What We've Learned About Aaron Hernandez After His Death

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The following article includes mentions of suicide and allegations of sexual assault.

The name Aaron Hernandez — an NFL player who rose to fame as a tight end for the famed New England Patriots — can spark many reactions from the public. The Connecticut native quickly became a top player after being drafted in 2010, even playing in the 2012 Super Bowl with the likes of Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady. His career possibilities seemed endless, but Hernandez possessed a darkness that would eventually lead to his demise (as well as others).

In 2013, Hernandez was arrested for the murder of his friend, Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player and then-boyfriend of his fiancé's sister, and was convicted in 2015. Additionally, Hernandez was charged with a 2012 double murder in Boston, but was ultimately acquitted in 2017. After being acquitted of the double murder and preparing to appeal his 2015 murder conviction, things appeared to be looking up for the troubled tight end.

On April 19, 2017, guards found Hernandez dead by suicide in his cell in at only 27. The saga of Aaron Hernandez, however, was far from over. Following his death, his fiancé, Shayanna Jenkins, tried to make sense of his suicide as she was left to care for their young daughter alone. Unfortunately, there would be mounting legal troubles to come, shocking autopsy results, and other dark secrets that would haunt family, friends, as well as the public.

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With Hernandez's erratic behavior, many suspected he may have had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disorder that's a result of "repeated head injuries ... [and] gets worse over time," according to Mayo Clinic. After his death, an autopsy report and brain scan found that he had developed stage 3 CTE, one step behind the most severe, stage 4. The person who studied his brain, Dr. Anne McKee, described Hernandez's case to Today as "the worst CTE I have seen in a person who died at that age [27]."

Dr. Kendall Crowns, chief medical examiner for Tarrant County, Texas, exclusively tells Nicki Swift, "Aaron Hernandez played football beginning in high school, throughout college, and two years professionally. During this time period, he likely suffered from repeated head trauma, and concussions ... Thus, his erratic behavior, intense aggression, emotional instability, and finally his suicide, could be explained by the fact that he was suffering from the effects of CTE."

The Mayo Clinic also noted there's evidence to suggest that CTE patients are at an increased risk of suicide. Other NFL players, like Phillip Adams and Jovan Belcher, were also found to have had CTE after they tragically took their own lives.

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Before his death, Aaron Hernandez left behind three letters, which were publicly released by the New York Post in 2018. They were for his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, his lawyer, Jose Baez, and his young daughter, Avielle. His letter to Baez included a somewhat strange request to see if he could contact a small list of rappers, including Jay-Z and Meek Mill. Hernandez wanted to thank them for helping him through difficult times through their lyrics.

In his sad yet sweet message to Jenkins, Hernandez expressed his love, describing her as a "true angel" and his "soul-mate." Hernandez also wrote ominous phrases like "Not Much Time" and "I'm Being Called," which hinted that at his state of mind. The letter seemingly served as a goodbye, yet also possibly an instruction to Jenkins, asking her to share his story after he was gone.

The last note to his then 4-year-old daughter, Avielle, was incredibly sad, especially the line that read, "Daddy will never leave you." He also asked her to "never fear" him, which could indicate that he would like his daughter to not remember him as a criminal or convicted murderer, but simply as her father.

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Hernandez was convicted in April 2015 of the 2013 murder of his friend, Odin Lloyd. However, because he had later appealed this conviction (and his appeal was under review by a judge during his time of death), a judge threw out the 2015 murder conviction.

This decision was based on the legal doctrine of abatement ab initio, which states that a person who dies during their appeal of a conviction should have those charges thrown out. Thus, Hernandez's murder conviction was shockingly vacated. Many speculated that Hernandez knew about this technicality and wanted to ensure that his family would be paid out the remainder of his $40 million dollar contract with the New England Patriots (that was terminated upon his arrest).

However, in 2019, Hernandez' murder conviction was upheld, with the court citing (via CNN) that the prior law was "outdated and no longer consonant with the circumstances of contemporary life." The family of Aaron Hernandez never received the remainder of his fiscal contract with the New England Patriots. If there is any truth to the speculation of why Hernandez took his own life (to ensure his daughter would be taken care of financially), this would be another huge blow to his tragically diabolical situation.

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In June 2018, Shayanna Jenkins welcomed another daughter, Giselle, with amateur boxer and Rhode Island native, Dino Guilmette. The couple also reportedly got married, though there it's uncertain if the two are still together (her Instagram account appears to be wiped clean of Guilmette, featuring only her two daughters and photos of Aaron Hernandez). Guilmette and Jenkins connected through mutual friends shortly after the death of Hernandez.

Unfortunately, it appears that Guilmette is facing some legal issues (perhaps that's why Jenkins' Instagram has zero trace of the athlete on her socials). In 2022, after a two-year investigation, Guilmette was arrested on drug trafficking charges pertaining to cocaine and cannabis. He also has a prior criminal record, including a guilty plea and felony conviction for assault with a deadly weapon. It was also revealed that Guilmette has filed for bankruptcy multiple times and was even known as a "bully" (via Daily Mail) in the Rhode Island area in which he resides.

