Chicago Bears Receiver Testifies In Aaron Hernandez Double Murder Trial
BOSTON (CBS) -- Testimony continued Monday morning in the Aaron Hernandez double murder trial, resuming after the judge in the case gave jurors a day off Friday due to a wave of illness and ordered them to stay healthy over the weekend.
Chicago Bears wide receiver Deonte Thompson was on the stand, and was questioned about a party he invited Hernandez to in Florida--which took place around the time Hernandez is accused of shooting the prosecution's star witness, his ex-best friend Alexander Bradley.
Regarding Hernandez, Thompson, who played football with the ex-Patriots wide receiver in college, said he doesn't judge people who he grew up with.
Thompson was asked about inviting Aaron Hernandez to that Super Bowl celebration in Florida in February 2013.
He said he and several others went to a strip club, Tootsie's Cabaret, during several days of partying. This is the same strip club that Bradley testified he visited with Hernandez and other men the night he was shot.
"It's kind of a blur, those days all stack up," Thompson told the court.
But Thompson did identify Bradley as being present at the party, and also said he recognized gun trafficker Oscar "Papoo" Hernandez--who he shared a Gainsville, Florida apartment with in 2009.
Oscar Hernandez, a friend (but not relation) of Aaron Hernandez, testified after Thompson Monday--beginning with an admission that he was testifying under an immunity order.
Oscar previously testified that Bradley was present at a party at his house prior to Bradley's being shot.
But before the jury was brought in Monday, defense attorney Ronald Sullivan accused Judge Jeffrey Locke of being "unfair," and of of "judicial interference that is inappropriate" because of his frequent interruptions of the defense team.
Judge Locke responded that the team was often taking too long to make their arguments.
"Make your succinct arguments, and you will not be interrupted," Locke said. "I don't know anywhere in a case where I've heard more from council, in pretrial and in trial proceedings, than this case."
Aaron Hernandez is accused of shooting Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado to death in Boston's Back Bay in 2012.
Last week, the case centered around Bradley, who was seen with him on the night of the murders and who testified that Hernandez pulled the trigger.
Bradley, whose testimony wrapped up on Thursday, said Hernandez shot the men after an incident in a Boston nightclub involving a spilled drink. Earlier, he testified that Hernandez acted like a "tough guy" in clubs, and said he didn't like people "testing" him.
On Monday, club promoter Jeff London, who was working at Cure nightclub on the night of the shooting at the heart of the case, was on the stand to discuss Hernandez's behavior in clubs and his memory of the night.
London, who said he often took care of celebrities when they sat in his clubs. He explained how his relationship with Hernandez fell apart.
He said he got to know the former Patriots star, who he said visited Boston-area clubs on a weekly basis. He mentioned occasions where Hernandez had to be "calmed down."
"He didn't like to be approached, he liked to be left alone," London said.
On the night of Furtado and Abreu's murder, London said he had waved Bradley and Hernandez into Cure, and said Hernandez left after 9-10 minutes, which he found strange. He said later that night, he heard gunshots.
Some time after the killings of Abreu and Furtado, London said Hernandez approached him and said something that would sour their relationship.
"He said, 'You're a Fed, you're a snitch, get away from me,' and it just took me by surprise, because obviously I'm neither," London said.
Hernandez's defense tried to make the case that Hernandez was accusing London of leaking celebrity secrets to the media, but London told prosecutors that wasn't true.
Hernandez is also facing a witness intimidation charge for the alleged shooting of Bradley.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Deputy Mack Davis testified about responding to the scene where Bradley was shot.
He told the court Bradley said a black male and several Hispanic males shot him, but that he did not name Hernandez.
Bradley testified last week that he did not mention Hernandez because he wanted to get revenge on him personally, outside of the law.
Locke said Hernandez's older brother, D.J., was expected on the stand Tuesday.
Attorneys said last week that they expected to give the case to jurors for deliberation by April 6 or 7.
Hernandez is already serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports
