Aaron Hernandez allegedly murdered two men in 2012 over a spilled drink. The prosecution, which gave new details about the murders during Hernandez's arraignment on Wednesday, also indicated a Hernandez associate provided a deposition against the former NFL star.
Hernandez, who was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder last week in connection to the unsolved 2012 double homicide, was formally read his charges during his arraignment.
The prosecution, during its presentation to the judge, proffered new details about the July 16, 2012 drive-by shooting that left Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado dead.
One of the new details to emerge was the motive for why Hernandez allegedly killed the two men: A spilled drink. The prosecution alleged Hernandez was growing increasingly agitated with people trying to "test" him, and Abreu bumping into Hernandez inside a Boston nightclub and accidentally spilling the ex-NFL star's drink was the last straw.
No altercation occurred in the club, but the prosecution claimed Hernandez told a friend that Abreu, whom Hernandez apparently did not know, was "trying him."
Hernandez, according to the prosecution, then followed Abreu, Furtado and three other men as they left the club and followed their car in a SUV. Hernandez then allegedly pulled up beside Abreu's vehicle and yelled, "Yo, what's up now [racial slur]?" before firing a .38-caliber pistol at them.
Hernandez later told the friend, who was riding with him, "I think I got one in the head, and one in the chest."
That friend is likely Alexander Bradley, who filed a lawsuit against Hernandez in the summer that claimed the former Patriot shot him in the eye. A police affadavit from last year indicated investigators believe Bradley was with Hernandez on the night in question. If so, he appears to be providing the prosecution information and will likely be a witness when the case moves to trial.
The SUV purportedly used in the shooting was discovered at the home of Hernandez's uncle during a search for evidence in the investigation of the Odin Lloyd murder. The prosecution alleged Tanya Singleton, Hernandez's cousin, drove the vehicle to the uncle's home.
The prosecution also said they recovered the .38-caliber weapon used in the shooting.
Hernandez, who's currently being held without bail while awaiting trial for the murder of Lloyd, pleaded not guilty. The details alleged by the prosecution have not yet been proven in a court of law.
*Information obtained via the arraignment, BostonInno.com and the Boston Globe.
