Aaron Hernandez's 2013 murder conviction has been thrown out by a judge because Hernandez died before his appeal was heard.
According to ESPN, Judge E. Susan Garsh ruled today that a legal doctrine that calls for vacating convictions when a defendant dies before the appeal was binding precedent, and she was compelled to follow it.
Hernandez had been serving a life sentence for killing Odin Lloyd when he committed suicide last month.
Prosecutors had argued that dismissing the murder conviction would essentially reward Hernandez's decision to take his own life. Prosecutor Patrick Bomberg added that Hernandez "should not be able to accomplish in death what he could not accomplish in life."
Despite today's ruling, Odin Lloyd's family can still file a wrongful death lawsuit against Hernandez's estate.
