Former New England Patriots football star Aaron Hernandez finally heard from the prosecution’s star witness on Monday, Alexander Bradley. Hernandez is accused of killing Daniel de Abreu and Safir Furtado on July 16, 2012 outside a nightclub after prosecutors say he became angry over a spilled drink.
Bradley, a one time friend to Hernandez, is the man prosecutors say was driving the SUV the night Hernandez fired five shots into a BMW, that killed 2, injured 1 and left 2 uninjured. Hernandez is also accused of shooting Bradley in the face at a later date, in what prosecutors call an effort to silence him. A trial date has not been set in that case.
Bradley was just what the prosecution needed to get things swinging in their direction again. Aside from the “street sweeper,” Bradley was easily the most compelling witness thus far.
He testified that it was Hernandez that fired the fatal shots, all over a spilled drink.
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“As I was approaching the car, he told me, ‘Roll the window down,’” Bradley testified. “I rolled the window down, and when we got up to the car, as we were approaching, he put his hand up to my chest and pushed me back.”
He then said Hernandez fired shots from the revolver after failing to get a response from the occupants of the BMW.
“[Hernandez] said, ‘Yo,’ one time, and no one turned around in the car. He said, ‘Yo,’ again, and he started firing rounds into the vehicle, Bradley told jurors. Before firing the last burst, Bradley said Hernandez yelled, ‘What’s up now (expletive),’ and he started firing shots.”
Bradley testified under a grant of state immunity and is the first witness to positively identify Hernandez as the shooter. The defense has yet to cross-examine Bradley, but it is likely they will say Bradley was the actual shooter over a drug deal gone bad. The defense will further argue Bradley is testifying to save his own skin since he is already serving a sentence on a plea deal for shooting up a nightclub in 2014.
Months after the shooting, prosecutors says Hernandez shot Bradley in the face in an effort to tie up loose ends, but he failed to kill him.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to all counts in the 2012 killings.
The former football star is already sentenced to life without the possibility of parole when he was convicted nearly two years ago in another murder of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. That case is on appeal.
Testimony in the trial will resume Tuesday and LawNewz will have live courtroom coverage and analysis of the action.
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