The trial of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez resumed Tuesday and we saw a second straight day where a member of the defense team really went after Judge Jeffrey Locke. The former New England Patriots Tight End 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.
On Monday, it was defense Attorney Ronald Sullivan who went off on the judge, accusing him of constantly interrupting the defense, while never seeming to cut off the Commonwealth. On Tuesday, Jose Baez‘s temper finally got the better of him, briefly, when he lashed out at Judge Locke after he ruled Baez did not properly object during the introduction of certain evidence during a sidebar.
“We’ve had this issue the entire trial. You seem to cut off the defense every time we [try] to lay a record . . . [of an objection] . . . . If you don’t want me to defend Mr. Hernandez, I will sit down and shut up.”
Judge Locke reiterated his position that he never heard a proper objection on the record.
Jurors also heard from Je’rrelle Pierre, a Florida resident who once claimed he was seated next to Hernandez when he allegedly fired shots at star witness Alexander Bradley, the only man to name the former NFL star as the shooter in the 2012 killings at issue in this trial. Prosecutors claim Hernandez tried to silence Bradley from testifying about the 2o12 case by shooting him in 2013.
However, Pierre proved to be one of the more unique witnesses to take the stand Tuesday and he testified that he could not remember the details of that shooting very well.
“I’ve been hospitalized, like, two times, so my memory is not good,” Pierre explained.
Another interesting witness to testify on Tuesday was Tyrone Crawford, who contradicted Pierre and placed him as the driver of the vehicle supposedly used in the Bradley shooting. On cross-examination, however, defense attorneys got him to admit he was drinking and doing a lot of drugs around the time of the Bradley shooting. Additionally, Baez played up Crawford’s claims that during his police interview, he has been pressured by cops to say certain things.
The former Patriots 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
The trial will be delayed Wednesday until noon EDT and possibly canceled altogether. As usual, stick with LawNewz for the latest updates and all live courtroom coverage and analysis of the day’s action.
[image via screengrab]