Graphic Crime Scene Photos Shown At Hernandez Murder Trial
BOSTON (CBS) -- Testimony in the double murder trial of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez continued Tuesday, with gruesome crime scene photos from the 2012 shooting at the center of the case shown to jurors.
These photos gave the closest look at the crime scene the public has seen so far.
Prosecutors say the ex-NFL star killed Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in Boston's South End after an alleged encounter at a nightclub.
The two men were found shot to death in a BMW in the early morning hours of July 16, 2012.
Boston Police Sgt. Detective Daniel Duff, who helped process the scene and took the stand to discuss a series of 58 photos from the scene of the murder.
Judge Jeffrey Locke gave jurors specific instructions before they passed around photos of the victims.
"These photographs are very graphic and can be disturbing to view," Judge Locke said. "But please understand, in viewing the photographs, you cannot allow any feelings of sympathy or any emotions to govern your judgements in this case."
The defense has questioned whether or not the crime scene was contaminated by someone who put sheets over the bodies before they were photographed.
Duff said he didn't know who placed the sheets, and said they were left on the bodies while the crime scene photos were taken.
The detective argued that the bodies were photographed later, away from the scene on Shawmut Avenue, for good reasons--it was too dark, too public, and a warrant was needed.
"We didn't feel it would be the best area to be conducting an investigation like that," Duff said. "I believed we also needed a search warrant to get inside the car."
Hernandez listened as Duff walked jurors through the photos of the shot-up BMW, shattered glass, and evidence markers--and pieces of evidence found in the backseat.
Duff said swabs of apparent blood drops and a cell phone found in Abreu's hand were also processed as evidence.
In the afternoon, the defense continued asking the detective questions about the processing of the scene.
Also on the stand was Brian Quon, a former security guard who recalled hearing the gunshots the night of the double murder. He then went to the car where the two men were killed.
"The driver was just taking his last breathes, and you could tell that," said Quon.
During Tuesday's testimony a pool camera operated by a WBZ-TV photographer briefly and inadvertently showed jurors.
This led to the judge removing the pool camera from the courtroom for the remainder of the day. WBZ-TV sincerely regrets the error it made while providing the pool video from inside the courtroom.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports
