Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly firing a volley of shots from his car into another car, killing two men in Boston’s South End in 2012, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.
Hernandez is accused of murdering Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado. The two men were shot to death while stopped at a traffic light on July 16, 2012, by someone who drove up alongside them in an SUV with Rhode Island plates and opened fire.
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The new charges raise the disturbing possibility that Hernandez played NFL games during the 2012-2013 season after murdering two men.

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Hernandez now faces charges in three murders. He was already facing a first-degree murder charge in the June 2013 slaying of Odin L. Lloyd of Boston in North Attleborough. Conley had no comment on whether there was a connection between the double slaying in Boston and the slaying in North Atleborough.
Conley said that after a “chance encounter” between Hernandez, Abreu, and Furtado at a Boston nightclub, Hernandez trailed the men in his car. Hernandez then allegedly pulled his car up to theirs, firing a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol “multiple times” into the car, killing Abreu and Furtado, and injuring a third man.
Conley said investigators had been able to recover the murder weapon and the car Hernandez was driving.
“For us, this case was never about Aaron Hernandez. This case was about two victims, who were stalked, ambushed, and senselessly murdered on the streets of the city they called home,” said Conley.
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“This was a chance encounter where two young men were out ... and basically had an encounter that led to their deaths,” said Police Commissioner William Evans. “I remember going to the scene that morning. ... It was a terrible tragedy.”
Conley said no more information would be available about the “texture and detail” of the encounter at the nightclub until he is arraigned. Conley’s office said that would happen next week at the earliest.
Conley said media reports had originally suggested that Abreu and Furtado were tied to a Cape Verdean gang based in Dorchester. He said the characterization was “unfair to their families and to their memories.”
“Neither of them were involved in gangs, guns, or violent crime of any kind,” he said.
The grand jury has also indicted Hernandez’s cousin, Tanya Singleton, on a criminal contempt charge for refusing to testify to the grand jury about the SUV after being granted immunity, Conley said today.
William T. Kennedy, who represents the Abreu and Furtado families, said that the families were overwhelmed by the news, but also determined to let the Boston community know that the people they lost to gun violence were good men wrongly cut down too early in their life.
“The family would want people to know that Danny and Safiro were just two very good guys who were just trying to make their way in this world,’’ said Kennedy. “These are just a couple of hard-working guys who had dreams like any other. They worked together cleaning toilets at the Quincy YMCA.’’
On the night of the murders, Kennedy said, “They went out with a couple of other fellas and went to the club, danced with a couple of pretty girls, had a couple of drinks and [were heading] home.’’
He added: “And somehow, they were made the object of somebody’s sick pursuits. There is no good reason at all” for their killings.
The two young men’s fathers, Ernesto Abreu and Salvador Furtado, attended a news conference with Kennedy this evening. They didn’t say much because of their limited English ability, but Ernesto described the two young men, childhood friends from Cape Verde, as “good boys.”
“Thank you, everybody, the people that helped me,” he also said.
Relatives of Abreu and Furtado have filed wrongful death lawsuits in Suffolk Superior Court. Each family is demanding that Hernandez pay them $6 million in damages.
The investigation into the murders had reached a dead end until Boston police were urged to focus on Hernandez following the murder of Lloyd. Lloyd’s body was found June 17, 2013, in an industrial park in North Attleborough, not far from Hernandez’s spacious home.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to all charges in Lloyd’s murder and is being held without bail in the Bristol County jail.
The Globe has reported, citing law enforcement sources and court records in two states, that investigators were looking into whether Hernandez had allegedly become concerned that Lloyd had told someone about Hernandez’s role in the slayings of Abreu and Furtado.
Investigators had tried to find out if that had prompted Hernandez to allegedly orchestrate Lloyd’s killing with two friends, who now also face murder charges.
Michael Fee and James Sultan, Hernandez’s attorneys in the Lloyd murder case, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
The double murder happened a week before the Patriots opened training camp for the 2012-2013 season. During that season, Hernandez played in 10 games, catching 51 passes for 483 yards and five touchdowns.
Lloyd’s relatives have also filed a wrongful death suit against Hernandez in Bristol County, where Lloyd was killed.
Separately, Ernest Wallace, one of Hernandez’s friends, is to be arraigned this afternoon in Bristol Superior Court in Fall River on a charge of first-degree murder for allegedly participating in the killing of Lloyd.
Hernandez’s case has riveted the public and sports fans, presenting the spectacle of a wealthy, young professional athlete who apparently has tossed away a bright future. A month after the double slaying, Hernandez signed a new contract extension with the Patriots worth $40 million. The signing bonus was $12.5 million.

 Ben Volin of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @globemcramer.