he's taking cuba off the terror list prompting outcry from marco rubio. >> i think it's a mistake. it's only going to allow the cuban government access to more hard currency so they can set in permanent concrete the system they want legitimized life without parole. a jury outside boston finds aaron hernandez guilty of first degree murder. his victim's mother spoke before the court. >> i miss my baby boy odin so much but i know i will see him someday again. that has given me the strength to go on. good day, everyone.

i'm outside a food processing plant in norwalk, iowa hillary clinton will meet with business owners and workers. before we get to the news here we'll go to peter alexander for breaking news out of the boston. peter? >> nothing says iowa and campaigning like a food processing plant. we'll get back to you in a moment. more of that dramatic finish to a murder trial. the former nfl start was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2013 murder of odin lloyd. the conviction carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole. this news just breaking within a matter of minutes. nbc's ron mott is outside the courtroom in fall river, massachusetts right now. ron, what's the latest? >> reporter: peter, good afternoon. the sentencing was not dramatic. we knew with a first-degree

murder conviction, he was headed to prison for life without the possibility of parole. the verdict was surprising in that it took the jury a course of seven days to come back with this verdict. a lot of people began to suspect this was perhaps going to begin with a hung jury. after seven days they started to wonder if the jury was struggling with the verdict itself. we're waiting to hear official think from one or maybe several jurors about how the deliberations unfolded. what i suspect, peter, if they do talk, we may hear that they all went home yesterday having decided to vote murder one, and then sleep on it to make sure that was their decision and they were clear and comfortable making that decision because clearly they are now sending a 25-year-old man to prison for life. this is not the end selfaaron hernandez' legal trouble. as you know he stands accused of killing two men in a homicide in the south end of boston.

aaron hernandez is the suspected shooter in that case. a lot of legal observers believe that case is stronger. the case in boston seems a lot stronger. if you ask some legal experts, because you have a clearly established motive prosecutors say aaron hernandez killed the two men, because he was offended that one of them unknowningly spilled his drank and never apologized, and he lay in wait and amend bush them. they have a murder weapon and third, they have a witness they believe who was with aaron hernandez in the vehicle aaron hernandez was in that night, who also testified in this case. so we'll just have to wait and sigh what the jurors say. for. >> all right, ron mott have we hear from the jurors we will check in with you a bit later.

for now we want to send it to andrea mitchell in iowa. back to you. >> thank you very much peter. all that news out of boston here in iowa hillary clinton is about to arrive. the focus so far is on the economy. what are the reviews so far? with me here in iowa is ann geren from "the washington post," and joining us from washington is i did torrie columnist ruth marcus. ruth ruth, ann and i have been following hillary clinton, with very few opportunities for questions, but she has been drilling down on her issues. no specifics how she would accomplish it but certainly a pour pop you list tone at times sounding more like elizabeth warren than hillary clinton, and she's reaching out in the way caucus-goers like.

>> she did drop some news on what she would like to see happen on campaign finance, but it was geared to be a pop you list economic message, and also geared for an iowa audience first, and a national audience second. >> and with ruth marcus one of the criticisms has been that this is so controlled there's no opportunity to question her about the disparity between them dialing for dollars and what's going to be a billion dollar-plus campaign and talking about a constitutional amendment to limit campaign spending. at the same time talking as a pop you list when she was the senator from new york and clearly very close to wall street took money from hedge fund managers. but, ruth you wrote that the very roll-out the video was, quote vapid. >> i understand what hillary clinton is trying to do by the way, i'm kind of itching to be out there. i know it's frustrating not to

get to her. the campaign wants to hear from everyday americans, and all of that stuff, but the video and honestly even the first day or so of campaigning has been not -- the video was substance-free. the first couple days of campaigning have been semi-close to that. the video didn't say anything except for everyday americans are being left behind didn't say how it wanted to -- how she wanted to help fix that the four issues he mentioned were three issues their boilerplate, an economy for tomorrow not yesterday. keep our country safe duh. i'm not discounting the importance, just that everybody agrees with that. and work for families and children, duh again. the news she made as you said was on money and politics and supporting a constitutional

