Judge: Aaron Hernandez lawyer may question tipster

A judge in the Aaron Hernandez murder case has ordered a still-unidentified tipster to testify under oath about information she may have about a biased juror who convicted the former NFL star on murder charges.

The woman hasn’t been identified in court documents.

Sultan, Hernandez’s lawyer, says the woman called him anonymously after Hernandez’s conviction in April and raised questions about a juror.

“This court is simply ruling on whether to permit an examination under oath of the caller so that the parties can assess her credibility and decide whether to request that further action be taken by the court”, Garsh said in a written order. Bristol County Assistant District Attorney William McCauley said she had an “ongoing sexually explicit relationship” with the former NFL player before and during the murder trial, presumably referring to letters she sent to or received from him while he was in jail.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, characterized the woman as an erotic pen pal to Hernandez during his incarceration.

But Garsh wrote that the “noted inconsistencies in the Caller’s reported statements do not render her accusations inherently implausible or compel a conclusion that the Callers’s accusations are false”.

Such knowledge could be grounds for Hernandez’ conviction to be overturned. His entire trial will be reviewed by the Supreme Judicial Court at some point in the next several years.

Recently, Hernandez’s fiancée Shayanna Jenkins announced she was taking his name and a Rhode Island judge approved the matter.

Susan Garsh has scheduled a September 2 hearing at the Fall River Justice Center to set a date for the defense questioning of the tipster, publicly identified to date only as “Katy”.

Hernandez’s legal troubles are continuing. He’s accused of gunning down two men outside a Boston nightclub in 2012.

Hernandez has pleaded not guilty.