NOW AT FIVE --- AARON
HERNANDEZ'S DOUBLE
MURDER TRIAL, IS
UNDERWAY IN BOSTON.
THE FIRST WITNESSES
TESTIFIED THIS
AFTERNOON, FOLLOWING
OPENING STATEMENTS
FROM THE PROSECUTION
AND THE DEFENSE.
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER STEPH
MACHADO HAS BEEN
MONITORING THE TRIAL
ALL DAY --- SHE JOINS US
LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM
WITH
THE LATEST
DEVELOPMENTS.
TODAY THE PROSECUTION
PORTRAYED AARON
HERNANDEZ AS AN EASILY
AGITATED MAN WHO
KILLED TWO MEN HE
DIDN'T EVEN KNOW OVER
A SPILLED
DRINK....HERNANDEZ'
DEFENSE ATTORNEY SAID
THE STORY WAS CRAZY.
THE PROSECUTION CALLS IT A
CASE OF TWO WORLDS
COLLIDING AT A BOSTON
NIGHTCLUB....
Patrick Haggan/Assistant
District
Attorney: One world was that of
working-class immigrants....the
other world was that of a
professional athlete, a
celebrity in
the city of boston.
TELLING THE JURY IN OPENING
STATEMENTS....AARON
HERNANDEZ FELT
"DISRESPECTED" BY DANIEL DE
ABREU IN JULY 2012 AT CLUB
CURE...
Haggan: Daniel de Abreu danced
into Aaron Hernandez and spilled
his drink.
HAGGAN SAYING HERNANDEZ
AND HIS "BEST FRIEND"
ALEXANDER BRADLEY LEFT THE
CLUB AND WAITED TWO HOURS
UNTIL ABREU AND HIS FRIENDS
CAME OUT....HERNANDEZ
ALLEGEDLY OPENING FIRE INTO
THE VICTIMS' CAR.
Haggan: Two men's lives were
snuffed out in a hail of
gunfire.
BOTH ABREU AND SAFIRO
FURTADO DIED. ANOTHER MAN
WAS SHOT, BUT LIVED.
THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY JOSE
BAEZ POKED HOLES IN THE
STORY....SAYING THERE'S NO
VIDEO OF THE DRINK SPILLING
EVEN THOUGH THE CLUB HAD
CAMERAS...
Jose Baez/Defense Attorney: The
main piece of evidence that
would
you the whole why, why this
whole
this happened, is missing. It
disappeared.
HE ALSO SOUGHT TO
DISCREDIT ALEXANDER
BRADLEY, WHO WILL BE A KEY
WITNESS FOR THE
PROSECUTION IN THE TRIAL...
POINTING OUT HE'S A DRUG
DEALER....AND CLAIMING HE
HAD A PREVIOUS
DISAGREEMENT WITH ONE OF
THE VICTIMS.
Baez: This did not happen over
a
spilled drink. This happened
over a
drug deal. Alexander Bradley had
issues with Daniel de Abreu.
AND HERNANDEZ WAS
LATER ACCUSED OF
SHOOTING ALEXANDER
BRADLEY IN THE FACE...
THE PROSECUTION CALLS
THAT "WITNESS
INTIMIDATION."
TODAY THE FIRST
WITNESSES ALSO
TESTIFIED INCLUDING THE
SISTERS OF BOTH
MURDER VICTIMS....
HEAR FROM THEM COMING
UP NEW AT 6.
STEPH MACHADO
(M)
TESTIMONY IS UNDERWAY
IN THE DOUBLE MURDER
TRIAL OF FORMER
PATRIOTS STAR AARON
HERNANDEZ.
(KS)
HERNANDEZ -- WHO'S
ALREADY SERVING LIFE IN
PRISON FOR THE 2013
SHOOTING DEATH OF ODIN
LLOYD IN NORTH
ATTLEBORO -- IS NOW
BEING TRIED FOR A
DEADLY DRIVE-BY IN
BOSTON THAT TOOK
PLACE NEARLY ONE YEAR
EARLIER.
(M)
PROSECUTORS ALLEGE
---THE FORMER PRO BOWL
TIGHT END GUNNED
DOWN DANIEL DE ABREU
AND SAFIRO FURTADO
BACK IN 2012, FOLLOWING
A CONFRONTATION OVER A
SPILLED DRINK AT A
BOSTON NIGHTCLUB.
(KS)
BUT THE DEFENSE
ARGUES THAT IT COULD
HAVE BEEN THE
GOVERNMENT'S KEY
WITNESS -- NOT
HERNANDEZ -- WHO
ACTUALLY PULLED THE
TRIGGER ... OVER A DRUG
DEAL.
TODAY -- THE VICTIMS'
LOVED ONES RESPONDED
TO THE DEFENSE'S
ALLEGATIONS.
(M)
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER STEPH
MACHADO JOINS US NOW
WITH TESTIMONY THAT'S
NEW AT SIX.
(SM)
THE DEFENSE SPENT
MOST OF THE DAY TODAY
TRYING TO DISCREDIT
ALEXANDER BRADLEY,
WHO IS EXPECTED TO
GIVE AN EYEWITNESS
ACCOUNT OF THIS
MURDER DURING THE
TRIAL...HE WAS WITH
HERNANDEZ THE NIGHT
THAT PROSECUTORS SAY
THE FORMER NFL PLAYER
KILLED TWO MEN HE
DIDN'T EVEN KNOW.
THE PROSECUTION SAYS
DANIEL DE ABREU AND SAFIRO
FURTADO WERE MURDERED
OVER A SMALL ENCOUNTER AT
A NIGHTCLUB...
Patrick Haggan/Assistant
District
Attorney: Daniel de Abreu danced
into Aaron Hernandez and spilled
his drink.
ACCORDING TO ASST DISTRICT
ATTONEY PATRICK
HAGGAN....HERNANDEZ SHOT
AND KILL THE PAIR BECAUSE HE
FELT "DISRESPECTED".
Haggan: Two men's lives were
snuffed out in a hail of
gunfire.
Jose Baez/Defense Attorney: This
story not only doesn't make
sense,
it's outright crazy.
DEFENSE ATTORNEY JOSE
BAEZ SAYS THE DRINK SPILLING
NEVER HAPPENED...
HE HAS A DIFFERENT THEORY
INVOLVING HERNANDEZ' FRIEND
AND MARIJUANA DEALER
ALEXANDER BRADLEY WHO
WAS THERE THAT NIGHT....
Baez: This did not happen over a
spilled drink. This happened
over a
drug deal. Alexander Bradley had
issues with Daniel de Abreu.
THE SISTERS OF ABREU AND
FURTADO BOTH
TESTIFIED...(nat?) EMOTIONAL
AS THEY RECOUNTED
LEARNING THEIR BROTHERS
HAD DIED...
BOTH TESTIFIED THEIR
BROTHERS DID NOT DO DRUGS.
defense to Neusa: Were you aware
that your brother was in a
dispute
with a narcotics provider from
connecticut?
Neusa Abreu/Victim's sister: No.
That does not sound like my
brother
at all.
(SM)
AND IN THE YEAR AFTER
THIS ALLEGED MURDER,
POLICE SAY AARON
HERNANDEZ SHOT
ALEXANDER BRADLEY IN
THE FACE IN FLORIDA IN
AN ATTEMPT TO SILENCE
HIM....
BRADLEY SURVIVED AND
IS SLATED TO TESTIFY FOR
THE PROSECUTION
DURING THIS 4 TO 6 WEEK
TRIAL.
STEPH MACHADO
EYEWITNESS NEWS