Aaron Hernandez Pleads Not Guilty In 2012 Killings
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the 2012 deaths of two men he allegedly gunned down after an encounter inside a Boston nightclub.
Hernandez appeared in Suffolk Superior Court Wednesday afternoon in the shooting deaths of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. A third man was wounded.
A family member of one of the victims sobbed loudly as Hernandez entered his not guilty plea to seven charges.
Hernandez already faces charges in the 2013 murder of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, who was dating a sister of Hernandez's fiancee. He was released by the Patriots last summer after his arrest in Lloyd's shooting death.
Hernandez's lawyers have said he is looking forward to proving his innocence.
For the first time, prosecutors on Wednesday also offered a motive for why the altercation began in the first time. Hernandez allegedly got angry initially when De Abreu "accidentally bumped into defendant," partially spilling his drink without apologizing, according to Boston Herald reporter Antonio Planas.
Hernandez also felt he'd been disrespected several other times on the night club scene.
[tweet https://twitter.com/AntonioPlanas1/status/471714594499858432]
Prosecution: Hernandez felt people had been testing and disrespecting him at nightclubs in Boston area
— Ted Daniel (@tvnewzted) May 28, 2014
Surveillance video also showed Hernandez angrily pacing outside the club before the victims left, Deadspin reported.
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