Judge says Hernandez fiancee, mother may attend murder trial

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) -- The judge overseeing the murder case against former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez says his fiancee and mother may attend the trial, even though they could be called as witnesses.

Hernandez is in Bristol County Superior Court for a pretrial hearing ahead of his trial, which starts Friday with jury selection. He is charged in the 2013 shooting death of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd.

Hernandez's fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, has pleaded not guilty to charges of perjury.

Superior Court Justice Susan Garsh on Tuesday also approved a prosecution request to bring jurors to several cellphone towers over the objections of Hernandez's lawyers, who said they were trying to re-enact their theory of the case. Prosecutors argued it is routine to show jurors the locations from which calls were placed.