Getty Jose Baez, Aaron Hernandez's lawyer, with Casey Anthony and Harvey Weinstein.
Jose Baez is a gifted lawyer; he’s won acquittals for two of the country’s highest-profile defendants: Casey Anthony and Aaron Hernandez. Baez is active on Instagram, and he’s been posting a lot about the Hernandez case. In fact, he called the Netflix series on Hernandez a “lame ass documentary.”
The Florida attorney is featured in the new Netflix documentary on Hernandez, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez. The documentary shows him winning an acquittal for Hernandez in the double murder of two men in Boston. However, Hernandez remained in prison because he was previously convicted of another homicide – the shooting death of Odin Lloyd – a case in which he was represented by another lawyer.
The former New England Patriots’ star killed himself in prison in 2017 while the Lloyd conviction was still up on appeal. The Netflix show basically accuses Hernandez of going on a violent crime spree, but he was only convicted of the Lloyd murder. You can see a roundup of murders and shootings linked to Hernandez here. In at least one of the shootings mentioned in the Netflix show, there is strong evidence that Hernandez didn’t do it.
However, what happened to Jose Baez? Where is he today?
Here’s what you need to know:
Baez Believes He Could Have Gotten Hernandez an Acquittal in the Odin Lloyd Case Because of Questions About Who Pulled the Trigger
Baez shared an excerpt from an article from Yahoo Sports in which the author answered this question, “Could Jose Baez have gotten Aaron off in the appeal of the Odin Lloyd murder?” The author responded that the evidence in the Lloyd case was “overwhelming.”
Baez wrote on Instagram, “I get asked this all the time and since this reporter threw it out there I must respectfully disagree. I think there was an outstanding chance he could have won the Odín Lloyd Trial. 4 guys go into a pit and 3 come out and you assume it was the NFL star with everything to lose and not the other two with criminal records? There was zero evidence as to who pulled the trigger. Thanks for the backhanded compliment Dan but I disagree. #aaronhernandez #baezlawfirm #aaronhernandezuncovered #unneccessaryroughness.”
Baez is referring to the two Hernandez friends who were with the NFL star that day when they picked up Lloyd shortly before his shooting death.
Today, Baez is still practicing law in Florida. You can find his law firm website here. “The Baez Law Firm offers clients top legal representation in criminal defense, civil rights, and civil litigation in south and central Florida, from Miami to Orlando to Tampa and all points in between,” it reads.
He briefly represented disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein but withdrew from that case.
His website explains that, in addition to his legal work, he “is on the faculty at Harvard Law School where he teaches trial techniques to second- and third-year law students in what is considered one of Harvard Law School’s most popular courses. Mr. Baez is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and is extremely active in various charitable endeavors in the Hispanic community. When not in the office fighting for justice, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.”
Baez Doesn’t Think the Netflix Documentary Was Accurate
After the Netflix series streamed, Baez took to Instagram with harsh words.
“I don’t give a damn about what some lame ass documentary has to say about Aaron,” he wrote. “I knew him, they did not and while he was far from perfect, they are not even close to the truth. People have no idea how documentaries are made, the truth is usually found on the cutting room floor. These producers lied directly to my face, so I don’t expect their money making scheme to be much better. #ripchico #baezlawfirm #aaronhernandez.”
He didn’t explain further, though. But he shared a collage of photos showing Hernandez with Baez and Hernandez’s daughter and fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins.
Baez wrote a book on the Hernandez case.
He won the acquittal for Hernandez in the double murder case in part by causing doubts about the real triggerman, and questioning the testimony of a convicted drug dealer and former Hernandez friend Alexander Bradley, who claimed he was present when Hernandez shot two men because one of them had spilled a drink on him. Unlike the Lloyd case, there was no forensic evidence linking Hernandez to the double homicide, although authorities said they unearthed the car driven during the murders in the garage of his cousin.
The Lloyd case was built on the testimony of co-actors but also cell phone and surveillance video that established the timeline showing that Lloyd had just been picked up by Hernandez and was killed a short distance from the NFL player’s house.
Last April 2019, Baez also posted about Aaron on Instagram, writing this:
“The day I slipped in court and called him Aaron Rodriguez went like this:
AH: Bro you called me Aaron Rodriguez!
JB: Get the f*ck out of here, no I didn’t.
AH: Yeah you did! (Laughing)
JB: Well if I can convince them all, that they got the wrong guy, maybe we can walk you out of here right now! (AH, JB: ??) #ripchico #aaronhernandez. Today to honor 81 I will post another humorous moment in court. He had the best sense of humor and the most beautiful smile. ?”
Baez Is Friends With Geraldo Rivera & Is an In Demand Speaker
In recent posts, Baez indicated he was boating with TV personality Geraldo Rivera, writing, “Went boating today with my lifelong friend and TV legend, Geraldo Rivera. He always gives me the best advice on life, as he always did things his way. #geraldorivera #goat #josebaez #livinglegend.”
He gives talks at universities around the country.
He sometimes posts photos of himself on his page. One caption in December 2019 read, “I hope to arrive to my death late, In love and a little drunk….Atticus ??”
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