On Friday, jurors in the Aaron Hernandez case reached a not guilty verdict in the double murder trial of the former NFL star. The jurors deliberated for more than 37 hours before returning the verdict late Friday afternoon. Hernandez was found not guilty on all but one of the charges — unlawful possession of a firearm. In addition to the not guilty verdicts on murders, Hernandez was also acquitted of witness intimidation related to the shooting his former friend in 2013.
The former New England Patriots star was already serving life without parole for the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd when the Commonwealth took him to trial for a 2012 shooting outside a nightclub that killed two mean and injured a third. Prosecutors alleged the entire episode started when Hernandez felt disrespected after a drink was allegedly spilled on him by one of the victims.
Prosecutors told jurors he then left the club very angry, with a former friend named Alexander Bradley who testified under a grant of immunity that Hernandez went to his Toyota 4Runner SUV and retrieved a revolver. The two then allegedly cruised the area looking for the men who spilled the drink as the nightclub closed down. Bradley testified they found their target, and said Hernandez told him to pull up next to the BMW when he suddenly reached across him from the passenger’s seat and fired five shots into the victims’ BMW.
Daniel de Abreu and Safir Furtado were killed, a third man was struck with a bullet, but survived and three other passengers escaped injury.
Bradley was later shot by Hernandez in 2013 because prosecutors say the former football star was worried he’d talk about the 2012 killings, so he tried silence him.
It took Hernandez getting arrested for the Lloyd shooting for investigators to even consider to begin looking at him as the possible triggerman in the 2012 then unsolved killings. However, once they did, they did not find any forensic evidence or physical evidence tying Hernandez to the crime, though the revolver used in the killings was found in a vehicle tied to Hernandez.
At the end of the day, the prosecution’s case hinged on the credibility of Bradley, a convicted felon who was serving time for shooting up a nightclub in 2014. This was essentially proved when the first jury question on Friday asked what else what else required in addition to the testimony of an immunized witness. The defense hit hard at Bradley’s credibility as he was the only person to actually point the finger at Hernandez as the actual shooter. The defense called him a liar and accused him committing perjury in the stand.
After delivering the verdict, Judge Locke thanked the jury for their service and dismissed them. He then sentenced Hernandez 4 to 5 years on the in charge. Reporter’s in the courtroom say the victim’s families appear very upset by the verdict and attorney Jose Baez had to leave the courthouse because he was dealing with a non life-threatening medical issue.
UPDATE:
The District Attorney was is reportedly planning on giving a statement soon.
It appears the jury may also soon issue a statement:
[image via screengrab]