The Bristol County District Attorney's office announced today that Aaron Hernandez's girlfriend Shayanna Jenkins has been charged with perjury. She's accused of lying to the grand jury that eventually indicted Hernandez for first-degree murder. Citing documents and text messages, investigators believe Jenkins knows what happened to the gun used to kill Odin Lloyd.
Additionally, Hernandez's cousin Tanya Singelton was charged with conspiracy to accessory after the fact, for her role in helping Ernest Wallace flee the state after Lloyd's murder. She's accused of driving him to Georgia, then buying him a bus ticket to Florida.
Investigators had previously accused both women of "overt attempts to hide evidence … and to hinder and mislead the investigation." Singleton had already been indicted on a charge of criminal contempt.
It's been a busy week in court. Earlier today, Carlos Ortiz was indicted on a count of accessory to murder after the fact, and yesterday Ernest Wallace pleaded not guilty to the same charge. Ortiz appears to be the prosecution's main witness against Hernandez, and yesterday prosecutors revealed that Ortiz now says that only Hernandez and Lloyd got out of the car before Lloyd was shot and killed. Previously, Ortiz had maintained that Wallace was with them. On one hand, this testimony would pin the guilt on Hernandez alone; on the other hand, the changing story could be seized upon by the defense as evidence against Ortiz's credibility.