(CNN) — Odin Lloyd, who authorities allege was murdered by former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, carved a reputation as a trophy-accumulating athlete who in school had a mischievous streak for jokes and pranks, relatives said.
Lloyd, 27, found ways to keep smiling outside the family home in Boston’s largest and most diverse neighborhood, Dorchester.
“Everybody in school used to say, like, I was always getting in trouble with my mom because he was always a class clown,” his sister, Olivia Thibou, told CNN affiliate WHDH. “Everyone knew him to always make jokes, to laugh.
“Anybody who knows my brother would say that he’s just a funny guy,” she added. “He’s very respectful. He never really disrespected anybody.”
Lloyd, who was working for a landscaping firm, also played football for the Boston Bandits, the oldest semi-pro team in Boston and the winners of four championships in the New England Football League, the team’s website says. The team opens the 2013 season on July 20.
Lloyd’s family home features his trophies in baseball and basketball as well as football. One trophy said “MVP,” most valuable player. They were all on display on the family’s front porch during news conferences when the family pressed investigators to find out who killed him.
Lloyd’s body was found riddled with gunshot wounds on June 17 in a secluded area of an industrial park near Hernandez’s house, authorities said. A jogger discovered the body.
Investigators later found five shell casings at the scene. Inside Lloyd’s pocket, authorities said, they found a wallet and keys to a car that Hernandez had rented.
Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée, Thibou told CNN. Her brother and Hernandez went to a Boston nightclub together a few days before his death, she said.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder.
