometime before April 2018. He currently lives in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, far away from the alleged threats that awaited him on the streets of Bristol, Connecticut. From what we can share, he also became a family man who cherishes his time with his loved ones, including an adorable young boy who appears to be his son. Moving to Puerto Rico was really a life-changing decision for Ortiz, who shared that he regained his family after arriving in the unincorporated U.S. territory, where every day is a “vacation” for him.
Ortiz seems to be a changed man in comparison with his past. He sought guidance and comfort in God as a believer, and as a member of a community called “Gangs2God,” he had been surrounding himself with people who have found a way to leave behind the world of crime. He initially set up his life in Bayamon as a security personnel. Ortiz seemingly took the next step in his life and career in July 2024 by starting to run a food stall on his own. Through these significant developments and changes, he has visibly turned his life around in Puerto Rico.
However, this doesn’t mean that Ortiz has completely cut his ties with Connecticut. He continues to watch and cheer for the sports teams of the University of Connecticut in the comfort of his home. Ortiz seems to have outrightly moved on from the crime that placed him in the spotlight for years. Now, he appears to be a responsible father and family man who looks after his loved ones with hard work and commitment.
Read More: Avielle Janelle Hernandez: Where is Aaron Hernandez’s Daughter Now?