amendment. well i don't mean to be cynical, but first of all, wake me when that happens. that's not something within a president's control, and it would be years in the future. and i am having flashbacks to bill clinton who was raking in at the time tons of soft money, saying something i heard the clinton campaign saying yesterday, which is we're not going to unilaterally disarm in the interim. she gets some points. certainly some points with the left but it doesn't cost her anything. >> i asked jim omara the deputy -- yesterday at the first stop in monday sello. this is part of that conversation. >> on the economic issues she sounded more like elizabeth warren than hillary clinton. >> i just don't agree with that. she's been secretary of state, so we haven't heard her talk about economic issues as much but this is like being able to

figure out whatever way you can, through better education, more fair tax system. you know, that is what d. that's what hillary clinton is about. this is day one official for the campaign and, you know she wants to talk more about that but she wants to hear a lot more about that. >> what does he think about marco rubio, that yesterday is over? >> i don't know that he meant her. >> it is -- having someone declared yesterday. >> the republicans have been really very, very focused on hillary clinton. you know that's their business probably to the detriment. i don't think that's what the american people -- they apparently do, and so you know she's really focused on folks here and having a great time doing that. >> she doesn't take offense at this up-and-comer freshman senator taking -- >> you can't, you can't. after all that she has experienced in the political world, that's not something she's going to take offense at.

>> and money, she want to limit campaign money with a constitutional amendment. at the same time you are fund-raising, you will raise a ton of money. >> we hope to raise a good bit of money. we're going to need a lot of money. she's a tough fighter. shed we're going to continue to push to raise the resources we need. she does think this is a major problem, the amount of money in politics. that's an example of while -- ideas that she'll be, you know putting out there in the coming weeks while she's doing these visits and listening to people. so there will be some policy coming, and then later in the process she'll have more to say. chris christie went to new hampshire. this is something he had to confront while at a diener in manchester.

>> i personally made sure that the bridges were working. >> oh, see? you know -- [ laughter ] >> which direction is the bridge going? i want to make sure -- [ laughter ] >> my anniversary. >> really? how did it go? [ laughter ] >> so, of course it followed in there that's new hampshire voters for you as well. the republicans have not been silent. one other republican clearly, darrell issa, this is the latest e-mail controversy, ann geren, "new york times" reporting today there was a letter back in 2012 asking her when she was still secretary for another four weeks about personal e-mails. it wasn't answered. the answer i'm getting from the campaign is that was not directed at her, but directed at every member of the cabinet as part of darrell issa's then investigation into the epa head lisa jackson and her e-mails, so

it automatically went to the legislative affairs office which is basically the dead letter office here not to defend it but -- >> this is a query that went out, and it was in the waning weeks of hillary clinton's tenure at the state department so why is it only being released or leaked now at the start of her campaign. fair question but also a fair question to ask why it wasn't -- why we didn't know two years ago that in fact she had used a personal e-mail system if that query was sent directly to her at the end of 2012. >> ann geren, ruth marcus thank you so much another democrat thinking about running is senator jim webb considering a presidential run, as i say, was here in the hawkeye state last week. thank you for joining us. seeing what hillary clinton is doing up here are you more or less eager to get into the race?

>> we had a very good visit to iowa. council bluffs waterloo, des moines moines, mason city sat done with a lot of people veterans visited an ethanol plant, met with a asian community. i felt good about the trip. listening to the comments she made yesterday, mrs. clinton made yesterday, a couple things struck me. first, that she started talking about executive compensation and the inequities in our country, the 300 times ratio that people -- executive heads make compared to workers. i started talking about that nine years ago on the campaign trail. i mentioned it in my state of the union response to george w. bush in '07. what particularly struck me is she was talking. i listened on the radio on this about hedge fund managers making millions, and actually paying a

lower tax rate than nurses and truck drivers. i had to have a chuckle there, because i've used that example three different times on the senate floor, and i used it because one of my daughters happens to be a nurse, and my zonal drives a truck. i would say i'm glad she's over on this -- and american workers are needing this kind of voice and they want it from people who really mean it. >> senator, imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but there a space for you, as she's so dominant with the organization, with the clinton machine, if you will that's hard for anyone else to get in is? >> well we faced the same problem when i ran for the senate. we had no money, and no campaign staff, nine months before the election, and i focused on where i thought the country needed to go. we're doing the same thing right now. it's definitely difficult in the areas you're talking about,

