Well, that materialized relatively quickly. Sitting down on my home office desk chair (very nice, thank you) it popped into my head Wednesday morning what I was doing up at 6:30 AM.  Work could have been done, as writing never takes a break. 

Then it happened. 

Former New England Patriots (and I emphasize 'former', more on that later) tight end Aaron Hernandez was pulled out of his North Attleboro home early Wednesday morning and taken into policy custody. Wearing a white shirt and with cuffs behind his back, the 23-year-old was hauled into a police cruiser and taken to the courthouse for arraignment. 

Speculation circled around anything from obsctruction of justice charges to murder charges. For what it is worth, authorities in the Boston suburb refused to indicate what Hernandez was going to be charged with. The following quote comes directly from @MassStatePolice Twitter account

"Charges will be revealed at his arraignment in Attleboro District Court later today."

As it is, Hernandez was seen in the court wearing this get up. The former NFL tight end looked emotionless as the charges were read: 

1. Murder in the first degree. 

2. Carrying a firearm without a license. 

3. Possession of a large-capacity firearm. 

4. Possession of a firearm without a owner's identifcation

5. Two more firearm charges. 

Prior to Hernandez appearing in court and shortly after he was taken into custody, the New England Patriots announced his release on Twitter.

Shortly thereafter, they released a statement. 

"A young man was murdered last week and we extend our sympathies to the family and friends who mourn his loss. Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation. We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do."

Reports indicate that the Patriots decided to release Hernandez last week if he was charged in connection with the homicide investigation. 

The National Football League later released this statement on Twitter: 

"The involvement of an NFL player in a case of this nature is deeply troubling. The Patriots have released Aaron Hernandez, who will have his day in court. At the same time we should not forget the young man who was the victim in this case and take this opportunity to extend our deepest sympathy to Odin Lloyd’s family and friends."

While circumstantial in nature, prosecutor William McCauley laid out the following case in the arraignment, which tells us a gruesome story of murder.

"As (Lloyd) tried to turn, he was shot in the back, and the defendant and his confederates stood over him and delivered the two fatal shots," McCauley said, adding: "He orchestrated the crime from the beginning and took steps to conceal and destroy evidence." 

The rest of the DA's case can be found here. 

If convicted of killing Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-pro football player, Hernandez faces the full wrath of the law that is allowed in the New England state. Massachusetts doesn't employ the death penalty, even in first-degree premeditated murder cases, which means that Hernandez faces the real possibility of life in prison without the possibility of parol. 

Listen to eDraft Radio co-hosts Nick Slegel and Vincent Frank talk about this case as it broke live on the air Wednesday afternoon.