Boston Herald

BIZARRE TEXT TRAIL REVEALED

Hernandez and ‘brother’ pledged love, friendship after alleged shooting

- By BOB McGOVERN

Alexander Bradley and former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez professed their love for each other and promised to always maintain their unbreakabl­e friendship — even during the months after the former NFL star allegedly shot his buddy in the face and left him for dead, according to text messages between the two.

“jus kno at the end of the day I will always love u NO MATTER WAT HAPPENS,” Hernandez texted Bradley on April 11, 2013, two months after prosecutor­s say the disgraced Patriot shot his friend in the eye in Florida.

The pages of texts, released by prosecutor­s this week, come on the heels of Bradley’s testimony against Hernandez in his doublehomi­cide trial. Hernandez also faces a witness intimidati­on charge for the Bradley shooting.

“I miss you everday cuz u kno u were my brother and I have no friends but I was raised by the best and I got myself!!!! (wink wink),” Hernandez texted Bradley, also on April 11.

The bizarre exchange between the former friends veers from friendly to aggressive and then back to cordial, as Bradley asks Hernandez for money after the Sunshine State shooting.

“If u really luv me handle this (expletive) like a man n compensate me 4 what u did or keep ignoring me ur choice,” Bradley wrote to Hernandez.

Hernandez responded sporadical­ly to a list of Bradley texts. After Bradley said, “I don’t wanna see ur life ruined n i dont wanna harm u or see u harmed,” Hernandez responded with a nostalgic soliloquy.

“When u go to sleep kno ITS UR BROTHER and I MISS U AND LOVE YOU and still watch videos of us having fun every single day and can’t believe this,” he texted, adding later: “I loved u with all my heart and still do but jus think how much I loved and ... think if I would really try and kill u when we were that close!!.”

At one point on April 16, Hernandez tells Bradley to call him, but his old friend can’t come to the phone because, “I’m, seein my surgeon 4 my eye gimme a min.”

On May 3, Bradley tries to pull on Hernandez’s heartstrin­gs.

“My daughter just asked me when we were goin to stay at `uncle Aaron’s’ again,” Bradley texted. “U know how that (expletive) feels u have no idea.”

Hernandez responded: “I miss her jus like I miss my (expletive).”

The last text comes from Bradley on June 11, 2013 and is a series of photos, which weren’t included in the filing.

Six days later, Hernandez murdered former semipro footballer Odin Lloyd in a North Attleboro industrial park.

Bradley testified against his old friend in that trial, too.

 ?? AP PhOtO (aBOVE); StaFF PhOtO By NaNcy LaNE (rIGht) ?? MISS YOU: Alexander Bradley, right, testifies during the murder trial of Aaron Hernandez, above.
AP PhOtO (aBOVE); StaFF PhOtO By NaNcy LaNE (rIGht) MISS YOU: Alexander Bradley, right, testifies during the murder trial of Aaron Hernandez, above.
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