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{{Infobox Person
{{Infobox Person
| name = Aaron Hernandez
|name = Aaron Hernandez
| image =
|image =
| birth_date = November 6, 1989
|birth_date = November 6, 1989
| death_date = April 19, 2017
|birth_place = Bristol, Connecticut
| birth_place = Bristol, Connecticut
|death_date = April 19, 2017
|charges = First-degree murder, illegal firearm possession
|charges = First-degree murder (Massachusetts state court), unlawful possession of a firearm
|charges_date = April 15, 2015
|conviction_date = April 15, 2015
| sentence = Life in prison without parole
|sentence = Life in prison without the possibility of parole
| facility = Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center (Massachusetts State)
|judge = Hon. E. Susan Garsh (Bristol County Superior Court)
| status = Deceased (suicide in prison, April 2017)
|case_number = Commonwealth v. Hernandez
|facility = Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center (Massachusetts state prison)
|status = Deceased
|occupation = Professional football player (tight end)
|known_for = New England Patriots; conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd
}}
}}


'''Aaron Josef Hernandez''' (November 6, 1989 – April 19, 2017) was an American professional football player who played tight end for the New England Patriots in the National Football League (NFL).<ref name="espn">{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/13229/aaron-hernandez |title=Aaron Hernandez |publisher=ESPN |date=2017}}</ref> He was a consensus All-American at the University of Florida and widely regarded as one of the most talented tight ends in the league during his brief career. Everything changed in 2013 when he was arrested and charged with murder. A jury convicted him of first-degree murder in 2015, and he received a life sentence with no chance of parole.<ref name="ap">{{cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/aaron-hernandez-convicted-murder-3c5d8c7e2f9c4d2a5bac31eb72c17fb8 |title=Ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez convicted of murder |publisher=Associated Press |date=April 15, 2015}}</ref> In April 2017, just days after being acquitted of separate double murder charges, he died by suicide in his prison cell. Doctors later found he had severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).<ref name="bu">{{cite web |url=https://www.bu.edu/articles/2017/aaron-hernandez-cte/ |title=Aaron Hernandez Had Severe CTE |publisher=Boston University |date=September 2017}}</ref>
'''Aaron Josef Hernandez''' (November 6, 1989 – April 19, 2017) was an American football tight end who played three seasons for the New England Patriots in the National Football League. He was a consensus All-American at the University of Florida before the Patriots drafted him in 2010. In June 2013 he was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée. The Patriots released him the same day. This was a Massachusetts state prosecution, tried in Bristol County Superior Court, not a federal case.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |title=Aaron Hernandez Guilty of Murder in Death of Odin Lloyd |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/sports/football/aaron-hernandez-murder-trial-verdict.html |work=The New York Times |date=April 15, 2015 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> On April 15, 2015, a state jury convicted him of first-degree murder. He received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole and was held at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, a Massachusetts state facility.<ref name="ap">{{cite news |title=Ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez convicted of murder |url=https://apnews.com/article/aaron-hernandez-convicted-murder-3c5d8c7e2f9c4d2a5bac31eb72c17fb8 |publisher=Associated Press |date=April 15, 2015 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>
 
In 2017 Hernandez faced a second state trial in Suffolk County for a 2012 double murder in Boston. A jury acquitted him on April 14, 2017. Five days later, on April 19, 2017, he was found dead in his cell. The death was ruled a suicide by hanging. He was 27.<ref name="death">{{cite news |title=Aaron Hernandez hangs himself in prison cell |url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/19/us/aaron-hernandez-dead/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=April 19, 2017 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> Researchers at Boston University later examined his brain and found Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the most severe case the center had documented in a person his age.<ref name="bu">{{cite web |title=Aaron Hernandez Had Severe CTE |url=https://www.bu.edu/articles/2017/aaron-hernandez-cte/ |publisher=Boston University |date=September 21, 2017 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


== Early Life ==
== Early Life ==


Aaron Hernandez was born on November 6, 1989, in Bristol, Connecticut. Both football and basketball came naturally to him at Bristol Central High School, where he stood out as an athlete from an early age.<ref name="espn"/>
Hernandez was born on November 6, 1989, in Bristol, Connecticut. He played football and basketball at Bristol Central High School and set a Connecticut state record for receiving yards.<ref name="espn">{{cite web |title=Aaron Hernandez |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/13229/aaron-hernandez |publisher=ESPN |date=2017 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


