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Fiancee of ex-NFL player Hernandez due to be called in trial

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former New England Patriots football player Aaron Hernandez, left, sits with his defense attorney Charles Rankin, right, during his murder trial, Thursday, March 26, 2015, in Fall River, Mass. Hernandez is charged with killing Odin Lloyd.

FALL RIVER, Mass. >> The fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is due to be called to testify by prosecutors in his murder trial, two people with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press.

Shayanna Jenkins, 25, was granted immunity by the court in February, which means she can be compelled to testify or face time behind bars. There had been a question about whether prosecutors would call Jenkins, who has been in a relationship with Hernandez, 25, since high school and is the mother of his 2-year-old daughter.

The two people who spoke to the AP on Thursday said Jenkins would be called to appear Friday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of a gag order.

Jenkins has pleaded not guilty to perjury. Prosecutors say she lied to a grand jury investigating the June 17, 2013, killing of Odin Lloyd, 27, who was dating her younger sister, Shaneah. Lloyd was found shot to death at an industrial park less than a mile from the home that Jenkins and Hernandez share.

The sisters introduced Lloyd and Hernandez in 2012, during a game at Gillette Stadium.

Shayanna Jenkins has been coming to court sporadically and sitting behind Hernandez, whispering “I love you,” to him and occasionally joking with him. She has not appeared in court since March 6. That day, she was not wearing a large diamond engagement ring that she usually wore.

Meanwhile, Shaneah Jenkins sits with Lloyd’s mother and other family members. When Shaneah was called to testify earlier in the trial, Shayanna scribbled notes and then passed them to Hernandez’s lawyers, occasionally sighing as her sister spoke.

Surveillance video played for the jury showed Shayanna removing from their home a garbage bag with what appeared to be a box inside. Prosecutors said before the trial that they believe the box contained the murder weapon, which has never been found.

Associated Press writer Denise Lavoie contributed to this report from Boston.

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