Story highlights
- Attorney Jose Baez will investigate death for family of Aaron Hernandez
- Officials: Hernandez found hanged from a bedsheet tied to window in his cell
(CNN)Convicted murderer and former NFL star Aaron Hernandez was found hanged in his Massachusetts prison cell Wednesday morning, just days after his acquittal in a double murder case.
The 27-year-old former tight end for the New England Patriots hanged himself with a bedsheet attached to a window in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, the Massachusetts Department of Correction said. His body was discovered at 3:05 a.m.
“Lifesaving techniques were attempted on Mr. Hernandez, and he was transported to UMass Leominster, where he was pronounced dead at 4:07 a.m.,” the correction department’s statement reads.
Aaron Hernandez, seen here in court in 2013, was convicted in 2015 in the murder of Odin Lloyd.
Hernandez, who was serving a life sentence, was alone in his cell in a general population wing and had “attempted to block his door from the inside by jamming the door with various items,” the statement reads.
Massachusetts State Police are investigating his death. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, the Worcester County district attorney’s office said.
Jose Baez, an attorney for Hernandez, has been retained by the athlete’s family to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death and will act as the executor of his estate, according to a statement from Baez.
“The family and legal team is shocked and surprised at the news of Aaron’s death,” Baez said in the statement. “There were no conversations or correspondence from Aaron to his family or legal team that would have indicated anything like this was possible.
“Aaron was looking forward to an opportunity for a second chance to prove his innocence. Those who love and care about him are heartbroken and determined to find the truth surrounding his untimely death.”
His death marks one of the most dramatic falls from grace by an athlete in recent memory, and comes the same day that many of his former teammates visit the White House as Super Bowl champions.
Hernandez grows emotional after his acquittal Friday in a double murder case.
Hernandez was visibly emotional when the verdicts were read, embracing his attorneys.
“You could tell that he was relieved as well,” Ronald Sullivan Jr., his defense attorney, said after the verdict. “He was charged for something somebody else did, and that is a weighty burden for anyone to shoulder.”
Despite the acquittal, the families of Furtado and de Abreu still believe Hernandez is responsible for their deaths, lawyer William Kennedy said. They are considering whether to proceed with a civil case against the estate. The case had been on hold pending the outcome of the criminal case.
Through a Creole translator, Furtado’s father, Salvatore Furtado, said he took no joy in Hernandez’s death. But he still wants accountability for the lives of his son and his friend, whom were often reduced to their professions — cleaners — in reports on the trial.
“They were more than cleaners,” Kennedy said. “They were good people who deserved to live and that was robbed from them and the companionship was robbed from their families.”
With the acquittal, Hernandez’s attorneys had turned their attention toward appealing for a new trial in the Lloyd case. As recently as Tuesday, 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,” the lawyer told CNN then.
Hernandez is survived by his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, and their 4-year-old daughter.
As Hernandez waited last week during jury deliberations, he waved and blew kisses to his daughter in the courtroom.