=== Troubled Childhood ===
His father, Dennis Hernandez, enforced discipline with physical violence. In January 2006, when Aaron was 16, Dennis died from complications during hernia surgery. Family members and later interviews describe the death as a turning point that left Aaron unmoored.<ref name="netflix">{{cite web |title=Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez |url=https://www.netflix.com/title/81062828 |publisher=Netflix |date=2020 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>
 
His childhood was shaped by serious trauma and dysfunction. His father, Dennis Hernandez, ruled through strict discipline and physical violence, beating Aaron regularly. In January 2006, when Aaron was only 16, Dennis died unexpectedly during routine hernia surgery. That moment changed everything.<ref name="netflix">{{cite web |url=https://www.netflix.com/title/81062828 |title=Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez |publisher=Netflix |date=2020}}</ref>
 
His attorneys uncovered another layer of trauma. As a child, Aaron had been sexually abused by a male babysitter, something his older brother DJ confirmed. Combined with his father's physical abuse and sudden death, these experiences haunted him for years.<ref name="netflix"/>
 
Throughout his entire life, Hernandez grappled with his sexuality. After he died, evidence surfaced suggesting he was gay or bisexual. In the hyper-masculine world of professional football, this struggle likely created enormous psychological pressure.<ref name="netflix"/>


== College Career ==
== College Career ==


In 2007, Hernandez enrolled at the University of Florida to play for the Gators under coach Urban Meyer. Despite concerns about his maturity and behavior off the field including failed drug tests, he became one of the most dynamic tight ends in college football.<ref name="si">{{cite web |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/2013/06/27/aaron-hernandez-new-england-patriots-character-concerns |title=How the Patriots overlooked character concerns to draft Aaron Hernandez |publisher=Sports Illustrated |date=June 27, 2013}}</ref>
Hernandez enrolled at the University of Florida in 2007 and played for coach Urban Meyer. He caught a touchdown in the January 2009 BCS National Championship Game, a 24-14 win over Oklahoma. The next season he won the John Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end and earned consensus first-team All-American honors.<ref name="si">{{cite news |title=How the Patriots overlooked character concerns to draft Aaron Hernandez |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/2013/06/27/aaron-hernandez-new-england-patriots-character-concerns |work=Sports Illustrated |date=June 27, 2013 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


As a sophomore in 2008, he caught a crucial touchdown pass in the BCS National Championship Game, helping Florida defeat Oklahoma 24-14. The following year, he earned consensus first-team All-American honors.
His record at Florida included off-field incidents. He was questioned in connection with a 2007 shooting outside a Gainesville bar and failed multiple drug tests. These issues lowered his draft stock.<ref name="si"/>
 
But there were warning signs everywhere. Multiple off-field incidents troubled NFL scouts, including a bar fight where Hernandez allegedly punched a man and ruptured his eardrum.<ref name="si"/>


== NFL Career ==
== NFL Career ==


=== Draft and Early Success ===
The Patriots selected Hernandez in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the 113th overall pick. He was 20 years old. New England paired him with tight end Rob Gronkowski, and the two formed one of the league's most productive tight end tandems.<ref name="espn"/>


The 2010 NFL Draft saw Hernandez slip due to character concerns and drug test failures. New England selected him in the fourth round with the 113th overall pick, pairing him with tight end Rob Gronkowski.<ref name="si"/>
In 2011 Hernandez caught 79 passes for 910 yards and seven touchdowns. In August 2012 he signed a five-year contract extension worth up to $40 million, one of the largest deals given to a tight end at that point.<ref name="contract">{{cite web |title=Aaron Hernandez agrees to extension |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/8316284/aaron-hernandez-new-england-patriots-agree-extension |publisher=ESPN |date=August 27, 2012 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> He scored a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVI, which the Patriots lost to the New York Giants. He played 38 regular-season games across three seasons before his arrest.<ref name="espn"/>


That combination became a nightmare for opposing defenses. Hernandez was just 20 years old when he arrived in the league. In 2011, he and Gronkowski made history as the first tight end duo to each score at least five touchdowns in consecutive seasons for the same team.<ref name="espn"/>
== Odin Lloyd Murder ==


=== 2012 Contract Extension ===
Odin Lloyd was 27 and played linebacker for the semi-professional Boston Bandits. He was dating Shaneah Jenkins, the sister of Hernandez's fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins.<ref name="ap"/>


