Prosecutors say two of Aaron Hernandez’s tattoos link him to a 2012 murder, but lawyers forthe former Patriots tight end want to block jurors from seeing the tattoos at the upcoming trial.
Hernandez is charged with killing two men in a drive-by shooting after one of the men allegedly bumped into him at a bar in Boston.Hernandez pleaded not guilty to killing Daniel de Abreu, 29, and Safiro Furtado, 28. His trial is scheduled to start in February, WHDHreports. Shortly after the slayings, Hernandez got two tattoos prosecutors say link him to the murders. One tattoo is of a revolver with a bullet missing out of the five-chamber gun. Prosecutors say it represents the five bullets fired into the car transporting Abreu and Furtado, WCVB reports. A second tattoo reads “God forgives.”
Ronald Sullivan, a lawyer to Hernandez’s, called the prosecution’s theory “speculation,” and “inference,” and said allowing jurors to hear about the tattoos would compromise Hernandez’s right to a fair trial. Hernandez’s lawyers also asked the judge to block text messages between Hernandez and a former friend that were later forwarded to sports agent Brian Murphy from being entered into evidence.
The prosecution said the texts could tie Hernandez to the crime, but the defense said the texts are protected by attorney-client privilege.
Suffolk Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Locke did not immediately rule.
Hernandez is already serving a life sentence for the 2013 shooting death of Odin Lloyd.
Prosecutors say tattoos link Aaron Hernandez to double murder
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