Aaron Hernandez charged with witness intimidation
Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on witness intimidation charges for allegedly shooting his former friend, Alexander Bradley, in the face, the Suffolk County District Attorney announced Monday.
The though Bradley is not named as the witness, "his identity is clear from court records," according to the Hartford Courant. Bradley is expected to be a key witness in Hernandez's upcoming double murder trial in the 2012 killing of Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu.
Bradley accused Hernandez of shooting him after a dispute at a Miami strip club and has filed a civil lawsuit against him in federal court in Florida. Bradley was shot after he "made a remark about the homicides," the DA's office said, according to the Courant. The DA also said Bradley was left "to die on the side of the road," according to the Boston Globe.
Bradley lost an eye in the shooting.
• Sheriff: Aaron Hernandez used charm to manipulate prison guards
Bradley was shot in Feb. 2013, eight months after Furtado and de Abreu were killed and five months before the murder of Odin Lloyd. Hernandez was found guilty last month of murdering Lloyd and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Bradley was one of 131 witnesses called to testify in the Lloyd trial, though he was not permitted to discuss the Feb. 2013 shooting while testifying.
Authorities say Hernandez killed Furtado and de Abreu in a drive-by shooting after one of the men spilled a drink on him in a Boston nightclub. Hernandez faces two murder charges and assault charge for injuring another man in the shooting.
- Dan Gartland
