Hernandez acquitted in double murder trial
BOSTON — Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez, already serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder, was acquitted Friday in a 2012 double slaying prosecutors said was fueled by his anger over a drink spilled at a nightclub.
The former New England Patriots tight end choked back tears as the verdicts were read in court. A few moments later, he looked back at his fiancée and nodded somberly as relatives of the victims sobbed loudly. A defense attorney hugged him.
After six days of deliberations, the jury found Hernandez, 27, not guilty of first-degree murder in the killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado but convicted him of unlawful possession of a gun. The judge sentenced him to an additional four to five years in prison, separate from his existing life sentence.
Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said the victims’ families were devastated by the verdicts and by the defense’s portrayal of the men as “gang bangers” and “drug dealers.”
“These were two hardworking, humble Cape Verdean immigrants,” Conley said. “It was unnecessary, and it was wrong, and it shouldn’t have been done.”
Conley said prosecutors and the families take solace in the fact Hernandez is serving a life sentence in the killing of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée. Prosecutors in the double murder trial weren’t allowed to mention his conviction in Lloyd’s case.
Conley said one of the victims’ relatives said, “At least he’s not walking out the door today.”
The defense team had pointed the finger at Alexander Bradley, a drug dealer and close friend of Hernandez, who was with him the night of the shootings. The defense hammered at Bradley’s credibility, citing his immunity deal with prosecutors to testify against Hernandez, his role as the driver of their car the night of the shootings and his criminal record. Bradley is serving a five-year prison term in Connecticut for firing shots at a Hartford nightclub in 2014.
Bradley testified that Hernandez became enraged after de Abreu bumped into him while dancing at the Boston nightclub, spilling his drink. He said Hernandez later opened fire on the men’s car as they waited at a stoplight.
Prosecutors charged Hernandez with shooting Bradley in the face months after the double slaying — Bradley lost his right eye — to try to silence him as a witness. Hernandez was acquitted of witness intimidation in that shooting.
Defense attorney Ronald Sullivan Jr. said the jury was able to see through the “smoke and mirrors” that made up the state’s case. He described Hernandez as a “very good young man who happened to hang out with a very bad guy in Alexander Bradley.”
Conley said prosecutors would not go after Bradley in the killings because they believe they already charged the right person.
“Our theory of the case stands,” Conley said. “In our minds, (the evidence) points inescapably to Aaron Hernandez.”
Jury forewoman Lindsey Stringer did not take questions but read a statement noting the more than 70 witnesses and 380 exhibits presented in the case: “We based our decision on the evidence presented and the law.”
Hernandez grew up in Bristol, Conn., and played for the Patriots from 2010 to 2012. About six weeks after de Abreu and Furtado were killed, he signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Patriots and went on to play another season before Lloyd was killed.
He was cut from the team shortly after he was arrested in Lloyd’s killing in June 2013. He was not charged in the 2012 killings until 2014.