After catching 79 passes for 910 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2011, Hernandez signed a five-year, $40 million contract extension with the Patriots. One of the largest deals ever given to an NFL tight end at that time.<ref name="contract">{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/8316284/aaron-hernandez-new-england-patriots-agree-extension |title=Aaron Hernandez agrees to extension |publisher=ESPN |date=August 27, 2012}}</ref>
On June 17, 2013, a jogger found Lloyd's body in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, about a mile from Hernandez's home. He had been shot multiple times.<ref name="ap"/>


During Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, he scored a touchdown. Not that it mattered. The Patriots lost to the Giants that night.
Investigators recovered surveillance footage and cell phone records placing Lloyd in a car with Hernandez and two associates, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, in the hours before the killing. Lloyd had texted his sister identifying Hernandez. A home surveillance system captured Hernandez holding what prosecutors described as a firearm shortly after he returned.<ref name="nyt"/>


== The Murder of Odin Lloyd ==
Police arrested Hernandez at his home on June 26, 2013. He was charged with first-degree murder and five firearm offenses. The Patriots released him about 90 minutes after the arrest.<ref name="patriots">{{cite web |title=Statement from the New England Patriots |url=https://www.patriots.com/news/statement-from-the-new-england-patriots-x5645 |publisher=New England Patriots |date=June 26, 2013 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


=== The Victim ===
The trial opened in Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River in January 2015. Judge E. Susan Garsh presided. Prosecutors built the case on circumstantial evidence, including the surveillance video, phone data, and testimony from associates. The jury reached a verdict on April 15, 2015. It convicted Hernandez of first-degree murder and of unlawful possession of a firearm. Under Massachusetts law, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole, which the court imposed.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="ap"/>


Odin Lloyd was 27 years old and played linebacker for the Boston Bandits as a semi-professional. He was dating Shaneah Jenkins, the sister of Hernandez's fiancée Shayanna Jenkins. That's how the two men knew each other.<ref name="ap"/>
The Commonwealth held Hernandez at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, a maximum-security state prison operated by the Massachusetts Department of Correction.<ref name="death"/>


=== The Crime ===
== Double Murder Acquittal ==


On June 17, 2013, Lloyd's body turned up in an industrial park in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, roughly one mile from Hernandez's house. Multiple gunshot wounds to his back and chest had killed him.<ref name="ap"/>
While serving the life sentence, Hernandez faced a separate indictment in Suffolk County. Prosecutors charged him in the July 2012 deaths of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. The two men were shot in their car in Boston's South End after a confrontation at a nightclub. Prosecutors alleged Hernandez fired on the car over a spilled drink.<ref name="double">{{cite news |title=Aaron Hernandez acquitted of 2012 double murder |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/04/14/aaron-hernandez-acquitted-double-murder/WnGYZvGZmGXxvmkBxqzVnL/story.html |work=The Boston Globe |date=April 14, 2017 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


Security video showed Lloyd getting into a car with Hernandez and two associates, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, hours before he died. Lloyd texted his sister identifying Hernandez as one of the men with him. Cameras at Hernandez's home captured him holding what looked like a firearm shortly after the murder.<ref name="nyt">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/sports/football/aaron-hernandez-murder-trial-verdict.html |title=Aaron Hernandez Guilty of Murder in Death of Odin Lloyd |publisher=The New York Times |date=April 15, 2015}}</ref>
The trial ran in early 2017 in Suffolk Superior Court. The prosecution's central witness was Alexander Bradley, a former associate who said he was in the car with Hernandez. The defense attacked Bradley's credibility. On April 14, 2017, the jury acquitted Hernandez of the two murders and related charges. It convicted him only of unlawful possession of a firearm.<ref name="double"/>


=== Arrest ===
== Death and CTE ==


Hernandez was arrested at his home on June 26, 2013, and charged with first-degree murder along with five weapon-related charges. The New England Patriots released him from the team roughly 90 minutes later, before they'd even been officially told what he was being charged with.<ref name="patriots">{{cite web |url=https://www.patriots.com/news/statement-from-the-new-england-patriots-x5645 |title=Statement from the New England Patriots |publisher=New England Patriots |date=June 26, 2013}}</ref>
Corrections staff found Hernandez dead in his single cell at Souza-Baranowski at about 3:05 a.m. on April 19, 2017, five days after the acquittal. He had hanged himself with a bedsheet tied to the cell window and had blocked the door with cardboard. The state medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.<ref name="death"/>


