On Wednesday, former New England Patriot tight end Aaron Hernandez appeared in Suffolk County Court to face charges of first-degree murder for the 2012 homicides of Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu, according to USA Today.
These proceedings were an addendum to the first-degree murder charge Hernandez faces for the death of Odin Lloyd.
Not long after 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday Hernandez pleaded not guilty on all of the charges.
Hernandez was forced to sit in the courtroom with his handcuffs on for the hearing.
“These men were ambushed and executed as they drove home along Shawmut Avenue,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley when Hernandez was indicted two weeks ago. “Neither of the victims were involved in gangs, guns or violence of any kind. Their chance encounter inside a club triggered a series of events that culminated in these murders.”
The murder of the two men from Cape Verde occurred on July 16, 2012 near the Cure Lounge, a nightclub in the theater district of Boston.
“When the victims’ car stopped at a red light, the SUV (with Hernandez inside) pulled up beside the victims’ car on the right. Aaron Hernandez then fired a .38 caliber revolver multiple times from the driver’s side of his vehicle into the passenger side of the victims’ vehicle,” Conley said.
This is just one of many hearings Hernandez will have in the coming months.