Aaron Hernandez Commits Suicide in Prison Cell: Report

SHIRLEY, MA — Aaron Hernandez, the Bristol native and former New England Patriots tight end serving a life sentence without parole for a 2013 murder, was found dead in his prison cell early Wednesday morning, the Massachusetts Department of Corrections says. The DOC said he used his bed sheet to hang himself.

Hernandez had been acquitted of a 2012 double murder just five days ago.

Corrections officers at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley found Hernandez hanging in his cell around 3:05 a.m., according to a DOC statement. An attempt was made to revive him and he was transported to UMass Leominster, where he was pronounced dead at 4:07 a.m. (To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities click here.)

Hernandez was in a single cell in general population. According to the DOC, he attached a bed sheet to his cell window and attempted to block the door from the inside by jamming it with several items.

His death comes as the New England Patriots head to the White House on Wednesday to celebrate their Super Bowl win.

Hernandez was found not guilty April 14 of the murders of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in Boston's South End in 2012. He was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm and sentenced to 4-5 years in a state prison, to run separate from the life sentence he was serving for the June 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd.

He was convicted two years ago of murdering Lloyd, 27, in an industrial park in North Attleborough.

Hernandez, a 2007 graduate of Bristol Central High School who was Connecticut's Gatorade Football Player of the Year as a senior, was a 2012 fourth-round draft pick out of the University of Florida. He played three seasons with quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski, forming one of the most formidable offenses in the NFL. He was rewarded in August 2012 with a five-year $40 million contract. He had killed Lloyd just one month prior.

This is a developing story. Check back with Patch for updates.

Written by Alex Newman (Patch Staff)

Photo by Josh Reynolds/The Boston Globe via AP