Former NFL Star Aaron Hernandez Indicted for 2012 Double Murder; Allegedly Gunned Down Men in Car After 'Chance Encounter'
Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who is already awaiting trial for the murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, last year was indicted Thursday for the double murder of two Boston men on July 16, 2012.
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley called him "the principal, the shooter, the person responsible for taking the two lives – the lives of the two victims," at a morning news conference, according to USA Today.
The murder victims are identified as Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. They were reportedly ambushed as they sat in a car at a stop light in Boston's South End.
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"Mr. de Abreu and Mr. Furtado were ambushed and executed as they drove home along Shawmut Avenue in Boston's South End in the early morning hours of July 16, 2012,"said Conley.
Hernandez, who is currently being held in jail without bail after he was arrested and charged with Odin Lloyd's murder last June, reportedly ambushed the two men after a "chance encounter" at a Boston nightclub called Cure.
Conley said Hernandez followed the men in an SUV after the nightclub encounter then pulled up alongside their car and pumped bullets multiple times from a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver from the driver's side into the passenger's side of the target vehicle.
Patriots spokesman Stacey James had no comment from the team on Thursday.
"For us this case was never about Aaron Hernandez,'' said Conley. "This was about two victims who were stalked, ambushed and senselessly murdered in the streets of the city they called home.''
"This case was never about Aaron Hernandez and his notoriety; this case is about the victims, about accountability, about getting justice,'' he added.
According to an ESPN report, Hernandez is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of armed assault with intent to murder, as well as unlawful possession of the gun used in the attack.
It also noted that just six weeks after the murders, Hernandez signed a five-year $40 million contract extension with the Patriots and said he was inspired by his family to make smart decisions.
"I called [my family] and told them obviously what the contract was, and the basics about it," he said at the team's annual charity gala on Aug. 27, 2012. "They were all crying. I was crying right with them. This is probably one of the best days of my life. I'll remember this day forever. I just hope I keep going, doing the right things, making the right decisions so I can have a good life, and be there to live a good life with my family."