fund-raising in an environment where much of the democratic party regulars are either contributing directly or are frozen, but we're getting a lot of good mail across the spectrum. i think people are looking for leadership they can trust. this is a time when i think a lot of people want to go back to the party of harry truman and franklin roosevelt. take a look -- think about harry truman what he would be saying to someone who told him he needed a -- a consultant to show him how to dress, or a lifestyle consultant telling him he needed to go to walmart. you know we need people who in politics, who will lead the same way they live. and what is your time frame? whether do you think you have to make a decision on whether to launch this or not? >> the iowa trip was very good for us. iowa is a place which has, you know, a very high political

intelligence level. people want to see you face-to-face. we got out in a lot of different places across the state. got tremendous response and respect for the message. one of the messages that every seems to be respond to is that we have too much money polluting the american political process, and it's particularly gotten worse after the citizens united decision and we have to find a way to have the people power overcome the money power. that's really the best solution. we did it when i ran for the senate. we had 14,000 volunteers in virginia when i ran for the senate. we have to stop our/fuls from summer efg that you need a money primary before you have a political primary. so we're getting out talking to people. we'll just see how it goes. >> jim webb senator, thank you very much. good luck out there as you test the waters. >> thank you coming up next the

president gives in on a veto threat after pressure from his own party on iran. we'll talk to the white house depend think national security adviser ben rhodes coming up next. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" live on msnbc. oothbrushes are engineered with end rounded bristles so brushing doesn't scratch gums and angled perfectly to remove 90% of plaque for a healthier smile. trust the brand more dentists and hygienists use. oral-b. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil. because hydraulic fracturing technology is safely recovering lots more oil and natural gas. supporting millions of new jobs. billions in tax revenue... and a new century of american energy security. the new energy superpower? it's red, white and blue. log on to learn more. ♪ turn around ♪ ♪ every now and then

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looming large is the challenge of finishes the negotiation with iran over the course of the next 2 1/2 months. yesterday there was a compromise reached in washington regarding congressional input. we are confident about our ability for the president to negotiate an agreement, and to do so with the ability to make the world safer.

>> john kerry, secretary of state in germany today talking about the iran deal saying he can get it through, he thinks despite the competition or conflict in congress appeared conflicting reports from iran. i'm joined by ben rhodes. ben, thanks very much for joining us. there's a lot that has to be done einternally sin the eye cola cola. >> we have a framework that we agreed to not just between the united states and iran but we've laid out the details. clearly the iranians for their own purposes are emphasizing different elements of that framework agreement. look there's very tough issues that still need to be nailed

down as it relates to the implementation details that would put this framework into place. what the president has said if that deal doesn't match the framework that we agreed to in this is the framework to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. >> how un -- did not nail down adequately is what to do about iran's past suspicious activity on warheads and missiles. >> first of all, we raised our concerns with the russian government. it is of concern anytime we see this type of transfer to the iranians. however, we think that the negotiation we continue to have good cooperation with russia in terms of pursuing the framework agreement and nailing that down into a deal. what we are looking at is in terms of the u.n. security council resolutions that have the multilateral sanctions in place, how do we preserve the

multilat rat sanctions regime as it relates to things like ballistic missiles sensor technologies, the arms embargo, even as clearly there would be sanctions relief for the nuclear-related sanctions internationally. >> i want to ask you about cuba because of the big decision the president announced today, sending the her to congress saying he's rescinding the terror designation first placed in 1982. they have there is a lot of opposition, though principally from the latest republican entrant into the presidential contest, marco rubo. this is what he had to say to our colleague jose diaz-balart. >> it harbors fugitives of american justice, people who have stolen millions for medicare fraud, a cop killer from new jersey one of the people -- the ten most wanted people in america. this is a country that a government -- helped north korea

evade u.n. sanctions. this is a country with two high military officials who have been indicted by a u.s. federal court for the murder of american citizens who are pilots and brothers to the rescue who were conducting a humanitarian mission. sounds like a terrorist state to me. >> any give at all, for instance on the fugitive who's been living in cuba for all these years, and i have killing the new york state trooper, at least accused of it. >> this is a question of whether or not cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism, and they're not. there are countries that have fugitives all around the world who are not on the terrorism list. there are countries in europe where there are fugitives that the united states is interested in pursuing. we're not putting them on a list of state sponsors of terror. we're focused on isil and what was focused in the past was is

