Prosecutors are considering the star witness in the case against former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez as "completely unreliable," UK MailOnline reported.
Charged with accessory to murder in the shooting death of Odin Lloyd, 27-year-old Carlos Ortiz will no longer be called as a witness in Hernandez's murder trial, according to documents filed on Friday.
Before Lloyd was shot to death, Ortiz was one of two men allegedly in the car with Hernandez.
According to UK MailOnline, "He was arrested last summer in connection to the murder and told police that Hernandez and another man, Ernest Wallace, 44, were outside their vehicle at the North Attleborough Industrial Park when Lloyd was shot five times."
Ortiz said he was awakened from sleep by the sound of gunshots, after which Hernandez and Wallace returned to the car.
He also told police that he saw Hernandez carrying a handgun and mentioned a "flophouse" in Franklin which "other football players used," where police recovered evidence including clothing and ammunition, according to the Taunton Gazette.
However, the story has now been changed by Ortiz to claim that Hernandez was alone with Lloyd outside the vehicle.
"Prosecutors also requested copies of Aaron Hernandez's phone calls from Bristol County Jail and records of visitors on Friday, alleging that he has used 'coded messages' to discuss the Odin Lloyd murder from prison, authorities claim," UK MailOnline reported.
A Thursday court filing from the Bristol County (MA) District Attorney accused the former New England Patriots tight end of talking about the murder with fiancée Shayanna Jenkins and cousin Tanya Cummings Singleton, UK MailOnline reported.
Since Hernandez was incarcerated in June, the recorded conversations have mostly been made during visits that the two women made to the county jail, the papers first reported by the Boston Globe said.
As further evidence in their case against Hernandez, the DA made the filing to request copies of the conversations from the county sheriff, UK MailOnline reported.
"We did file a motion, and what's in the documents is pretty self-explanatory," DA spokesperson Gregg Miliote told UK MailOnline. He declined to provide further details while citing a gag order issued by the court.
"During those conversations, the defendant has discussed the following matters directly relevant to the circumstances surrounding the murder of Odin Lloyd," said the affidavit.
Discussing what Hernandez believes is his criminal liability, related prior offenses, denials of ownership of a vehicle impounded by police, his control of persons outside the jail and the whereabouts of others implicated in the slaying are some of the allegations that the former all-pro is accused of discussing, the filing reported.
According to UK MailOnline, Singleton and Jenkins have been charged as co-conspirators.
"Both of these co-defendants have been charged as accessories in the underlying offense of murder on the theory that they provided assistance to the defendant after the commission of that offense," the affidavit said.
Although all three of the accused were advised that the conversations were being recorded, they still ignored the warnings, authorities said. Most happened during visits, but some were outbound calls placed from prison.
The recordings can be used against all three during court proceedings. Only calls between Hernandez and his attorneys are off-limits during trial, UK MailOnline reported.
After spending months behind bars for aiding accomplice Ernest Wallace's flight from Massachusetts, the motion was filed the same day Singleton posted bail.
Also filed on Friday was a motion by Hernandez's legal team seeking clarification as to whether authorities believe he fired the shots that killed Lloyd or if he acted in concert with co-defendants Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, UK MailOnline reported.
"If Hernandez is alleged to be a joint venturer as to the murder count, the bill of particulars should identify the alleged principal or principals," the filing said, according to the Fall River Herald News.
Hernandez is due again in court on Wednesday for another pretrial hearing.
Messages left seeking comment from Hernandez's legal team were not immediately returned, according to UK MailOnline.
An attempt to reach the Bristol County Sheriff's Office was not successful.
