Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his jail cell early Wednesday morning after committing suicide, according to a statement released by the Massachusetts Department of Corrections.
Official info from DOC on Aaron Hernandez suicide using a bed sheet @7News pic.twitter.com/xbX8UYGzI3
— John Cuoco (@JCuocoNews) April 19, 2017
Hernandez’s death marks one of the most dramatic falls from grace by an athlete in recent memory. He was serving a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree murder in the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, a semipro football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée. He was found guilty in April 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In May 2014, prosecutors charged Hernandez with two murder counts in the July 2012 deaths of Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu, two men who were killed in a drive-by shooting outside a Boston nightclub. Hernandez was found not guilty Friday of two counts of murder in that case, though he was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm.
With the acquittal, Hernandez’s attorneys had turned their attention toward appealing for a new trial in the Lloyd case. As recently as Tuesday, attorney Jose Baez said he was optimistic about getting that case overturned.
“Knowing what I know about Aaron, and knowing Aaron, there’s a good chance that perhaps we can get that reversed,” Baez told CNN.
This morning Baez told TMZ Sports there were NO signs the ex-NFL star was suicidal in the days leading up to his death — and now he’s calling for a full investigation.
Hernandez is survived by his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, and their 4-year-old daughter.