the relationship with farc and now they are having talks with them. 97% of the cuban people want normalization with the united states. in every survey we have seen the american people want to pursue this normalization with cuba. the effect of the additional financial activity now reaching an engagement that will come from the cuban people will be good for cubans and will help empower cubans and give them access to greater resources and information. what i would say to senator rubo, if we want a policy that helps empower the cuban people, we need to deepen our own engagement and listen to the 97% of cubans who have made clear they want to see this go forward. >> and opening embassyiesembassies? weeks or months? >> i think it will be soon andrea. where the two presidents met in panama they agreed to direct their teams to close out these remaining issues some very

practical and technical issues about how the embassies operate. we want to make sure the diplomats have the ability to get out and engage in ordinary cubans, the cubans of course want to make sure they can operate and function here in the united states. including things like being ability to acbanks. we're working through the details, and open with embassies tonight. clear lir supported by both peoples. >> ben rose thanks so much. good to see you from the white house. we'll have a lot more coming up on cuba and the new relation shall with pat leahy, who's been a chief sponsor of normalizing relations in a moment when we return reporting from iowa andrea mitchell on msnbc. audible safety beeping audible safety beeping

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as we've been reporting president obama's decision to remove cuba from the state department's list of sponsors of terror is controversial with many in congress it could pave the way to reopening embassyies in both capitals for the first time in half a century unless the congress steps in in the next 45 days to block that decision. pat leahy has been involved in this deeply evolving relationship with cuba. thank you for being with us. what do you see congress doing in the next 45 days? is there a move to take the money away or doing something else? a republican-controlled congress frankly to stop this from taking place? >> there would be a lot of speeches about how it was a terrible thing to do. the fact is the american people think it was the right thing to do. where the congress is not going to override the president on this issue. i think the at the present time knows that but the american people, the vast majority of the

american people agree that it's time for normalization of coupa, in fact many would say it's long past time for it. we've tried this exclusion of them from the time of president eisenhower kennedy, johnson nixon, everybody else. it doesn't work. it didn't work for 50 years. time to face the realities of today. >> one of the things that cuba has been complaining about is they can't bank in the u.s. they have no access to any kind of predator or checking accounts. now that they're off the terror lift do you think the state department can persuade them to extend credit? >> of course they are able to do it in new york with the u.n. mission -- the u.n. co-op, but it's important they be able to do it here in washington also.

being on the terrorist list made it impossible. i can understand basics say they're not going to be involved. barracks will start doing it just as we will be able to do banks there. you know they are step by step procedures. everybody would like to see it by 3:00 this asp, it will take longer than that but it will be done. >> senator i'm covering hillary clinton, you supported obama last time around are you supporting her this time around? >> i talked to her some time ago, and if she would like my support she's welcome to it. of course i come from just a little state. vermont is probably not the number one state that presidential candidates will look at although i think we're a very special state, and ear welcome to come and visit anytime you would like.

>> certainly we're be up there and in neighboring new mexico, but can i clarify? that's an endorsement? >> i told her way back when she was just leaving her time as secretary of state. we had gone down to haiti together. i told her at that time if she'd like my support, she'll have it. >> that carries a lot of wait. i'm sure she'll appreciate that. >> i think the weight of senators from other states will probably carry more weight. >> i'm going to go back inside and cover he event. thank you, senator leahy for being with us. peter alexander, you take it from here back in washington, much less windy, i think. >> thank you very much. we are following some brea the news. back in new hampshire a jury has

found a live shot from the area. there it is right there. this took seven days for the jurors to adown nair decision. he was taken out of court in handcuffs, sentence to do life in prison. we'll have more on this in a moment. we'll hear from the jurors in the case. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" right here on msnbc. but when i started having back pain my sister had to come help. i don't like asking for help. i took tylenol but i had to take six pills to get through the day. so my daughter brought over some aleve. it's just two pills, all day! and now, i'm back! aleve. two pills. all day strong, all day long. and for a good night's rest, try aleve pm for a better am.

