Investigators looking to speak with tattoo artists who inked Hernandez

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Investigators are looking to speak with tattoo artists who provided former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez with tattoos on his right forearm, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office announced Wednesday.

Hernandez is awaiting trial for the June, 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd and was indicted last week on charges including two counts of first-degree murder related to a double homicide in Boston in July 2012. He will be arraigned on those charges Wednesday, May 28 at 2 p.m.

The DA's office announced that they are looking to speak to any artists, who they consider witnesses and are not accused of any wrongdoing, who tattooed Hernandez between February 2012 and June 2013.

During that time, Hernandez is known to have traveled to Hermosa Beach, Calif., Bristol, Conn., where he is from, Palm Beach and Miami, Fla., Boston and Rhode Island in that time period. Investigators, however, are open to speaking with anyone who tattooed Hernandez' right forearm during that time, no matter the location.

It is common in gang culture for people to get tattoos for murders that they've committed. In the past, Hernandez has said that all of his tattoos have a meaning. When Hernandez was first taken to the Bristol County jail, it is known that his tattoos were checked.

"Well nothing specific at that time that would clearly suggest that there was any sort of affiliation," Sheriff Tom Hodgson said.

"Authorities are not publicly describing the specific tattoos or the nature of the inquiry – only that the artists may have made observations of evidentiary value in the pending Suffolk County murder prosecutions," a statement from the district attorney's office read.

Cox Media Group