Father Of South End Murder Victim: "He Died For Nothing"
BOSTON (CBS) – The past two years have been an emotional roller-coaster for the families of Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado.
Earlier this year, they filed a six million dollar wrongful death lawsuit against Aaron Hernandez, saying they knew in their hearts he killed their loved ones. On Thursday, the former New England Patriots tight end was charged in their murders.
Abreu's father is pleased with Thursday's indictments.
"He died for nothing," says Ernesto Abreu, whose 28-year-old son Danny was gunned down with a fatal shot to the chest, allegedly at the hands of Aaron Hernandez.
After two years waiting for an answer, he describes the pain. "It's killing me, it's killing me," Abreu says.
It was a chance encounter with Hernandez after leaving Boston's Cure Lounge, prosecutors say. The answer why he and his 27-year-old friend, Safiro Furtado, were gunned down has yet to be answered.
But the district attorney made one thing clear. "They were described in media reports as being tied to a Cape Verdean gang based in Dorchester, nothing could be further from the truth," Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said.
At a press conference Thursday, Abreu and Salvador Furtado, Safiro's father, thanked investigators. Danny Abreu dreamed of being a police officer in Boston, like he was in his native Cape Verde.
Watch Press Conference
"They were two young people who had come to this country to make a better life for themselves, much like their fathers had, and like many of our own ancestors had," the victims' attorney William Kennedy said.
Ernesto Abreu said two months ago they had witnesses pointing to Aaron Hernandez as the trigger man. Now they hope the indictment will help their wrongful death suits, but more than anything, they want someone held accountable.
WBZ-TV's Beth Germano contributed to this report.
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