'Distrustful' Aaron Hernandez had access to gun, ex-friend says

By Elizabeth Barber BOSTON, April 1 (Reuters) - Ex-New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez had access to a black Glock pistol, had a distrustful nature and often described his friends as ungrateful, a former friend said at Hernandez's murder trial on Wednesday. Alexander Bradley told Bristol County Superior Court Justice Susan Garsh he would be able to testify that Hernandez had access to the type of pistol he is accused of using to murder semipro football player Odin Lloyd, but not about a separate 2013 incident in which Bradley contends Hernandez shot him in the face. Hernandez, 25, is charged with killing Lloyd, who was dating his fiancee's sister. Lloyd was found shot dead in June 2013 in an industrial park near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. Bradley, who has sued Hernandez over a February 2013 shooting incident, will be allowed to tell jurors he saw someone hand Hernandez a black Glock pistol in a Miami hotel. The murder weapon in the case has not been recovered, but prosecutors have said it was a black Glock pistol. The gun Bradley will testify about "could have been, might have been, the murder weapon," Garsh said. Bradley told the judge he was Hernandez's marijuana dealer before they became friends, and described the football star as a "chain smoker" who bought the drug in quantities of up to 4 ounces (113 grams) at a time. Later, he said, Hernandez became one of his "best friends." According to a civil lawsuit filed by Bradley last year, the friendship came to an end during a late night dispute in February 2013, when he claims Hernandez shot him in the face, causing him to lose his right eye. Bradley never filed a criminal complaint. Prosecutors have contended the February incident is relevant to the Lloyd murder since it shows that Hernandez had no trouble shooting his friends. The defense has argued that Hernandez would not have killed Lloyd because of their friendship. During questioning before testifying to the jury, Bradley said Hernandez often told him he had a hard time trusting people and believed that some of his friends were ungrateful for the things he did. Garsh ruled that Bradley could testify to those points. But the judge blocked Bradley from testifying that Hernandez was "unreasonably suspicious" and would not allow Bradley to use iPhones around him, or that Hernandez believed he was being tailed by police cruisers and helicopters. (Editing by Scott Malone and Gunna Dickson)