“This is the REAL DEAL !!!” the listing reads. ” … This is the 4-runner Boston Police had been searching for in connection with a shooting outside a Boston nightclub.”
That would be the murders of Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu, who were gunned down while stopped at a traffic light on July 16, 2012.
At the time of the murders, all cops knew was that the shots were fired from a silver SUV with Rhode Island plates. The trail went cold quickly until nearly a year later when Hernandez was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd. That investigation led police to the Connecticut garage of a Hernandez relative, where they discovered a silver 2006 Toyota 4Runner with Rhode Island plates.
Hernandez leased the vehicle shortly after being drafted by the New England Patriots in 2010. According to CNN, Hernandez took the vehicle in for regular checkups until the summer of 2012, when he stopped and instead offered to buy the vehicle outright from the dealership. Prosecutors alleged Hernandez was the triggerman in the double homicide, stored the vehicle in his uncle’s garage and leased another vehicle the next day.
Hernandez was indicted for the murders of Furtado and Abreu in 2014, only to be acquitted by a jury in April. While Hernandez maintained his innocence in the shootings, there is no argument that the kill shots originated from inside the silver SUV, where Hernandez was a passenger and his former friend Alexander Bradley (who the defense claims shot Furtado and Abreu) was the driver. Hernandez, who still faced a life sentence without parole for the murder of Lloyd, hung himself in his prison cell five days after the acquittal.
“We figured there’s a lot of sports people out there, a lot of people that want memorabilia,” seller Buddy Clair told CNN. “It’s just a strange thing to try to sell. We’ll just see where it goes.”
As of early Tuesday evening, bidding had reached $17,200 (assuming the bids are legit), though the reserve had not yet been met. Kelley Blue Book puts the value of the car between $10,800 and $13,000.
UPDATE: “Bidding” has now surpassed the $100,000 mark for the car, a sign that the Hernandez eBay vigilantes may be back. – H/T Yahoo Sports
I gotta say face value, I love this move. My one question is how did this guy get it? I would assume a police auction of sorts but then again isn’t that technically still an open investigation since Hernandez was acquitted? They did say they are sure the murder was committed from that car, so, I don’t know, you think maybe that could possibly have something to do with solving the crime in the future? Maybe I’m crazy, just a hunch though.
Now that this guy does indeed have it, he has to capitalize on it. This was an investment from the second he raised his hand at that auction and a fruitful one at that. This is a once in a generation opportunity, or twice in a lifetime. This is OJ Bronco 2.0. Not quite as cool, but it’s in the same category. The same type of collector would be interested. This is this guy’s probably one and only chance at an early retirement or his 15 minutes of fame. Can’t knock the hustle. Shooters gonna shoot and this guy’s about to drill the game winner.
If we could somehow confirm if the Jersey was signed by Hernandez while in prison. That would make the value skyrocket. Apparently, OJ stuff from his year in prison during the trial goes for four or five times more than others.
All in all this guy couldn’t have paid more than a few thousand dollars for the Aaron Hernandez murder car and its already up to over $100,000!!! God knows where this thing will end up, but expect it to keep on soaring.
