Aaron Hernandez’s Tattoos Could Be Used As Incriminating Evidence For Murders

Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez has been charged with the murder of two men in a 2012 drive-by shooting. Hernandez had previously been charged for the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player, in June 2013, but pleaded not guilty. In April 2015, Hernandez was found guilty of the crime, and is serving a sentence of life in prison.

Hernandez was again indicted in May 2014 for the double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. Hernandez had allegedly murdered the men because one of them had bumped into the former football star at a Boston nightclub.

Hernandez pleaded not guilty to the murders, and his trial is scheduled to begin this February. Now, new evidence has surfaced that implicates Hernandez’s role in the murders.

Hernandez had tattoos done not long after the two victims were slayed. One is of a revolver with five bullets in its chamber, and one missing. Prosecutors claimed they represent the five shots fired into the car of the victims. The second tattoo reads “God Forgives,” but is written backward, so that it’s legible only when read in a mirror.

Despite what appeared to be starkly incriminating evidence, Hernandez’s attorney, Ronald Sullivan, called the theory mere “speculation” and “inference,” and argued that letting jurors hear about the tattoos would violate his right to a fair trial.