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so, what brings you to jersey? well, geico's the #1 auto insurer in new jersey, new york and connecticut. so i just came by to say "thanks." #1, huh? that's great. here you go. a little token of appreciation. oh, that's... that's... that's great... now i'd say you probably need a large. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. new jersey governor chris christie is today holding a town hat meeting in london derry, new hampshire, part of his sweep across the grand state this week. is this trip his comeback? or has hi 2016 obituary already

been written? and overcoming recent low poll numbers. >> the fact is you know that all of them are just a snapshot in a moment that are based upon a lot of factors so i don't particular worry about that. if you try to make many your mind based on what the poll numbers are, you have no business running for president. >> that conversation at his home in new jersey. and matt bye is here from yahoo, fresh off this conversation you just had. you spoke to governor christie on monday. of course you're the author of convulsion all the truth-- "all the truth is out." he said the only way you're going to perform well is if you believe in your heart you are president, and i didn't in reference to the last cycle. i wouldn't have won in 2012. i wasn't ready. what did he tell you?

is he ready now? he could go to a lot of different states to go to town hall. is he now in? >> he's ready. he says he's ready. my first question is do you ever -- and he says no and he gave that answer. i said are you ready now? and he said yes. he's not officially in it. i think he feels he can wait until the summer. some may disagree but he clearly has an interested in doing it. you know he sounds like a candidate, and it's certainly a plan, a very bold plan that a candidate comes out with. >> let's be specific to this. he has grand plans in terms of entitlements and social security specification the people making more than $200,000. in in some ways he's calling the candidates' bluff that he wouldn't need to receive anything right now.

in simple terms, is this grand plan on social security and entitlements a hail mary? >> it's more ambitious i wouldn't call it a hail mary. or he's way behind and negative ratings are alarmingly high. he believes he's better prepared for other candidates. what he does best is to take on difficult controversy yaw questions that people don't want to talk about, and go out there and fight for them. have a back-and-forth with people, be the truth teller in the field. that's the persona, and that won him success. this is a very tough divisive issue.

>> he's up against guys like scott walker and jeb bush. is it too late for him to catch up. >> i they hess has the right attitude. so -- with fickle media, with how early the cycle starts i -- i don't think someone in his position should be so concerned about what we used to call about the invisible primary. i think it's more important to us in this industry than it is to reality in politics. we haven't had a campaign yet. those numbers will rise and fall. money is out there. i think a candy in christie's position really needs to be concerned with the core questions of can i get a hearing?

i think that's what he's focused on asking. >> and mad bai, always nice to see you. thank you. >> anytime. within the hour around her nan was found guilty in the murder of odin lloyd, sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. just moments ago, the jurors spoke to reports. take a listen. >> what did you think about the defense's case? >> how would you factor this experience over the last couple months with the rest of your life? it will be something that will define you, you think? >> we'll all remember it for the rest of our lives. it will definitely by a part of us. >> never want to do it again. >> i think everybody would like to be taken off the list.

>> my colleague rob mott is in fall river, massachusetts t. following this case from the beginning. we're expected to hear from the victim's mother as well and perhaps the d.a. at any minute. is that right? >> reporter: that's correct. we're expecting them to come outside. ursula ward is expected to join the prosecution team to meet with the media outside. a couple things i found remarkable about the jurors who spoke after the sentence was read. i think the entire panel met together with the media. a lot of times you see in a long case this was nine weeks of testimony, seven days of deliberations, there's a lot of friction and when the case is over, and they've been discharged of their duties you usually see several go. they don't want anything to do with talking about the case any further. it looks like this entire panel got into the room together to take about their experience. one of the things i found remarkable was the fact they said they had difficulty agrees on the premedication part of the

standard that he essentially backed into the murder one conviction by agreeing all 12 of them that the -- that it met the standard of great atrocity or cruelty. and the way that odin lloyd was killed five shots, including what the prosecution team called two kill shots, the jury found that to meet that standard of cruelty. that's how they all came together on this nurled one conviction. they did not want to speak specifically about the deliberations themselves because as you know, peter, a lot of speculation was the longer this went this was favorable to perhaps aaron hernandez that the jury was struggling between guilt and not guilty in this case but they were pretty resounding in their decision and didn't get any answers if they went home yes having already decides on the case. >> definitely a dramatic finish to once was a promising career. he signed not long ago a

