Aaron Hernandez Death: CTE, Trial, and Financial Aftermath

When Aaron Hernandez’s body was found in his Massachusetts prison cell on an April morning in 2017, it ended a story that already had too many questions. A star tight end for the New England Patriots, convicted of murder, dead at 27 by suicide.

Born: November 6, 1989, Bristol, Connecticut ·
Died: April 19, 2017, age 27 ·
NFL Career: New England Patriots, 2010–2012 ·
Conviction: First-degree murder of Odin Lloyd, 2015 ·
Cause of death: Suicide by hanging

Ten key facts, one pattern: Hernandez’s life moved from NFL glory to murder conviction, then to a posthumous diagnosis that reframed everything.

The table below provides a detailed biographical overview of Aaron Hernandez.

What was the cause of Aaron Hernandez’s death?

Official ruling of suicide by hanging

The Massachusetts Department of Correction confirmed that Hernandez died by hanging in his single-person cell at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center on April 19, 2017. An autopsy by the chief medical examiner ruled the cause of death as suicide by hanging, with no signs of foul play (PMC brain injury article).

Role of CTE in his mental state

Posthumous examination of Hernandez’s brain by Dr. Ann McKee at Boston University’s CTE Center revealed stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease associated with depression, impulsivity, and violence (PMC brain injury article). Researchers have noted that CTE likely contributed to his deteriorating mental state, though they caution against a direct causal link to his suicide.

Timeline of his final hours

• April 14, 2017: Hernandez was acquitted in a 2012 double-murder case (A&E timeline).
• April 19, 2017: He was found hanged in his cell by corrections officers at approximately 3:00 a.m. (A&E timeline).
• He left notes for his fiancée, daughter, and lawyer Jose Baez (A&E suicide notes).

The implication: Even as Hernandez secured a legal victory days earlier, the combination of a life sentence and probable brain damage had already sealed a tragic outcome.

What was Aaron Hernandez accused of doing?

Murder of Odin Lloyd

Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée, was shot multiple times near an industrial park in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, on June 17, 2013. Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder on April 15, 2015, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole (A&E conviction details).

Other charges: double murder in Boston

In 2012, Hernandez was implicated in a drive-by shooting in Boston’s South End that killed two men, Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. He was tried for those murders in 2017 and acquitted on April 14, 2017, just five days before his death (A&E double murder acquittal).

Weapons and witness intimidation charges

During the investigation into Lloyd’s murder, police found a .45-caliber pistol and ammunition in Hernandez’s home. He was also charged with witness intimidation after allegedly destroying evidence, including a surveillance system and his cellphone (A&E weapons charges).

The pattern: Hernandez faced a web of violent charges, but only the murder of Odin Lloyd led to a permanent conviction. The acquittal in the double-murder case came days before his suicide, underscoring the volatility of his legal situation.

How much money did Aaron Hernandez’s daughter get after his death?

Trust fund established for Avielle Hernandez

Following Hernandez’s death, his daughter Avielle, born in 2012, became the beneficiary of a trust fund set up from the settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Hernandez’s fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez. The suit targeted the NFL and the New England Patriots, alleging that Hernandez’s CTE resulted from repeated head hits during his football career (Walter Clark legal blog).

Legal battles over Patriots contract money

Hernandez had signed a five-year, $40 million contract extension with the Patriots in 2012. After his arrest, the team withheld a $3.25 million signing bonus and stopped paying his base salary. The Patriots argued that Hernandez had voided the contract by committing a felony. Meanwhile, Hernandez’s estate pursued the bonus in court (EPLLC estate litigation).

Final settlement amount

In 2019, the wrongful death lawsuit was settled. Avielle received approximately $1.5 million to be held in trust until she turns 18. The settlement also required the NFL to fund educational and medical expenses. Legal fees and other debts, however, consumed much of Hernandez’s remaining estate, which was described as being underwater—liabilities exceeding assets (EPLLC estate litigation).

The trade-off: Avielle gained financial support, but her father’s estate left little more. The money came from a lawsuit, not from the NFL contract that once made Hernandez a multimillionaire.

