BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court on Wednesday reinstated the late Aaron Hernandez's murder conviction, which was erased after the former NFL star killed himself in prison.

The Supreme Judicial Court also scrapped the legal principle that wiped out Hernandez's conviction for future cases, calling it "outdated and no longer consonant with the circumstances of contemporary life."




Prosecutors have said the legal doctrine is outdated and unfair to victims. Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn II argued the defendant's estate should be allowed to appeal the case, if they wish. Otherwise, the conviction should stand, he said.

"He goes through a full trial, a jury who speaks for the public convicts him and because he dies, in this case commits suicide, the whole thing is wiped out like it never happened? It's not fair or just and should be changed," Quinn told reporters after the November hearing.




Hernandez's attorney had previously argued the legal doctrine should remain intact, saying juries make mistakes.

How other states handle cases such as Hernandez's varies widely. Some states, like Massachusetts, toss the convictions, while others dismiss the defendant's appeal and the conviction stands. Other states allow appellate courts to consider a dead defendant's case, prosecutors say.