Hernandez lawyers disparage witness
Aaron Hernandez’s high-powered defense team is working to discredit a star witness for the prosecution they say has no credibility and a long criminal past as both sides prepare for the disgraced former New England Patriot’s upcoming double murder trial.
“He is not being prosecuted for murder, he has a get out of jail free card,” lead defense attorney Jose Baez said of Alexander Bradley yesterday after a day of pretrial motions in Suffolk Superior Court.
Asked what murder Bradley is getting away with, Baez said, “there are other things that have yet to come out. There are other shootings. There are other extensive things in Mr. Bradley’s background that I can’t comment on but will be coming out at trial.
“His credibility is next to nothing, given his history,” the Florida-based attorney added, declining to comment on whether the defense may point the finger Bradley’s way at trial. “I don’t think you can trust the message if you can’t trust the messenger.”
Hernandez is charged in the 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in Boston’s South End and prosecutors have also charged him with witness intimidation for allegedly shooting Bradley in Florida in 2013.
In court yesterday, attorneys for the former Pro Bowl tight end sought to have the witness intimidation charge dropped.
“(Bradley) made statements that he didn’t know who shot him,” Baez told judge Jeffrey Locke. “He was adamant about his desire to not cooperate with law enforcement.”
Hernandez was convicted of murdering Odin L. Lloyd in 2015 and is serving a life sentence.
Bradley, who testified in the Lloyd trial, was involved in an unrelated nightclub shooting in Connecticut in 2014. He cut a deal and is serving a five-year sentence, down from the 10 years originally sought by prosecutor Vicki Melchiorre.
On the stand yesterday, Melchiorre said Bradley’s cooperation in the Massachusetts case had nothing to do with the reduced sentence.
Locke took several motions under advisement and the two sides are due back in court Monday.
The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 13.