New England Patriots

Aaron Hernandez's fiancée thought death was a hoax

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, SI Wire/Sports Illustrated

The fiancée of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez says when she first heard the news of his death, she thought it was a hoax.

Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, who has a four-year-old daughter with Hernandez, is set to appear on "Dr. Phil" next week in a two-part interview.

Hernandez was found hanging in his cell on April 19, just five days after being acquitted for a 2012 double homicide. He was found guilty of the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd and was serving a life sentence without parole for that murder.

Hernandez had that conviction and two other weapons charges vacated on Wednesday under a Massachusetts state principle called “abatement ab initio."

"Our last talk had nothing to do with suicidal thoughts,” she told Dr. Phil McGraw, via the Orlando Sentinel.

In the interview, McGraw asked her if Hernandez killed himself so she could $6.5 million and if she believed the phone call she received informing her of Hernandez's death.

“I thought it was a hoax, that this was some cruel person playing a trick on me,” she told McGraw. “I felt like we were looking so bright. We were going up a ladder to a positive direction.”

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