=== Trial and Conviction ===
Investigators reported that Hernandez had written "John 3:16" on a cell wall in ink and had a related Bible passage marked. Officials initially said no note was found, then disclosed handwritten notes left in the cell. He was 27.<ref name="death"/>


His murder trial started in January 2015. The prosecution built their case on extensive circumstantial evidence: surveillance footage, cell phone records, and testimony from associates. On April 15, 2015, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder.<ref name="nyt"/>
=== Conviction vacated, then reinstated ===


Life in prison with no possibility of parole.<ref name="ap"/>
A Bristol County judge vacated the Odin Lloyd conviction on May 9, 2017. The ruling applied the common-law doctrine of abatement ab initio, under which a conviction is erased if the defendant dies before resolving a direct appeal.<ref name="vacate">{{cite news |title=Aaron Hernandez murder conviction vacated |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2017/05/aaron_hernandez_murder_convict.html |work=MassLive |date=May 9, 2017 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


== 2012 Double Homicide Trial ==
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reversed that ruling on March 13, 2019. The court abolished abatement ab initio in the state, calling the doctrine outdated, and reinstated the first-degree murder conviction. The conviction stands.<ref name="reinstate">{{cite web |title=SJC Reverses Trial Court Ruling, Reinstates Aaron Hernandez Murder Conviction |url=https://www.mass.gov/news/sjc-reverses-trial-court-ruling-reinstates-aaron-hernandez-murder-conviction |publisher=Massachusetts Courts |date=March 13, 2019 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


While locked up serving that life sentence, Hernandez faced a second indictment. This one involved the July 2012 murders of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, who were shot in their car in Boston's South End after an altercation at a nightclub.<ref name="double">{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/04/14/aaron-hernandez-acquitted-double-murder/WnGYZvGZmGXxvmkBxqzVnL/story.html |title=Aaron Hernandez acquitted of 2012 double murder |publisher=The Boston Globe |date=April 14, 2017}}</ref>
=== CTE diagnosis ===


On April 14, 2017, he was acquitted of all charges in that case.<ref name="double"/>
Hernandez's family donated his brain to the Boston University CTE Center. In September 2017 researchers announced that he had Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, on a four-stage scale. They described it as the most severe case the center had seen in a person his age.<ref name="bu"/>


== Death ==
CTE is a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts. It is associated with problems in memory, judgment, impulse control, and mood. Dr. Ann McKee, who directs the center, reported significant damage to the frontal lobes, the region tied to decision-making and impulse control. Researchers have not established that CTE causes violent behavior, and the diagnosis carries no legal weight in the conviction.<ref name="bu"/>


Just five days after his acquittal, at about 3:05 a.m. on April 19, 2017, Hernandez was found dead in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Massachusetts. He'd hanged himself using a bedsheet tied to the cell window. He was 27 years old.<ref name="death">{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/19/us/aaron-hernandez-dead/index.html |title=Aaron Hernandez hangs himself in prison cell |publisher=CNN |date=April 19, 2017}}</ref>
The Hernandez family filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the Patriots over the brain injury. The parties reached a confidential settlement.<ref name="netflix"/>


There was no suicide note. But the cell walls were marked with biblical verses, and "John 3:16" had been written in blood.<ref name="death"/>
== Media ==


=== Conviction Vacated, Then Reinstated ===
Several productions have examined the case. Netflix released the three-part documentary ''Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez'' in 2020.<ref name="netflix"/> FX aired the scripted series ''American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez'' in 2024.<ref name="fx">{{cite web |title=American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez |url=https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/american-sports-story |publisher=FX |date=2024 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>
 
Under Massachusetts law, his murder conviction was initially vacated in May 2017 because he'd died before his appeal could be heard. The doctrine of abatement ab initio meant he technically died an innocent man.<ref name="vacate">{{cite web |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2017/05/aaron_hernandez_murder_convict.html |title=Aaron Hernandez murder conviction vacated |publisher=MassLive |date=May 9, 2017}}</ref>
 
That changed in March 2019. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously voted to reinstate his conviction, saying the abatement doctrine was "outdated and no longer consonant with the circumstances of contemporary life."<ref name="reinstate">{{cite web |url=https://www.mass.gov/news/sjc-reverses-trial-court-ruling-reinstates-aaron-hernandez-murder-conviction |title=SJC Reverses Trial Court Ruling, Reinstates Aaron Hernandez Murder Conviction |publisher=Massachusetts Courts |date=March 13, 2019}}</ref>
 
== CTE Diagnosis ==
 
Following his death, his family donated his brain to researchers at Boston University's CTE Center. What they found was shocking: Hernandez had Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy. For someone his age, it was the most severe case ever documented.<ref name="bu"/>
 
CTE is a degenerative brain condition triggered by repeated head impacts. Contact sports athletes develop it regularly. Victims often struggle with impaired judgment, poor impulse control, aggression, depression, and dementia.
 
