The jurors who acquitted Aaron Hernandez in his recent double-murder trial did not unanimously agree that the ex-NFL star was innocent, but they wrestled with the credibility of witnesses and agreed prosecutors did not meet the burden of proof for a first-degree conviction, the jury forewoman told the Globe in an exclusive interview.

The nine women and seven men — 12 jurors and four alternates — never discussed Hernandez’s previous conviction for first-degree murder, which lawyers were required to tiptoe around at trial, and many were unaware that he was already serving a life sentence and knew little about Hernandez, Lindsey Stringer said.


“I want to be very clear that a verdict of ‘not guilty’ does not mean that we declared Aaron Hernandez innocent,” said Stringer, the forewoman, describing how jurors worked through their own definitions of “reasonable doubt” to come into alignment during six days of deliberations.

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