by Patrick H. Moore
Prior to Aaron Hernandez, there had been — to the best of my knowledge — no serial killers in the history of professional sports. A serial killer is defined, I believe, as someone who murders at least three individuals, one after the other. Now that Hernandez is under Grand Jury investigation for the July 15, 2012 double murder of Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu, 29, and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, 28, and a third unidentified victim — in addition to being charged with the recent murder of 27-year-old semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd — he appears to be perilously close to joining the infamous ranks of the serial killers, those truly demented and hideous souls who both fascinate and horrify those of us who follow true crime. This, of course, assumes that Hernandez is indicted on the 2012 double murder and is ultimately found guilty of all of the murders.
Should this come to pass, Hernandez will not only join the ranks of the serial killers — he will join the ranks of the serial killers WHO DID NOT WORK ALONE, which, according to some experts in the field, is a rarity.
MyFoxBoston.com brings us the story:
Prosecutors are presenting evidence to a grand jury that they say links former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez to a 2012 double homicide in downtown Boston.
Hernandez, who has already plead not guilty to murder in the death of a semi-professional football player whose body was found near his home on June 17, could also end up facing an indictment in the murders of two men killed in a drive-by shooting, the report said.
“The case against Hernandez appears to be strengthening,” an official told the Boston Globe.
The official explained to MyFoxBoston.com that the investigators believe that Hernandez and the 2012 shooting victims, Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, were present at the same Boston night club before the fatal altercation. Witnesses reported seeing gunfire coming from a gray SUV with Rhode Island license plates. Curiously enough, police recently towed an SUV matching the witnesses’ description from Hernandez’s uncles’s home.
Although a certain amount of information is being leaked to the press, Jake Wark, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, stated:
“The grand jury proceedings are by their nature confidential, and we do not comment on them or on open investigations.”
The Globe was informed that since Hernandez is being held without bail, the prosecutors are not in a rush to charge him with the other killings.
Since Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Odin Lloyd, a probable cause hearing is required to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to bind him over for trial. The hearing is scheduled for this afternoon, July 24th, in Attleboro District Court. In a probable cause hearing, the court considers the evidence in a manner most favorable to the prosecution which — given the strength of the circumstantial evidence against Hernandez –means that it is highly likely that the evidence will be deemed sufficient to go forward with the trial.
Odin Lloyd’s body was found on June 17th in an industrial park in North Attleborough near Hernandez’s home. The young man — who was reportedly star-struck because Hernandez had befriended him — had been shot five times.
The prosecution contends that “Hernandez orchestrated Lloyd’s killing because he was upset at him for talking to people Hernandez had problems with at a nightclub a few days earlier.”
The district attorney’s office paints the following scenario:
Hernandez and two associates, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, picked up Lloyd and drove with him to the industrial park. Although the authorities have not publicly stated who fired the shots, “documents filed in Florida and released since Hernandez’s last court appearance paint the former Patriot as the triggerman.” According to these documents, Ortiz told police that Wallace said Hernandez fired the shots.
Unsurprisingly, Hernandez’s lawyers are claiming that the case against him is circumstantial. Hernandez is being held without bail at a county jail.
Although Wallace and Ortiz — who are both believed to be in the process of turning state’s evidence — also are facing charges, they appear to be far less serious than the charges lodged against Hernandez. In what is essentially a formality, Wallace has pleaded not guilty to a charge of being an accessory to murder after the fact. Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to a gun charge.
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If Aaron Hernandez does ultimately turn out to be a serial killer, it makes sense that he would have been the one acting as “triggerman.” It is well-known that a serial killer experiences perverse pleasure in committing the murders and revels in his or her “up close and personal” involvement.
As might be expected, Hernandez’ former coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have progressively distanced themselves from the accused former star tight end as the case has progressed.