As former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez awaits trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd, investigators may be in the process of building a case against him for an entirely separate crime. Back in July, we learned that prosecutors were pushing to charge Hernandez for a double murder that took place outside a Boston nightclub in 2012. Court documents that were released on Thursday confirmed that.
According to Wesley Lowery of the Boston Globe, new court documents show that investigators have been making an effort to link Hernandez to the 2012 double murder. They even wrote that there is “probable cause to believe that Aaron Hernandez was operating the suspect vehicle used in the shooting homicides of Daniel Abreau and Safiro Furtado, and may have been the shooter.”
Shortly after Hernandez was arrested and charged with the murder of Lloyd, a silver SUV that may have been linked to the 2012 murders was seized from his uncle’s home in Bristol, Conn. A search warrant affidavit that was unsealed by a Connecticut judge on Thursday showed that police sought to search and analyze that vehicle. Investigators were hoping to find gunshot residue and a duffle bag that they believed contained the clothes Hernandez was seen on a surveillance camera wearing the night of the shooting.
A few months ago, surveillance footage that was recovered reportedly showed Hernandez inside a club with the murder victims just hours before they were killed. The murder weapon that was used was also reportedly found in the car of a woman from Hernandez’s hometown who was involved in a car crash back in June.
The new documents released Thursday also noted that a firearm was found in the Bristol home where the silver SUV was being stored, though it is unclear if the gun had any connection to Lloyd’s murder or the 2012 double murder.
While we still don’t have many answers, it seems pretty clear that Hernandez has more to worry about than his alleged involvement with Lloyd’s murder.