five-year, $40 million contract but there had always been challenges within his personal life dating back to his days at the university of florida. i think a lot of people including the nfl community, was hoping to put some negative headlines behind them. this is the end of a disappointing road. we see ursula ward odin lloyd's mom taking to the podium. we will listen to her as well as the prosecutor in a matter of molt. here they are. >> okay. good afternoon to everyone. i would like to thank everyone for being here with us today, and first and foremost i would like to thank the heavenly master. without him, nothing would be possible in my life and i

probably wouldn't get justice today. i want to thank him most of all. i would like to thank everyone around the world. i have received cards, flowers, letters, and i would like to thank everyone for their support and prayers. my son odin was the most precious gift in my life. i'm going to miss his smile. from across the street i would see his pink gum -- on father's day i'm going to miss the best words, happy father's day, ma. i've been his mother and father all his life so on father's day that's one of the things he gives me. on that sunday i had just came from church and my son saw me. he says ma you look so

beautiful today. i love those colors on you. and those were the last words i heard from my son. those are some -- my baby just like god has left his footprint in the sand -- >> take your time. >> my baby's footprints is in my heart forever. he was my strength. i love him dearly. i thank my family who has been

there with me for 2 1/2 months and for two years. i would like to thank the prosecutors and everyone that had a hand in helping the prosecutors to come this far. we serve an awesome god. we should all remember that because without him, we are nothing. i thank you. >> reporter: how do you forgive like that? >> she's not going to take any questions. >> no questions, please. thank you. >> i'd like to comment first on the extraordinary dignity and class of the woman who just addressed you. you saw her in the victim impact statement and throughout the trial. first i'd like to thank the jury

for their service in this case the last several months. i have great respect for the jury system. a fair trial before a jury of our peers is one of the most important rights that we as citizens have. it's not easy to take away three months from your work and family to sit in judgment of a fellow citizen. the jury's verdict was well supported by the evidence. i applaud the close attention to the jurors paid in discharging their duty. aaron hernandez may have been known as a well-known new england patriot football player but in the end, the jury found that he was just a man who killed someone in a brutal murder. he was held responsible for hess deappraised conduct. odin lloyd had his whole life ahead of him. he was working, spending time

developing a lovelly relationship. every day this young man made the effort to ride his bicycle from dorell chester to norwood to earn a paycheck. as you could see from the comment today. he did not deserve to fall victim to the brutal and truly senseless murder that aaron hernandez in and out stands convicted of committing. throughout this entire process, odin lloyd's family has showed grace, dignity and patience during this difficult ordeal. they appeared in court every day, conducted themselves with the utmost class. only they can appreciate how different this ordeal was for

them and any family faced with a similar tragedy. ursula ward has led her family throughout this tremendous catastrophe and had to do it with a public spotlight on her every step of the way. a very special person. i would like to express my sincere gratitude and admiration for the performance of our trial team. bill macaulay and the team spent most of the time during the last 22 months focusing on this case and preparing to obtain justice for odin lloyd and his family. they did just that. people should know how much time they spent during the last two years at the expense of their families and personal time.

the job of a prosecutor can often go under-appreciated, because most of the work is done outside of the cameras. i have nothing but admiration and respect for their efforts and performance during this trial. . i do want to specifically acknowledge them individually. i'm not going to cover everybody, but it's important to note not only bill macaulay but pat bottomm berg jennifer purcell, a young woman who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to prepared this case and provide important kniffin to our prosecutors. roger michael. in addition our advocates who word so closely with the family and provided them comfort. daphne crowell, frank ramos, and i also want to express my

appreciation to my prosecutors' families, for their support and tolerance of the sacrifices they had to make. we spent many sundays here outside of the public eye, them particularly devoted to putting the best case forward for the victim's family and the public. i also want to specially recognize chief john riley and the police department, their cooperation in this investigation was tremendous f. and a credit to their professionalism. i would also like to thank our state police detective unit who worked tirelessly on this case in particular i would take special node of trooper eric benson, the case over. jeremiah donovan, and also north at bore atte borough.

