Elba Ortiz, the mother of Aaron Hernandez’s associate Carlos Ortiz, has been living in fear since her son was arrested in connection with the murder of Odin Lloyd. Carlos has been consistent with his account of what happened the night Lloyd was killed in June, telling investigators that he was with Hernandez but that he did not know Lloyd was going to be murdered.
Ortiz would later tell police that Hernandez admitted to Ernest Wallace that he fired the shots that killed Lloyd. The information Ortiz has provided has been vital in the investigation, which is why Elba fears for the safety of her family.
In a candid interview with USA Today Sports, Elba revealed that she suffers panic attacks and has to take medication in addition to attending multiple therapy sessions a week. Since Carlos is in jail and he “ratted” on Hernandez, who is considered a hero in their hometown of Bristol, Conn., Elba worries that Hernandez supporters may target her, her children or her grandchildren.
“I’m mad. I’m very angry about it,” Elba said in Spanish while Carlos’ sister Carmen translated. “I have a lot of emotion toward Aaron, because he was supposed to be our friend, Carlos’ friend. I’m trying to forgive him, but why did Aaron do this? We don’t know. That’s the question we want answered. Why did he include my son in this? You’re supposed to be friends, why did you need to include my son?”
Elba admitted that she is aware Carlos has battled drug and alcohol addiction and hangs out with the wrong crowd, but she says there is no way he is a killer. Carmen said she fully supports her brother telling police the truth, even if it meant sacrificing his friendship with Hernandez.
“There were four guys,” she said. “Three guys are in jail and one is dead. If I didn’t do anything wrong, I wouldn’t take the blame. I’m not spending the rest of my life in jail for you because you have money and can get a better lawyer. If my brother didn’t do anything, he doesn’t need to stay in jail for you.”
Several people from Ortiz’s old neighborhood have already spoken out and labeled him a rat, so you can understand why Elba is afraid. While the Ortiz family asked that their current location remain anonymous, Elba said she decided to speak out after seeing stories about Carlos being homeless.
“He slept here,” she said. “He had a home.”
Carlos also has three children by three different women, so he was not always home. Both mother and sister believe he is telling the truth, and they said he told them the same thing he told investigators when they went to visit him in jail.
The growing concern is that Ortiz will be attacked by defense attorneys as an unreliable witness because of his history of drug abuse, petty crimes and violating probation. Not to mention, police have yet to find the murder weapon that was used to kill Lloyd. The situation could wind up getting ugly when Hernandez’s trial begins.
