The Massachusetts Department of Correction discovered former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez hanging in his cell and pronounced him dead an hour later on April 19.
While there have been mixed reactions on social media following Hernandez’s death, many people close to him fail to believe the 27-year-old committed suicide. Hernandez’s former agent and the president of the Athletes First agency added his beliefs on the matter.
https://twitter.com/A1Murph/status/854686126191333378
A former teammate of Hernandez also doesn’t believe the suicide report.
Another former teammate of Aaron Hernandez I spoke with this am having a hard time believing he took his own life: "I am not buying it."
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) April 19, 2017
On April 14, Hernandez was acquitted of a double murder prosecutors said was motivated by Hernandez’s anger over a spilled drink at a nightclub in 2012. According to the Associated Press, Hernandez choked back tears when the verdicts were read in court. He then looked back at his fiance and family, who were weeping loudly, before one of his defense lawyers embraced him with a hug.
As a result of the double murder ruling, the case that Hernandez was serving a life sentence for would’ve been automatically reviewed. The chance Hernandez could’ve been found not guilty of a charge he was serving for life is what many lawyers are questioning after the news of suicide surfaced.
“That’s what the initial reaction should be,” NFL Agent and criminal attorney Tiffany Porter said in regards to the questioning of if Hernandez committed suicide. “He just went through going through a double murder and being acquitted. So why would you go through all of that? That raises a question as to why one would go through all of that. He was already sentenced to life, why not commit suicide right after he was sentenced? So it doesn’t really make a lot of sense.”
Porter also said that it’s important for Hernandez’s lawyers to begin investigating to find out what really led to his death, which appears to be the firm’s plan.
https://twitter.com/ColeyHarvey/status/854705996047843328
Hernandez’s death comes on the same day that the Patriots are visiting the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl LI victory.
“We will never know,” Porter said on if the Patriots visit influenced the timing of Hernandez’s death. “I mean it’s such a coincidence that it’s on that same day and I’m just eager to see what the Patriots are going to do and how they’re going to address it.”
Before honoring the team, President Donald Trump hasn’t made an official statement on Hernandez.
