The List: Sports stars who became killers

Former New England Patriots NFL football player Aaron Hernandez, middle, stands with his defense attorneys. Photo / AP

With former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez today found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison - we look at four other sportspeople charged with murder.

Leslie Hylton - Cricket
Cricket is full of records and statistics but former West Indian fast bowler Hylton holds a record no fellow player would want - he is the only test cricketer to have been executed. Hylton played six tests between 1935 and 1939 for the West Indies - taking 16 wickets at an average of 26.12. In his debut test against England he opened the batting in the second innings after his captain reversed the batting order due to a wet pitch. Hylton top-scored with 19.

But in 1955, aged 50, he was hanged for the murder of his wife, Lurlene after shooting her in a disbute over rumours she was cheating on him. Hylton claimed that he was attempting to shoot himself and missed - however with seven shots fired it was hard for the jury to believe.

That same year the West Indies were playing Australia in a test. With West Indian opener John Holt going through a form slump a banner at the ground read "Hang Holt, Save Hylton".

Marc Cécillon - Rugby
The former French rugby captain was handed a 20-year prison sentence in 2006 after shooting his wife dead in a drunken rage at a party. Cécillon fired five shots from his .357 Magnum at his 44-year-old wife Chantal while 60 witnesses looked on in horror on August 7 2004. His wife died of wounds to the chest, head and arm at the scene at Saint-Savin, near the central-eastern city of Lyon.

The towering and imposing Cécillon, who was capped 46 times from 1988-95 and was a five-time captain of the French rugby team, was drunk at the time of the shooting and did not realise his wife was dead until he woke up in jail early the following morning, AFP reported police as saying. According to witnesses, Cécillon had been quite drunk at the party and was asked to leave after slapping the hostess. He returned a half hour later saying he wanted to bid everyone goodbye but then pulled out a gun and shot his wife.

Cécillon's sentence was reduced to 14 years on appeal and he was freed on parole in 2011 after serving less than five years.

Eric Naposki - American football
Hernandez is not the only former Patriot serving time for murder. Naposki played two seasons for New England as a linebacker in the late 80s before switching to the Indianapolis Colts for one season. He later played in the now defunct World League for the Barcelona Dragons.

In 2012 he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for the murder of his girlfriend's partner in 1994 so that she could collect life insurance on the death. According to the trial reports, Naposki shot William "Bill" McLaughlin in his Newport Beach home on December 15, 1994.

The case went unsolved for 15 years before Naposki was charged in 2009. He was found guilty two years later along with former girlfriend Nanette Johnston who was convicted of first-degree murder. He is currently in Corcoran State Prison, the same home of Charles Manson.

Robert Rozier - American football
After being drafted by the then NFL side the St. Louis Cardinals, Rozier was released following six games for alleged drug offenses. Three years later he joined the Yahweh Black Supremacist cult where a member had to return the body of a white person to gain entry to the group. Rozier admitted to killing seven white people to please Yahweh and was charged with murder in 1986. After agreeing to testify against Yahweh's organisation, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison and was freed after 10 years served.

After being placed under witness protection on his release he was later charged for check fraud - and was convicted to serve 25 years under the third strike law.