Hernandez defense rests, closing arguments set for Tuesday

By: Melissa Randall
mrandall@abc6.com
@MRandallABC6

The defense has rested in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial .The former New England Patriot’s fate could be in the jurors hands as early as Tuesday. Hernandez’s legal team only called 3 witnesses before resting Monday afternoon. That’s compared to the 131 questioned by prosecutors.

Among the witnesses the defense called was DNA analyst Jennifer Smith. She confirmed that Hernandez’s DNA profile matched the blue bubble gum swab she was asked to test. The gum was attached to a shell casing when it was found in a dumpster.

“So it is extremely likely that some of the saliva that was in that gum could transfer to that casing,” testified Smith.

The defense also called a PCP expert to the stand on the final day of testimony. Dr. David Greenblatt of Tufts University says PCP, or Angel Dust, can cause violent behavior. The prosecution called a rebuttal witness.

“There were very few cases of documented violence where an individual could be shown to have ingested PCP,” testified psychiatrist Martin Breche.

A previous witness, Jennifer Mercardo, who is the cousin of Aaron Hernandez testified that co-defendants Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz were high on PCP night night Odin Lloyd was killed. The prosecution used a series of home security videos from before and after the murder to dispute claims the drug played a role in the murder.

“This is essentially 3 minutes after the murder you’d expect to see something lingering if PCP psychosis or PCP intoxication was related to the murder?” asked Assistant District Attorney Patrick Bomberg.  “No,” replied Greenblatt. “You wouldn’t?” asked Bomberg. “No. Not necessarily. You might, but you just can’t tell,” testified Greenblatt.

There was never any testimony in the more than two month long trail about Hernandez using PCP.

Closing arguments are set for Tuesday. After that the jury will be charged and then deliberations begin.

(C) WLNE-TV 2015