Sumith Prasad
The eighth episode of FX’s crime drama series ‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’ revolves around the murder of Odin Lloyd, the boyfriend of Aaron Hernandez’s sister-in-law, Shaneah Jenkins. The NFL star kills the semi-professional football player after picking the latter up from his house with Ernest “Bo” Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, his two friends from Bristol, Connecticut. The two companions watch the tight end confront Odin concerning a secret the latter indirectly exposed to Shayanna Jenkins. After asking several questions, Aaron shoots down the young man and escapes from the scene with his friends. In reality, Wallace was tried for the murder of Odin, like his companion.
Ernest Wallace Was a Friend and Bodyguard for Aaron Hernandez
Ernest Wallace, also known as “Bo” and “Fish,” became an unignorable part of Aaron Hernandez’s life after he shot Alexander S. Bradley in February 2013. They knew each other through Tanya Singleton, the NFL star’s cousin, as the former used to live in her house. The football player hired the man as his bodyguard, reportedly fearing retaliation from the drug dealer who nearly got killed because of him. Wallace was eighteen years older than his friend and had served time in jail for various crimes. He also had a lengthy history of failing court-ordered drug tests for substances such as cocaine, marijuana, and PCP.
In June 2013, as per reports, Aaron reached out to Wallace and asked him to come to Massachusetts from Connecticut. The two of them joined Ortiz, arrived at Odin Lloyd’s house, picked him up in a car, and went to an industrial park in North Attleborough. The football player then killed Odin in the presence of his two friends. After the murder was committed, Wallace returned to Connecticut. Two witnesses who took part in Aaron’s murder trial revealed that the NFL star’s friend “wasn’t his usual self” and “seemed kind of quiet” after he showed up in Bristol.
The prosecution alleged that Tanya drove Wallace from her house in Bristol to Georgia and then bought a bus ticket to Florida for him. After Aaron’s arrest, he turned himself in to the police in Miramar in June 2013. Wallace was initially charged with accessory to murder after the fact, with bail set for $500,000. However, the charge was eventually changed to murder in April 2014, only for him to plead not guilty.
Ernest’s Legal Team Tried to Establish That He Wasn’t an Active Participant in Odin Lloyd’s Murder
Ernest Wallace’s murder trial began in March 2016. By then, Aaron Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing Odin Lloyd. The prosecution alleged that the murder was a “cooperative effort” involving all three of Aaron, Carlos Ortiz, and Wallace. A recorded conversation involving the latter revealed that the football player wanted to give him a sports vehicle valued at $110,000 in addition to the $1000 given to him per week to run errands. David Meier, Wallace’s lawyer, countered the prosecution by claiming that it was Aaron who shot and killed Odin Lloyd rather than his client.
The prosecution further added that Wallace lived in the basement bedroom of Aaron’s house in Massachusetts and helped the football player to “avoid detection and prosecution.” Meier acknowledged that his client and the NFL player were friends but argued that the defendant was not aware of his friend’s plot to kill Odin. “Did he [Wallace] actively participate? Did he know what Aaron Hernandez was going to do? Absolutely not. That’s what the evidence is. That’s what the law is going to be in this case,” Meier said during the trial. During the conclusion of Wallace’s trial, the attorney said that Aaron’s motive to “violently and brutally execute” Odin had nothing to do with his client, whom he described as a “victim of circumstances.”
Ernest is Seemingly Leading a Private Life After His Time in Prison
In May 2016, a grand jury found Ernest Wallace not guilty of his first-degree murder charge. However, he was convicted of accessory after the fact to murder. A Massachusetts Superior Court judge sentenced him to 4 ½ to 7 years in prison, including the time he had served since his arrest in 2013. In comparison with the life sentence he would have received if he was found guilty of first-degree murder, the short prison term was an immense relief for Wallace. Through his attorney, David Meier, he expressed his gratitude toward the grand jury members who acquitted him of the major charge.
Wallace served his sentence in Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Massachusetts, the same facility where Aaron Hernandez was imprisoned and found dead. His prison term must have ended sometime before 2021, considering that it started in 2013. At the time of his conviction, Wallace wanted to return to Florida to “[rejoin] his family in Florida and [be] a productive member of society,” as per Meier. His sister, whose name remains unrevealed due to privacy reasons, eagerly looked forward to welcoming her brother back to their family after his term concluded.
Wallace is currently leading a private life without any social media presence after his release from prison, which is understandable, considering that he wanted to open a new chapter of his life after his sentence ended. From what we can tell, the ex-convict, who is around 50 years old in 2024, doesn’t seem to have had any run-ins with the law in recent years. Therefore, we believe that he is living responsibly in Florida with the support and care of his loved ones, including his beloved sister, who was there for him when he was dealing with life-altering legal troubles.
Read More: Brian Murphy: Where is Aaron Hernandez’s Agent Now?
