Aaron Hernandez murder trial news 2016 update: witnesses identify former Patriot's involvement in the bloody shooting

Aaron Hernandez's involvement in the 2012 double homicide case in Boston was further solidified when the surviving witnesses testified in court Tuesday.

During a pretrial hearing at the Suffolk Superior Court, the lead defense lawyer of the former New England Patriots' tight-end star asked Raychides Sanches to talk about the events that took place on July 16, 2012.

According to Sanches, the gunfire erupted when an SUV pulled up right next to the car that he and his friends were riding. But before the first shot was fired, he heard someone from the SUV said, "What's up, negroes?" based on the report from FOX Boston.

Sanches also confirmed that the bullets killed 28-year-old Safiro Furtado and 29-year-old Daniel de Abreu. Prosecutors claimed that the two men were killed by Hernandez after one of them bumped into him at a Boston nightclub.

When asked if he can identify the shooter, the witness looked toward the direction of the former football pro and claimed that the shooter looked like Hernandez. He also said that the shooter has light skin, with a "thin face, younger than him, clean-shaven and wearing a hat with a design on it."

Another survivor named Aquilino Freire also took the stand and revealed that the shooter can be described as a person with light skin, with no beard but has visible tattoos on his body.

However, the lead defense lawyer argued that the witnesses might not have a real recollection during the night of the crime. Instead, they might have been influenced by the reports by the media.

"I don't see how there is anything you can glean from these witnesses at all," Baez stated. "The second you are getting your evidence from TMZ, you've got a problem."

However, the court denied the petition from Hernandez's camp to push back the trial until February next year. This means that the next court session will push through on Tuesday, Dec. 27.