A police search warrant obtained on Tuesday by the Hartford Courant describes five pieces of evidence potentially linking ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez to a 2012 unsolved double homicide in Boston.
Investigators are looking into Hernandez's possible involvement in a drive-by shooting on July 16, 2012 that left two men dead. The Superior Court in Bristol released a search warrant filed to obtain access to recordings of phone calls made by Alexander Bradley, a former friend of Hernandez who is now suing him, while Bradley was in jail.
The phone calls, made between Oct. 4 and Oct. 15, are believed to contain details about the 2012 double homicide. Bradley was jailed during that time as a fugitive of the law for trying to dodge a grand jury subpoena issued in connection to the drive-by shooting.
Below is the potential evidence against Hernandez, based on The Courant's report of the search warrant:
1. Anonymous Tip
Boston police reopened their investigation of the 2012 murders after an anonymous tip to police on June 22, 2013 claimed the murder of Odin Lloyd and the unsolved drive-by were connected. The tipster turned out to be a member of the Rumor nightclub security staff who said he overheard a patron spill "the beans" in front of him about the connection.
2. Surveillance Video
Surveillance video obtained from different cameras put Hernandez and Bradley in the area during the time of the murder. Footage shows both men entering Cure nightclub immediately after the victims in the early hours of July 16. Hernandez and Bradley are then shown leaving in a Toyota 4Runner around 1:30 a.m.; Hernandez is seen in the driver's seat and Bradley in the passenger's seat.
About an hour later, footage captures a vehicle resembling the 4Runner circling around the area at the victims leave the nightclub. Police responded to a report of gunshots fired at 2:32 a.m.
3. Witnesses
Descriptions of the assailants and their vehicle, provided by bystanders, "roughly match" the description of Hernandez, Bradley and the Toyota they were driving.
One of the passengers who survived the drive-by shooting identified Hernandez as the shooter during an interview with WFXT television in October.
4. Vehicle Recovered By Police
Police recovered the 4Runner believed to be used in the drive-by inside the garage of a Hernandez family home in Bristol, Conn. The vehicle, given to Hernandez for promoting a rental car company, was discovered while police executed a search warrant related to the murder investigation of Lloyd.
A cousin living at the residence told investigators the vehicle belonged to Hernandez and nobody drove it.
5. Firearm Used In Shooting Found
Ballistics tests connected a firearm found in the vehicle of Jai Lene Diaz-Ramos to the double murder. The .38-caliber pistol was discovered inside Diaz-Ramos's trunk in June after police responded to a car accident she was involved in.
Diaz-Ramos's relationship to Hernandez is unclear. It's uncertain how - or even if - they know each other. The only known link between the two is they both are from Bristol, Conn. She faces three gun charges and told authorities friends had put the weapon in her car.
Although the documents indicate police view Hernandez as a suspect in the double homicide, the former New England Patriot hasn't been charged and the investigation is ongoing.
Hernandez, 24, is charged with first-degree murder and five gun-related offenses in the shooting death of Lloyd; he pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail while awaiting trial.
If convicted, he faces life in prison.
