Former NFL star accused of killing men after spilled-drink incident

Former New England Patriots American football star Aaron Hernandez fatally shot two men because he believed one of them disrespected him when he bumped into him and spilled his drink in a Boston nightclub, US prosecutors said.

Hernandez pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in the 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.

During his arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court in Massachusetts, a prosecutor said Hernandez stalked the men, then opened fire on their car after the chance encounter at the nightclub.

Authorities said the men did not know Hernandez and had no idea they had upset him.

Hernandez is due back in court on June 24.

He has also pleaded not guilty in the 2013 shooting death of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional American football player.