"Aaron Hernandez obtained tattoos of gun muzzles, a revolver
cylinder, a shell casing, and the phrase “God Forgives” about nine
months after he allegedly killed two men in a 2012 drive-by shooting in
Boston, a witness said Wednesday. The witness, a California-based
tattoo artist named David Nelson, testified out of the jury’s view in
Suffolk Superior Court in the double murder trial of Hernandez, a former
New England Patriots star. Nelson said he drew the tattoos at Hernandez’s request in Hermosa
Beach, Calif., in March 2013. He drew the tattoos on Hernandez’s right
arm, adding a wisp of smoke over one muzzle and five bullets in the
revolver cylinder, with one chamber empty, Nelson testified. The phrase
“God Forgives” was written backwards. Hernandez, 27, has pleaded
not guilty to charges of killing Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in a
drive-by shooting in Boston’s South End in the early morning hours of
July 16, 2012. He allegedly fired five shots into the victims’ BMW with a
104-year-old revolver. The defense claims at least six shots may have
been fired, possibly from more than one gun, and that another man was
the killer. But Suffolk County prosecutors contend the tattoos Hernandez
requested from Nelson amount to an admission of guilt, which the defense
vigorously denies. George Leontire, a lawyer for Hernandez,
sharply questioned the tattoo artist. He noted that Nelson initially
told police he did not think he had drawn the God Forgives tattoo. Nelson testified Wednesday that “the client, Aaron” asked for five bullets with one empty chamber in the revolver cylinder. But
Leontire referred Nelson to a transcript of an earlier police interview
when detectives asked him if Hernandez had requested a six-shot
cylinder for the revolver. Nelson told police, “I don’t know if that mattered or if he was specific about that.” “The
witness is lying,” Leontire told Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Locke
while Nelson remained on the stand. He also asked Nelson, “Do you know
what perjury is?” Prosecutor Mark Lee informed Locke that
Hernandez took a photo of the God Forgives tattoo on his phone on April
2, 2013, suggesting Nelson could have drawn it based on the timeline. Locke is expected to rule Thursday on whether Nelson can testify before the jury. Jurors
on Wednesday did hear from Boston police analysts who examined the
alleged murder weapon and vehicle used in the double slaying. Prosecutors
say Hernandez was riding in the front passenger seat of his Toyota
4Runner when he fired the fatal shots. Defense attorneys allege the
driver, Alexander Bradley, shot the victims over a drug deal. Hernandez
is also charged with shooting Bradley in February 2013 to silence him
about the killings. Bradley, who is currently jailed in Connecticut for
shooting up a Hartford club in 2014, will testify for prosecutors under
an immunity deal. On Wednesday, Boston police crime lab analyst Amy Reynolds
testified that gunshot residue and a single blonde hair were recovered
from the 4Runner. The hair was 3 centimeters long, Reynolds said, and she couldn’t determine whether it was human hair. Another
Boston police analyst, Kristen Tolman, said no usable fingerprints were
found in the 4Runner, which appeared to have been cleaned or wiped
down. Defense lawyer Jose Baez said on cross examination that
investigators would expect to find Hernandez’s prints in his own
4Runner. Prosecutors objected when Baez asked Tolman if someone
who didn’t own the vehicle might wipe it down to conceal that they had
been in it. Locke sustained the objection. Investigators found the 4Runner in a garage at the home of Hernandez’s cousin in Bristol, Conn., in June 2013."
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/03/15/after-snow-day-aaron-hernandez-trial-resumes/Pp2ox5inLIU8Q10B6sVlVM/story.html