Aaron Hernandez was at the top of his game in the sports world, being celebrated as the youngest player in the history of the NFL, when his life took a tragic turn.
In 2015, the football star was convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd, the boyfriend of his fiancée’s sister and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Though he seemed in high spirits despite his fate, he was found hanging in his prison cell on April 19, 2017. He was pronounced dead at age 27.
In REELZ’s new docuseries, sources close to Hernandez recall his final days, as Dr. Michael Hunter looks for clues to explain what led the athlete to his tragic end.
“What was really notable about Aaron Hernandez was the fact that it didn’t seem to phase him that he was about to be in prison,” says Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson. “Most people, they don’t assimilate as quickly as Aaron Hernandez did, it was very unusual. He went from a 7,000 square foot home, to a 70 square foot cell — and that’s a huge transition for anyone.”
“He was just taking it like a soldier. He was just telling me not to worry, everything was gonna be alright, he was good in there,” recalls Bobby Olivares, Hernandez’s friend.
“According to friends, Aaron seemed remarkably comfortable in jail, so to explain why Aaron killed himself, I need to understand how he became a convicted killer,” says Dr. Michael Hunter.
Autopsy: Aaron Hernandez airs Sunday, August 25 at 9 ET/ PT on REELZ.