Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez was excited about his acquittal in a 2012 double slaying and did not appear to have thoughts of suicide in the days before he killed himself in his prison cell, according to a report from Massachusetts prison officials.
The state Department of Correction report released Thursday also said there were no drugs in Hernandez’s system when the former New England Patriots tight end hanged himself at the Souza-Baranowski prison on April 19 while serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder.
Hernandez was found hanging from a bedsheet in his cell just five days after he was acquitted in the killings of two men in Boston in July 2012.
The report described interviews conducted with Hernandez’s fellow inmates who said that in the days before his death, the former NFL star appeared happy about his acquittal and seemed to be looking forward to the future.
“They stated that he was positive and even happily emotional, which was not usual of Hernandez,” the report states.
An inmate who claimed to be one of Hernandez’s closest friends said he was shocked by Hernandez’s suicide because he seemed so upbeat after his acquittal.
“Since Friday’s verdict he had been talking about the NFL and going back to play even if it wasn’t with the Pats,” the inmate said, according to the report.
“He talked about his daughter and spending time with her,” the same inmate said.
“There was absolutely no indication he would do anything like that.”
A separate report released Thursday by state police said Hernandez wrote “John 3:16,” a reference to a biblical passage, in ink on his forehead and in blood on the wall of his cell. The Bible verse, according to the King James version, says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Hernandez’s right middle finger had a fresh cut and there was blood on adjacent fingers, the report said. There also appeared to be a large circular blood mark on each of his feet. A Bible was nearby, open to John 3:16, with the verse marked in blood.
Some inmates said Hernandez had become increasingly spiritual during his time in prison.
“They felt that his suicide had been some sort of religious message,” the Department of Correction report said.
The report also said that Hernandez knew about a provision of Massachusetts case law that allows a prisoner’s convictions to be officially erased if he dies before his appeal has been heard; Hernandez was appealing his original murder conviction when he died.
One inmate said Hernandez had recently mentioned that legal principle to him.
“The rumor was that if an inmate has an open appeal on his case and dies in prison, he is acquitted of his charge and will be deemed not guilty,” the report said.
Hernandez’s lawyers in his double-murder trial have also said that he showed no signs he planned to kill himself, and they have pledged to conduct an independent investigation into his death. In a statement, the defense team blasted state officials for leaks to the media of some of the information contained in the reports.
“The unprofessional behavior of those entrusted to impartially and professionally conduct an investigation into Aaron’s death has caused grave concern as to the validity and thoroughness of the investigation,” the lawyers said in a statement. “Accordingly, we intend to fully, completely and impartially review all of the evidence in this matter.”
Hernandez, 27, played three seasons for the Patriots before he was released by the team hours after his arrest in June 2013 in the killing of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee. Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder in that case and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In 2014, he was charged in the drive-by shootings of two Boston men in 2012. He was acquitted in those killings last month.
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Aaron Hernandez was elated about his acquittal and not suicidal, prison report says – Los Angeles Times