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Aaron Hernandez found dead in cell

Posted at 6:47 AM, Apr 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-19 10:01:12-04

BOSTON -- Convicted murderer and former NFL star Aaron Hernandez was found hanged in his Massachusetts prison cell Wednesday morning, officials said, 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.

Hernandez, who was alone in his cell in a general population wing, hanged himself and had "attempted to block his door from the inside by jamming the door with various items," the statement reads.

The Massachusetts State Police are investigating his death.

Hernandez's 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.

Serving life sentence

Hernandez was serving a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree murder in the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, a semipro football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée.

A jogger found Lloyd's gunshot-riddled body in a Massachusetts industrial park less than a mile from Hernandez's home on June 17, 2013. Hernandez was charged with murder nine days later, and the Patriots released him.

He was found guilty in April 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

"This is a shocking and sad end to a very tragic series of events that has negatively impacted a number of families," said Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn, who prosecuted the Lloyd case.

In May 2014, prosecutors charged Hernandez with two murder counts in the July 2012 deaths of Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu, two men who were killed in a drive-by shooting outside a Boston nightclub.

Hernandez was found not guilty Friday of two counts of murder in that case, though he was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm.

Hernandez was visibly emotional when Friday's verdicts were read, embracing his attorneys with tears in his eyes.

"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."

With the acquittal, Hernandez's attorneys had turned their attention toward appealing for a new trial in the Lloyd case. As recently as Tuesday, attorney Jose 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," Baez told CNN.

Football career dogged by allegations

Hernandez's arrest cut short what had been a promising football career burgeoning on stardom, beginning in his roots in Bristol, Connecticut.

From there, he caught passes from Tim Tebow at the University of Florida and was a key contributor to that team's 2008 national championship. Hernandez then became the first Gator to win the John Mackey Award, given annually to the NCAA's best tight end.

But Hernandez was dogged by allegations of failed drug tests and was picked by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Still, with future Hall of Famer Tom Brady throwing to him, Hernandez shined for New England. The Patriots rewarded him in 2012 with a five-year contract extension worth up to $40 million.

In all, Hernandez spent more time in prison than on the field with the Patriots.

"We are aware of the reports (about his death), but I don't anticipate that we will be commenting today," said Stacey James, a spokesman for the Patriots.

Hernandez is survived by his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, and their 4-year-old daughter.

As Hernandez waited during jury deliberations last week, he waved and blew kisses to his daughter in the courtroom.