Hernandez, who is awaiting trial on murder charges in a 2013 shooting near his home, was seen on surveillance footage in the same nightclub as the victims on the night of the attack in Boston's South End, authorities have said. But newly released documents in Connecticut confirm for the first time that police suspect Hernandez could have carried out the shooting.
No charges have been filed in the deaths of Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, who were killed on July 16, 2012, when somebody inside an SUV opened fire on their car. A third person was shot but survived.
A June 28 police affidavit and searched warrant application released by Superior Court in Bristol, Conn., says there is probable cause to believe that Hernandez was driving the vehicle used in the shooting and "may have been the shooter."
The affidavit was filed as police sought to search an SUV they say was involved in the shooting and was found at Hernandez's uncle's home in Bristol, where Hernandez was raised. The SUV had been given to Hernandez by a Rhode Island company in exchange for participating in promotional activities, according to court filings.
Authorities found the SUV while investigating the slaying of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player whose body was found June 17 near Hernandez's North Attleborough, Mass., home. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder in that case.
A lawyer for Hernandez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