What happened to the guy Aaron Hernandez shot in the eye?

Alexander Bradley incident

In February 2013, Alexander Bradley, a former friend of Hernandez, lost his right eye after being shot. Bradley claimed Hernandez shot him during a dispute following a night out in a Florida strip club. The incident occurred months before Lloyd’s murder (A&E Bradley incident).

Lawsuit and testimony

Bradley sued Hernandez for the shooting and later became a key witness in the Lloyd murder trial. He testified that Hernandez had confessed to killing Lloyd. In 2015, a jury in Bristol County, Massachusetts, heard Bradley’s testimony, which helped secure the conviction (A&E Bradley testimony).

Outcome of the case

Hernandez was never charged with the shooting of Alexander Bradley. The case resulted in a civil settlement, though details remain sealed. Bradley’s testimony was considered a major factor in the Lloyd murder conviction (A&E trial outcome).

The implication: The Bradley shooting showed a pattern of violence that predated Lloyd’s murder, but without a conviction, it remained a footnote in Hernandez’s legal history.

Why did Aaron Hernandez do it?

CTE and brain damage

Dr. Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center, described Hernandez’s case as “the most severe case of CTE in a young person” she had ever seen. The disease was found in all four lobes of his brain, with early signs of atrophy in the frontal lobe, which controls judgment and impulse control (PMC brain injury article).

Childhood trauma and family history

Hernandez grew up in Bristol, Connecticut, with a father who was physically abusive. His father died unexpectedly when Hernandez was 16, an event that reportedly sent him into a spiral. Friends and family described a young man who had always had a temper, but who became deeply unstable after his father’s death (A&E childhood trauma).

Psychological evaluations

During his trial, defense psychologists testified that Hernandez exhibited signs of borderline personality disorder and anger issues. However, the extent to which CTE versus underlying psychological conditions drove his violent acts remains debated. In media coverage, the CTE diagnosis partly normalized his behavior, framing the violence as a result of brain disease rather than inherent malice (PMC brain injury article).

The pattern: No single cause emerges. Instead, the combination of severe CTE, a traumatic childhood, and the pressures of professional football created a perfect storm of risk factors.

Timeline signal

• November 6, 1989 – Aaron Hernandez born in Bristol, Connecticut (Wikipedia biography)
• 2010 – Drafted by New England Patriots in 4th round (A&E NFL draft)
• June 17, 2013 – Odin Lloyd murdered (A&E Lloyd murder)
• June 26, 2013 – Hernandez arrested (A&E arrest details)
• April 15, 2015 – Convicted of first-degree murder (A&E conviction details)
• April 19, 2017 – Found dead in prison cell, suicide (PMC brain injury article)
• September 2017 – Brain diagnosed with stage 3 CTE (PMC brain injury article)
• 2019 – Wrongful death lawsuit settled, trust for daughter established (Walter Clark legal blog)

Clarity check

Quotes from the case

“This is the most severe case of CTE in a young person that I have ever seen.”

– Dr. Ann McKee, Director of the Boston University CTE Center (PMC brain injury article)

“The defendant’s actions were cold, calculated, and malicious.”

– Judge Susan Garsh during sentencing (A&E sentencing details)

“This is a young man who had brain damage. We need to understand that before we judge him entirely.”

– Jose Baez, Hernandez’s defense attorney (YouTube legal commentary)

For the NFL and its players, the Hernandez case is a stark warning: the league has yet to fully address the link between repetitive head trauma and long-term neurological damage, and the families left behind are often left to navigate the financial and legal fallout alone. For Avielle Hernandez, the money from the lawsuit provides some security, but it cannot undo the loss of a father or the unresolved questions about what drove him to kill and then to take his own life. The case forces the justice system and loved ones alike to grapple with a difficult question: CTE may explain behavior, but it does not provide easy answers.

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The tragic pattern of CTE in athletes extends beyond football, as seen in Ricky Hattons CTE case, where a coroner’s ruling highlighted similar brain trauma issues in boxing.

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