Dr. Ann McKee, who directs the BU CTE Center, discovered severe damage to his frontal lobes. Those areas control decision-making, judgment, and impulse control. Her findings sparked serious conversations about whether CTE might be linked to violent behavior, though no one's proven a direct cause-and-effect relationship.<ref name="bu"/>
 
== Legacy and Media ==
 
His case has spawned extensive media coverage and scrutiny:
 
* '''Netflix Documentary''': ''Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez'' (2020) examined his life, crimes, and CTE findings<ref name="netflix"/>
* '''FX Series''': ''American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez'' (2024) dramatized his rise and fall<ref name="fx">{{cite web |url=https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/american-sports-story |title=American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez |publisher=FX |date=2024}}</ref>
 
The case raised tough questions about how the NFL handles players with known behavioral red flags, the long-term effects of repeated brain injuries in football, and how childhood trauma, sexual identity struggles, and violence intersect. It also exposed the warning signs that scouts and organizations had overlooked while he climbed through college and professional football, sparking discussions about whether teams should weigh character concerns differently against pure athletic talent.<ref name="si"/>


== See Also ==
== See Also ==
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== Frequently Asked Questions ==
== Frequently Asked Questions ==
{{FAQSection/Start}}
{{FAQSection/Start}}
{{FAQ|question=What was Aaron Hernandez convicted of?|answer=Aaron Hernandez, former New England Patriots tight end, was convicted of first-degree murder in 2015 for the killing of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée.}}
{{FAQ|question=What was Aaron Hernandez convicted of?|answer=A Massachusetts state jury convicted Aaron Hernandez of first-degree murder on April 15, 2015, for the killing of Odin Lloyd. This was a state prosecution in Bristol County Superior Court, not a federal case.}}
{{FAQ|question=How long was Aaron Hernandez's sentence?|answer=Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of Odin Lloyd.}}
{{FAQ|question=Was Aaron Hernandez a state or federal case?|answer=It was a state case. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts prosecuted Hernandez in Bristol County Superior Court, and he was held in a Massachusetts state prison. No federal charges were involved.}}
{{FAQ|question=Where did Aaron Hernandez serve his sentence?|answer=Hernandez was incarcerated at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, a maximum-security state prison in Shirley, Massachusetts.}}
{{FAQ|question=How long was Aaron Hernandez's sentence?|answer=He received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Under Massachusetts law, that sentence is mandatory for a first-degree murder conviction.}}
{{FAQ|question=How did Aaron Hernandez die?|answer=Aaron Hernandez died by suicide in his prison cell on April 19, 2017, just five days after being acquitted of double murder charges in a separate case.}}
{{FAQ|question=Where did Aaron Hernandez serve his sentence?|answer=He was held at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Massachusetts, a maximum-security state prison run by the Massachusetts Department of Correction.}}
{{FAQ|question=Was Aaron Hernandez acquitted of other charges?|answer=Yes, Hernandez was acquitted on April 14, 2017, of double murder charges related to a 2012 drive-by shooting in Boston that killed Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.}}
{{FAQ|question=How did Aaron Hernandez die?|answer=He died by suicide on April 19, 2017. Corrections staff found him hanged in his cell, five days after his acquittal in the separate 2012 double murder case. He was 27.}}
{{FAQ|question=Was Aaron Hernandez acquitted of other charges?|answer=Yes. On April 14, 2017, a Suffolk County jury acquitted him of the 2012 double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. He was convicted only of unlawful possession of a firearm in that case.}}
{{FAQ|question=Was Aaron Hernandez's murder conviction overturned?|answer=A trial judge vacated it in May 2017 under the doctrine of abatement ab initio because he died before his appeal. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reinstated the conviction on March 13, 2019. It stands today.}}
{{FAQ|question=Did Aaron Hernandez have CTE?|answer=Yes. Boston University researchers diagnosed Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy after his death and called it the most severe case documented in a person his age.}}
{{FAQSection/End}}
{{FAQSection/End}}


