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Aaron Hernandez in court for 2012 drive-by shootings

BOSTON — Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez has appeared in court in Boston as a judge met with attorneys to prepare for his upcoming trial in the 2012 shooting deaths of two men.

Hernandez and his lawyers attended a status conference Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court. The former tight end is accused of killing Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreau in a drive-by shooting following a dispute at a Boston nightclub.

Hernandez also faces a count of witness intimidation. Prosecutors say he shot a witness in the face.

The witness Hernandez allegedly shot is Alexander Bradley, believed to be the only eyewitness to the 2012 double murder and the only person who would be able to testify whether Hernandez shot the men.

“Bradley is a critical witness here and there’s no doubt there going to everything they can to undermine his testimony,” legal analyst Brad Bailey said.

Another concern brought up in court by the defense Wednesday was a claim that Hernandez's phone conversation while in prison had been access during a data breach at a company that records inmate phone calls across the country.

“His phone calls were accessed improperly and we want to get more information on that,” Hernandez’s lawyer told Ted Daniel.

Hernandez grew up in Bristol, Connecticut. He's serving a life sentence in the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, who was dating his fiancee's sister.

Jury selection for the Boston murder trial is set to begin Feb. 13. The judge scheduled a Dec. 20 hearing for arguments on pre-trial motions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.