Aaron Hernandez is being pressured by a Rhode Island car dealership to return the leased vehicle he is alleged to have driven when he committed a 2012 drive-by shooting in downtown Boston.

Even as he sits in prison serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole in a separate killing, the Boston Globe reports the Fox Toyota of East Providence dealership is seeking the return of a 2006 Toyota 4Runner in order to complete a planned sale of the business.

Earlier this week, Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Locke granted a request from the dealership to intervene in Hernandez's double murder case so it can seek the return of the car. A formal hearing on the matter is scheduled for Feb. 16.

Prosecutors have steadfastly claimed the former New England Patriots tight end was driving the vehicle when he fatally opened fire on Daniel Abreu, 29, and Safiro Furtado, 28 in the summer of 2012 after one of them accidentally spilled a drink on him inside a nightclub and failed to apologize.

Hernandez pleaded not guilty in the shooting and a trial is expected later this year.

Attorneys for the dealership stipulate that the vehicle was leased to Hernandez in 2010 as part of a deal calling for him to also promote the business. Police seized the car around the same time Hernandez was arrested in the execution-style killing of Lloyd.

Hernandez also faces a witness intimidation charge stemming from the February 2013 shooting of Alexander Bradley, whom prosecutors believe was with him at the time of the shooting in Boston.

Bradley is also suing Hernandez in federal court in Florida for damages he suffered in the episode.

At the time he was arrested in the Lloyd killing, Hernandez had just signed a $40 million extension with the Patriots as one of quarterback Tom Brady's favorite, new targets.

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