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Latest revision as of 13:41, 3 June 2026

Aaron Hernandez
Born: November 6, 1989
Bristol, Connecticut
Died: April 19, 2017
Charges: First-degree murder (Massachusetts state court), unlawful possession of a firearm
Sentence: Life in prison without the possibility of parole
Facility: Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center (Massachusetts state prison)
Status: Deceased


Aaron Josef Hernandez (November 6, 1989 – April 19, 2017) was an American football tight end who played three seasons for the New England Patriots in the National Football League. He was a consensus All-American at the University of Florida before the Patriots drafted him in 2010. In June 2013 he was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée. The Patriots released him the same day. This was a Massachusetts state prosecution, tried in Bristol County Superior Court, not a federal case.[1] On April 15, 2015, a state jury convicted him of first-degree murder. He received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole and was held at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, a Massachusetts state facility.[2]

In 2017 Hernandez faced a second state trial in Suffolk County for a 2012 double murder in Boston. A jury acquitted him on April 14, 2017. Five days later, on April 19, 2017, he was found dead in his cell. The death was ruled a suicide by hanging. He was 27.[3] Researchers at Boston University later examined his brain and found Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the most severe case the center had documented in a person his age.[4]

Early Life

Hernandez was born on November 6, 1989, in Bristol, Connecticut. He played football and basketball at Bristol Central High School and set a Connecticut state record for receiving yards.[5]

His father, Dennis Hernandez, enforced discipline with physical violence. In January 2006, when Aaron was 16, Dennis died from complications during hernia surgery. Family members and later interviews describe the death as a turning point that left Aaron unmoored.[6]

College Career

Hernandez enrolled at the University of Florida in 2007 and played for coach Urban Meyer. He caught a touchdown in the January 2009 BCS National Championship Game, a 24-14 win over Oklahoma. The next season he won the John Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end and earned consensus first-team All-American honors.[7]

His record at Florida included off-field incidents. He was questioned in connection with a 2007 shooting outside a Gainesville bar and failed multiple drug tests. These issues lowered his draft stock.[7]

NFL Career

The Patriots selected Hernandez in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the 113th overall pick. He was 20 years old. New England paired him with tight end Rob Gronkowski, and the two formed one of the league's most productive tight end tandems.[5]

In 2011 Hernandez caught 79 passes for 910 yards and seven touchdowns. In August 2012 he signed a five-year contract extension worth up to $40 million, one of the largest deals given to a tight end at that point.[8] He scored a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVI, which the Patriots lost to the New York Giants. He played 38 regular-season games across three seasons before his arrest.[5]

Odin Lloyd Murder

Odin Lloyd was 27 and played linebacker for the semi-professional Boston Bandits. He was dating Shaneah Jenkins, the sister of Hernandez's fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins.[2]

On June 17, 2013, a jogger found Lloyd's body in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, about a mile from Hernandez's home. He had been shot multiple times.[2]

Investigators recovered surveillance footage and cell phone records placing Lloyd in a car with Hernandez and two associates, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, in the hours before the killing. Lloyd had texted his sister identifying Hernandez. A home surveillance system captured Hernandez holding what prosecutors described as a firearm shortly after he returned.[1]

Police arrested Hernandez at his home on June 26, 2013. He was charged with first-degree murder and five firearm offenses. The Patriots released him about 90 minutes after the arrest.[9]

The trial opened in Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River in January 2015. Judge E. Susan Garsh presided. Prosecutors built the case on circumstantial evidence, including the surveillance video, phone data, and testimony from associates. The jury reached a verdict on April 15, 2015. It convicted Hernandez of first-degree murder and of unlawful possession of a firearm. Under Massachusetts law, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole, which the court imposed.[1][2]

The Commonwealth held Hernandez at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, a maximum-security state prison operated by the Massachusetts Department of Correction.[3]

Double Murder Acquittal

While serving the life sentence, Hernandez faced a separate indictment in Suffolk County. Prosecutors charged him in the July 2012 deaths of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. The two men were shot in their car in Boston's South End after a confrontation at a nightclub. Prosecutors alleged Hernandez fired on the car over a spilled drink.[10]

The trial ran in early 2017 in Suffolk Superior Court. The prosecution's central witness was Alexander Bradley, a former associate who said he was in the car with Hernandez. The defense attacked Bradley's credibility. On April 14, 2017, the jury acquitted Hernandez of the two murders and related charges. It convicted him only of unlawful possession of a firearm.[10]

