Today’s cover (
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Jailed football star Aaron Hernandez is being eyed for a 2012 double homicide, as prosecutors charge him in last week’s slaying of a friend — zeroing in on a piece of gum discarded at the scene, according to broadcast reports today.
Hernandez was denied bail this afternoon by a judge who said the football player might be guilty of a “cold-blooded” murder in a “very, very strong” case.
“This is not a first degree-murder charge where the facts support perhaps some kind of combat or heat of passion,” said Bristol County Superior Court Judge Renee P. Dupuis.
“The facts as I understand them, as the commonwealth has presented, a case that is circumstantial to be sure but very, very strong.”
Dupuis added: “This gentleman — either by himself or with two other people that he requested come to the commonwealth — basically cold blooded, in a cold-blooded fashion, killed a person because that person disrespected him.”
Earlier in the day, Connecticut prosecutors said 27-year-old Carlos Ortiz, who lives in Hernandez’s hometown of Bristol, Conn., was arrested in connection to the football star’s murder probe. He’s being held as an alleged fugitive from justice and has waived extradition to Massachusetts, New Britain State’s Attorney Brian Preleski said.
The Pro Bowl tight end Hernandez was picked up yesterday and charged with the slaying 27-year-old Odin Lloyd last week in North Attleboro, Mass.
The night before Lloyd’s murder, Hernandez frantically texted an unidentified Connecticut friend to rush to him in Massachusetts, prosecutors said.
Two other men were allegedly with Hernandez during Lloyd’s killing. But prosecutors didn’t mention who these men were, or if they had been arrested, when Hernandez was arraigned yesterday afternoon.
Hernandez, who was cut by the Patriots shortly after his arrest, could be facing new problems stemming from the 2012 murder of two Boston men.
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Safiro Furtado and Daniel Abreu, who worked at nearby cleaning company in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, had just left a local bar on July 16, 2012. That’s when a gray or silver SUV with Rhode Island plates rolled up to the victims’ car and opened fire.
Investigators now want to know if Hernandez has any connection to that 2 a.m. double-slaying at the corner of Shawmut Avenue and Herald Street, Boston Fox affiliate WFXT-TV reported today.
No arrests have been made in that double homicide.
Investigators suspect that Lloyd may have had information about Hernandez’s role in the 2012 double slaying.
“The motive might have been that the victim knew [Hernandez] might have been involved,” an official told the Boston Globe.
Hernandez was busted yesterday morning and charged with murder and five firearms offenses tied to Lloyd’s June 17 murder.
Before Hernandez picked up Lloyd, the Pro Bowl tight end stopped at gas station where he also picked up cigarette rolling paper and blue cotton candy-flavored Bubblicious bubble gum, prosecutors said.
When Hernandez dropped off a rental car allegedly used in the murder, he offered the attendant a piece of blue bubble gum, according to the DA.
The attendant found a .45-caliber shell casing and a piece of chewed blue bubble gum inside the car, authorities said.
Odin was killed by bullets fired from a .45-caliber gun.