Aaron Hernandez and his attorneys have a lot of work to do if they plan to somehow attempt to prove he is innocent. The evidence piling up against Hernandez looks quite incriminating, with much of it stemming from information his friend Carlos Ortiz gave to authorities. However, defense attorneys will surely look to prove that Ortiz is not a credible witness.
How will they do that? For starters, they could point to Ortiz’s admitted history of abusing drugs and alcohol. According to an affidavit for a recent arrest on a probation violation that was obtained by USA Today Sports, Ortiz admitted to substance abuse in a meeting with his probation officer on May 21. The documents stated that he “disclosed that he was abusing PCP, alcohol and THC daily.”
[Related: Carlos Ortiz told police Aaron Hernandez admitted to firing shots]
At that point, Ortiz was ordered to enter an in-patient drug program but reportedly missed an appointment two days later. The affidavit said that he went on to avoid treatment for the next month, saying that he lost his cell phone and telling his probation officer on June 18 that he wasn’t sure where to go to enter the program. Six days prior, he allegedly failed a drug test for alcohol, cocaine, PCP and THC.
When Ortiz surfaced on surveillance footage at Aaron Hernandez’s home the night Odin Lloyd was murdered, it was the first time his probation officers knew of his whereabouts in two weeks. Ortiz’s presence in Massachusetts violated his probation for fifth-degree larceny, and he was arrested by police in Bristol, Conn. on June 25.
[Related: Carlos Ortiz led investigators to Aaron Hernandez’s apartment]
And now, here we are. Ortiz is probably the most important witness in the Hernandez case. Does his history of drug and alcohol abuse mean the information he has given about Hernandez is inaccurate? No, but a jury will have to decide if it makes him a less credible witness.
