Alexander Bradley testifies during the double murder trial for former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez in Suffolk Superior Court, Monday, March 20, 2017, in Boston. Hernandez is on trial for the July 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado who he encountered in a Boston nightclub. The former NFL football player is already serving a life sentence in the 2013 killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, Pool)
March 20, 2017 - 12:41 PM
BOSTON - A former friend of ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez told the jury at his double-murder trial Monday that Hernandez opened fire on a car because he believed two men inside had taunted him at a Boston nightclub.
Alexander Bradley testified about the shootings on July 16, 2012. Bradley said Hernandez ordered him to pull up next to the victims' car at a stop light, then repeatedly fired a revolver into the car. Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu were killed.
Relatives of the men wept as Bradley testified, prompting Judge Jeffrey Locke to call for a brief recess during Bradley's testimony at Suffolk Superior Court.
Bradley said Hernandez used a racial epithet and said, "What's up now?" before firing.
The former New England Patriots tight end is accused of killing the men after de Abreu accidentally bumped into Hernandez and spilled his drink at the club. Hernandez is also charged with witness intimidation for allegedly shooting Bradley in the face months later after he became worried that Bradley would tell authorities about the earlier shootings. Bradley lost an eye in the shooting.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty. During opening statements to the jury, his lawyer pointed the finger at Bradley, saying he shot Furtado and de Abreu over a drug deal.
Bradley is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for shooting up a bar in Hartford, Connecticut, in 2014. No one was hurt.
Hernandez is already serving a life sentence in the 2013 fatal shooting of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017