Prosecution, defence face off in court

Hernandez murder case

BOSTON, April 6, (RTRS): Prosecutors and attorneys for former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez painted sharply contrasting portraits on Thursday of the 2012 night when two men were shot dead outside a Boston nightclub.

The prosecution contended that the former National Football League player gunned down the pair in a fit of rage after one of the men spilled a drink on him, while defense attorney Jose Baez maintained there was no evidence that the celebrity had even seen either of the victims in the club.

Baez went on the offensive over prosecution witness Alexander Bradley, who said that he was in the car that Hernandez shot the pair from. Baez painted Bradley, a convicted drug dealer who was given immunity to testify, as an unrepentant liar whose testimony was not to be trusted.

“It’s an absolute lie,” Baez said, citing testimony from other witnesses at the club that night who said they did not see a dispute between Hernandez and the Cape Verdean nationals Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado, contradicting Bradley’s testimony.

Assistant District Attorney Patrick Haggan however stuck by Bradley’s testimony, describing Hernandez as a paranoid person who wanted to punish the pair for perceived disrespect. He noted that Bradley testified that Hernandez had called out to the two men before opening fire.

“Safiro Furtado was looking at the shots as they were coming, looking down the barrel of a gun as it was held by a murderer,” Haggan said. “That murderer wanted them to see it coming.”

After allegedly shooting the pair five times Hernandez continued to pull the trigger of his empty handgun, he said, citing witness testimony.

“The killer wanted more carnage in that car,”

Hernandez

Haggan added.

Hernandez was convicted in 2015 of fatally shooting an acquaintance, Odin Lloyd, in an industrial park near his North Attleboro, Massachusetts, home two years earlier. He is serving a life prison term for that killing.

Bradley said that Hernandez shot him in the face while the two were on a 2013 trip to Florida after Bradley mentioned the Boston shooting. Bradley, who lost an eye in that incident, initially denied knowing who had fired at him but later identified Hernandez as the alleged shooter in a civil lawsuit seeking monetary damages.

Hernandez, 27, is charged with witness intimidation for that alleged shooting. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The additional murder charges also carry life sentences if he is found guilty.

Meanwhile, Marshawn Lynch visited the Oakland Raiders’ facility on Wednesday, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter citing an undisclosed source as saying that a deal between the retired running back and his hometown team “eventually will happen.”

Lynch’s arrival at the Oakland-based facility was first reported by former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee at his new position as a Barstool Sports contributor.

Lynch, who turns 31 on April 22, retired from the NFL and Seahawks after the 2015 season. He has been on the reserve/retired list since May 2016.

Under terms of his existing contract, Lynch would be in line for a $9 million salary and cap hit in 2017, and he would be due a base salary of $7 million in 2018 and could potentially earn an additional $3 million roster bonus, according to ESPN.

The Raiders lost running back Latavius Murray to the Minnesota Vikings in free agency. Jalen