Former New England Patriot tight end Aaron Hernandez, hung himself in prison while serving a life sentence for the 2015 conviction of murder on Wednesday.
According to reports, Hernandez was discovered in his cell by corrections officers at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Mass., around 3 a.m., the Massachusetts Department of Correction said in a statement that lifesaving techniques were attempted, and he was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:07 a.m.
In a statement issued by the facility, the former football star used a bed sheet to commit suicide and had lodged multiple items in the door to block entry.
“Mr. Hernandez hanged himself using a bed sheet that he attached to his cell window,” the statement said. “Mr. Hernandez also attempted to block his door from the inside by jamming the door with various items. Mr. Hernandez was housed in a single cell in the general prison population, the statement said. The assistant deputy commissioner of communications, Christopher Fallon, told The Associated Press that officials had not been concerned that Mr. Hernandez was a suicide risk. He also said no suicide note had been found. The case will be investigated by the state police.
Many are pointing out that Hernandez’s suicide came on the day some of his former teammates are visiting the White House to celebrate their recent Super Bowl victory, hinting it could have been a factor.
Mr. Hernandez, 27, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Odin L. Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Mr. Hernandez’s fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins.
The body of Mr. Lloyd, a 27-year-old semiprofessional football player, was found, shot six times, in June 2013 in a pit at an industrial park near Mr. Hernandez’s home in North Attleboro, Mass. Mr. Hernandez’s motive, in that case, prosecutors said, was that Mr. Lloyd spoke with people Mr. Hernandez did not like at a bar in Boston.
On Friday (Apr.14) Hernandez was found not guilty in a second murder case, a drive-by shooting of two people in Boston in 2012. Records show he also had filed an appeal for a retrial of the 2015 verdict.