Death and CTE

Corrections staff found Hernandez dead in his single cell at Souza-Baranowski at about 3:05 a.m. on April 19, 2017, five days after the acquittal. He had hanged himself with a bedsheet tied to the cell window and had blocked the door with cardboard. The state medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.[3]

Investigators reported that Hernandez had written "John 3:16" on a cell wall in ink and had a related Bible passage marked. Officials initially said no note was found, then disclosed handwritten notes left in the cell. He was 27.[3]

Conviction vacated, then reinstated

A Bristol County judge vacated the Odin Lloyd conviction on May 9, 2017. The ruling applied the common-law doctrine of abatement ab initio, under which a conviction is erased if the defendant dies before resolving a direct appeal.[11]

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reversed that ruling on March 13, 2019. The court abolished abatement ab initio in the state, calling the doctrine outdated, and reinstated the first-degree murder conviction. The conviction stands.[12]

CTE diagnosis

Hernandez's family donated his brain to the Boston University CTE Center. In September 2017 researchers announced that he had Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, on a four-stage scale. They described it as the most severe case the center had seen in a person his age.[4]

CTE is a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts. It is associated with problems in memory, judgment, impulse control, and mood. Dr. Ann McKee, who directs the center, reported significant damage to the frontal lobes, the region tied to decision-making and impulse control. Researchers have not established that CTE causes violent behavior, and the diagnosis carries no legal weight in the conviction.[4]

The Hernandez family filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the Patriots over the brain injury. The parties reached a confidential settlement.[6]

Media

Several productions have examined the case. Netflix released the three-part documentary Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez in 2020.[6] FX aired the scripted series American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez in 2024.[13]

See Also

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What was Aaron Hernandez convicted of?

A Massachusetts state jury convicted Aaron Hernandez of first-degree murder on April 15, 2015, for the killing of Odin Lloyd. This was a state prosecution in Bristol County Superior Court, not a federal case.


Q: Was Aaron Hernandez a state or federal case?

It was a state case. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts prosecuted Hernandez in Bristol County Superior Court, and he was held in a Massachusetts state prison. No federal charges were involved.


Q: How long was Aaron Hernandez's sentence?

He received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Under Massachusetts law, that sentence is mandatory for a first-degree murder conviction.


Q: Where did Aaron Hernandez serve his sentence?

He was held at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Massachusetts, a maximum-security state prison run by the Massachusetts Department of Correction.


Q: How did Aaron Hernandez die?

He died by suicide on April 19, 2017. Corrections staff found him hanged in his cell, five days after his acquittal in the separate 2012 double murder case. He was 27.


Q: Was Aaron Hernandez acquitted of other charges?

Yes. On April 14, 2017, a Suffolk County jury acquitted him of the 2012 double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. He was convicted only of unlawful possession of a firearm in that case.


Q: Was Aaron Hernandez's murder conviction overturned?

A trial judge vacated it in May 2017 under the doctrine of abatement ab initio because he died before his appeal. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reinstated the conviction on March 13, 2019. It stands today.


Q: Did Aaron Hernandez have CTE?

Yes. Boston University researchers diagnosed Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy after his death and called it the most severe case documented in a person his age.


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Aaron Hernandez Guilty of Murder in Death of Odin Lloyd".The New York Times.April 15, 2015.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez convicted of murder".Associated Press.April 15, 2015.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Aaron Hernandez hangs himself in prison cell".CNN.April 19, 2017.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Aaron Hernandez Had Severe CTE". Boston University. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Aaron Hernandez". ESPN. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez". Netflix. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "How the Patriots overlooked character concerns to draft Aaron Hernandez".Sports Illustrated.June 27, 2013.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  8. ↑ "Aaron Hernandez agrees to extension". ESPN. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  9. ↑ "Statement from the New England Patriots". New England Patriots. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Aaron Hernandez acquitted of 2012 double murder".The Boston Globe.April 14, 2017.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  11. ↑ "Aaron Hernandez murder conviction vacated".MassLive.May 9, 2017.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  12. ↑ "SJC Reverses Trial Court Ruling, Reinstates Aaron Hernandez Murder Conviction". Massachusetts Courts. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  13. ↑ "American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez". FX. Retrieved 2026-06-03.


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