Before Aaron Hernandez's passing, he set up a trust for his daughter, Avielle, and appointed a trustee, attorney David Schwartz. Shayanna Jenkins was reportedly using money from the trust to cover Avielle's various expenses, including her school tuition, plus an additional $150,000 per year from Hernandez's social security and NFL pension.

In September 2022, Jenkins allegedly told Schwartz that she needed more money, as she could not cover a $10,000 bill for her daughter's dance lessons. Schwartz was perplexed at why Jenkins would need additional funds to cover these expenses. He subsequently told Jenkins no; thus the legal and financial battle began.

Schwartz accused Jenkins of misspending funds that were meant for her daughter; citing that she had spent almost $37,000 on clothing, $25,000 on online shopping, and around $12,000 in gym memberships and personal care. Jenkins began the fight to have Schwartz removed as a trustee, while Schwartz moved to have Jenkins removed as Avielle's conservator, which, if successful, would mean that she would no longer directly receive Hernandez's social security and pension. While it's unclear if the case has been settled, in 2023, Jenkins' lawyer stated that she would begin meeting with a personal finance coach.

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Netflix released a three-part docuseries in 2020 called, "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez." The series examined Hernandez's upbringing in hopes of providing insight as to why he made the damning decisions in his life that lead to his demise.

A pivotal moment for Hernandez appeared to be when his father, Dennis Hernandez, passed away after what should have been a routine hernia surgery. Aaron was only 16 years old. Although his father was physically abusive towards Aaron and his older brother, D.J. — who has had legal trouble of his own — he was seemingly the only person to hold them accountable for anything. With the loss of his father, Aaron began to get into trouble, keeping some unsavory company.

While the series explores his crimes and legal troubles, it also goes into detail about his post-mortem CTE diagnosis and heavy marijuana use. Both heavily affect one's brain chemistry. Could Aaron Hernandez' tough upbringing, coupled with drug-use and being knocked in the skull repeatedly for decades be the cause of his deadly decisions?

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After the release of the 2020 Netflix docuseries, Jonathan "D.J." Hernandez appeared on an episode of "Dr. Oz," detailing how his brother allegedly told their mother, Terri, that he was attracted to men in the months prior to taking his life. "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez" described events from Aaron Hernandez's childhood — fear of his father and confusion from allegedly being molested as a child — while later showing testimony of a former high school teammate, Dennis SanSoucie, who claimed that he had a sexual relationship with Aaron.

Dr. Oz asked D.J. if he felt like his brother would have been able to share his alleged struggle with his sexuality with their father. "I don't know if he would have been able to finish his sentence," D.J. replied.

Aaron's former fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, was not pleased with Netflix for discussing his sexuality when he was not alive to speak his truth. She appeared on "Good Morning America" in 2020, stating, "You can't describe someone's sexuality without them being here. Although I have had a child with Aaron, I still can't tell you how he was feeling inside, no one can." She added, "If he did feel that way ... I wish that I was told ... I would not have loved him any differently. I would have understood, it's not shameful."

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Upon hearing the news of Hernandez's death in April 2017, his lawyer, famed criminal defense attorney Jose Baez, was shocked. In the attorney's mind, they were both looking forward to the possibility of his murder conviction being appealed. "There was in no way, shape, or form ever a clue. This completely came out of left field," Baez told Esquire. 

His book, "Unnecessary Roughness: Inside the Trial and Final Days of Aaron Hernandez," was published in 2018. After defending Hernandez in two high-profile murder trials and having intimate conversations with him in prison, a book seemed like the right thing to do to help clear the air about Hernandez, using his own experiences with him. Jenkins supported Baez fully and wrote the book's foreword which made the decision to move forward with the book even easier. Readers on Reddit have stated that they didn't expect the book to be "such an emotional and heavy read" and "unblemished by the media."

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Producer and show runner Ryan Murphy produced the first season of the FX series, "American Sports Story," with the debut season focusing on the life and crimes of Aaron Hernandez. The series was released in September 2024 and met with mixed reviews. Many complained that there wasn't any kind of new take on why Hernandez murdered Odin Lloyd and then took his own life. There were no "fresh angles" or "insights" according to The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, the show was based on the 2018 Boston Globe podcast, "Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc." One could argue that if you've listened to that podcast, there might not be a need to watch the show.

"What we tried to do with this show," executive producer Brad Simpson explained to AP. "Is take a tabloid headline, take some story that you think you know about Aaron Hernandez ... and go behind it and see what it's like to walk in the shoes of all the people who are part of this."

Viewers agree that the highlights seem to be that the show was well-cast (lead by newcomer and musical theater actor Josh Rivera), and that the facts and story were presented in a way that the audience could follow and understand. Essentially, it's a re-telling of the tragedy that we already know. It's safe to say that the rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez and the staggering loss of Odin Lloyd continue to haunt and plague the sports world and the American people.

If you or anyone you know is struggling or in crisis, or may be the victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:

• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
• Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).