NFL star Aaron Hernandez's motion to dismiss murder charges against him, which arose from the 2013 killing of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, has been denied by a judge.

Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée at the time of his murder, was found dead about a mile away from the NFL star's residence last year, with evidence of gunshot wounds on his back and on his chest.

Authorities obtained a warrant to search Hernandez's home on June 18, 2013, after finding evidence that the football star had intentionally broke his own alarm system, and that he had contracted a number of workers to clean up his house the same day Lloyd's body was recovered, arousing suspicion of his guilt in the high-profile murder case.

Hernandez, who has been in prison since his arrest on June 26, 2013, awaits his trial which is scheduled to start January 9th of next year. He is currently considered a free agent in the National Football League following the New England Patriot's decision to drop him off their roster altogether, and will remain as such until his trial has concluded.

Apart from the Odin Lloyd murder charges, Hernandez is also facing a handful other criminal charges. The football player was also charged with a lawsuit filed by his friend Alexander Bradley, who alleged that Hernandez shot him while they were in a car earlier in 2013. The shooting followed a fight they had which stemmed from their visit to an adult club in Miami.

In addition to these charges, Hernandez also awaits trial for a Boston double homicide in 2012, in which he was accused of firing gunshots into the victim's vehicle, along with several other charges filed by survivors of that incident.