and thank the bristol connecticut police department for their cooperation in this matter. lastly, i would like to thank the media, you, for your patience during the last three months respecting the adherence to the gag order that was in place, again i think you acted professionally with diligence in respecting the gag order. so thank you for that. at this time i'm prepared to take questions. >> reporter: what did you think when -- that she forgives the people who did this to her son? >> i think it's a tremendous compliment to her. as difficult as it is for people in the end, forgiveness is what it's about if one can bring themselves to do that. by doing that today, it shows you what type of person she is. >> reporter: how confidence are you that this was the decision that can be -- >> i felt confident that we had presented a strong case and

after a fair consideration of all the evidence that mr. hernandez would be convicted. >> reporter: do you feel the judge treated the prosecution fairly in this case in terms of -- >> during every trial there are decisions from a judge that we agree with and that we disagree with. i think that occurred in this case like it does in every case. >> reporter: are you surprised by the length of the deliberation? >> i was not. >> reporter: can you comment on the whole celebrity nature of this case? this wasn't a normal case. it was a big football celebrity, and how do you think that impacted this trial? >> well it impacted it significantly based on what we're doing here now. certainly it was a major case the case gained national attention. i think in the end a fair trial was provided to the defendant. in the end, he's a celebrity, he's a patriots football player. that attracts everybody, but in the end he was a man who

committed a serious murder and was convicted of that by a jury of his peers. >> reporter: what did you think of the jury not coming up with the -- coming up -- >> i respect the jury system as i said. that's their decision based on what they do in the privacy of deliberations. he was convicted of first-degree murder, a brutal murder of odin lloyd. >> reporter: how important do you think robert kraft's testimony was? >> i think every piece of the testimony put together a strong case for conviction. >> reporter: might be extreme atrocity cruelty, but couldn't prove premeditation? >> we asked an instruction based on the evidence.

it was props based on the evidence that you heard. >> reporter: obviously -- do you think aaron hernandez -- >> i would say that you heard the evidence that was presented, certainly one could conclude that he did, but i again respect -- i don't know -- the juror apparently spoke to you earlier. i respect the privacy of their deliberations. >> you can't certainly concluded that. >> i mean our focus now is on the successful prosecution of the most important matter the brutal killing of odin lloyd. those matters will take care of themselves. >> how difficult was it to try this case can no murder weapon? no live witness and no really hard and fast motive?

>> i would say or team did a very good job marshals all the evidence in this case. there was no eyewitness -- there was an eyewitness i would suggest to you, a videotape. you saw it -- that was certainly something the jury could consider what was on the tape i have the utmost respect for our prosecutors, and frankly with as high publicity as this case was, i had complete confidence and was not fretting at all during the prosecution of this case because of the confidence i had in all the people who were part of this team. >> reporter: -- when mr.

hernandez was there. >> that's a strategic decision the defense makes. that's up to the jury. i mean he suggested the defendant was at the scene. i think the evident was clear that he was at the scene, based on a reasonable view of it based on the dna and the vehicle and the footprint. so that's something that he conceded in the closing, and i think it was very consistent with the evidence. was i surprised by that? >> not necessarily, but i'm not reading what's in his mind. they're trying to put their best food forward, so to speak, and that's the strategy that they took. i think the evidence was very strong that he was at the scene.

let's just focus on the aaron hernandez matter. i think this is a great day for the commonwealth great day for the family, because the jury has spoken. >> the defense's case that you targeted them -- and then -- how do you respond to -- >> my response is that the evidence targeted aaron hernandez. the evidence led to aaron hernandez. that's what i would say, and the evidence is what convicted aaron hernandez. there was no sloppy police investigation. it was done professionally thoughtfully, and the evidence that was obtained especially in the early stages of the investigation led to aaron hernandez, and has led to his conviction. >> how would you characterize this one? they appeared to be very involved, and -- >> i think so. i think they appeared to be in

attentive, focused jury throughout the two-plus months. i respect that. that was what was necessary, especially in a case of this length. this is 2 1/2 months some of them were selected so i -- i have great respect for their attention and focus during this trial. first degree murder is the automatic reveal. beyond that i would have -- i wouldn't know. >> do you intend to fully prosecute the other -- >> they're co-defendants, their matters are coming up for review next month. the prosecution of them will go forward.