It’s been about 3 weeks since Aaron Hernandez was found hanging from a bed sheet in his jail cell as a result of an apparent suicide, Yahoo News reports.

Today, Massachusetts Judge Susan Garsh of Bristol County granted the former NFL star abatement on his 2015 conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd. This means the New England Patriot is now considered “not guilty” in the eyes of the court!

Garsh ruled in favor of Hernandez, citing an ancient Massachusetts law that states if a defendant dies while a conviction is still in process of an appeal then the verdict is to be vacated.

“Abatement is the law in this Commonwealth and this court is required to follow that precedent,” Garsh said at today’s proceedings earlier today. “… the Court has no other choice.”

Aaron Hernandez
Photo by Michael Heiman/Getty Images

Prosecutor Patrik Bomberg argued otherwise and noted that according to a police report, Hernandez mentioned his awareness of the abatement law to a fellow inmate and in a suicide note addressed to his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez. The letter stated, “YOURE RICH.”

Hernandez’s attorney, John Thompson, argued that neither the assumed motives or death applies to the abatement law, so there is no ruling on the issue that would call for abatement to not be granted.

Commonwealth is expected to appeal the decision, causing yet another step in the already long process.