New England Patriots

Ex-Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez commits suicide

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

Sports Illustrated, SI Wire/Sports Illustrated

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his cell days after being acquitted for a 2012 double homicide, officials at the Massachusetts Department of Corrections said.

Hernandez was 27.

Last Friday, Hernandez was found not guilty in a double murder trial of two men, Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, in a July 2012 drive-by shooting.

Officials said that Hernandez was found hanged in his cell by corrections officers at the Souza Barnowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Mass. at 3:05 a.m.

He died an hour later after attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. Hernandez used a bed sheet to hang him after first attempting to block the door by jamming the door with several items.

[https://twitter.com/ESPNMichele/status/854644017153404928/photo/1}

Hernandez was already serving a life sentence without parole in a Massachusetts prison after he was found guilty of the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd. Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée at the time of his death.

Hernandez starred at the University of Florida before he was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft.

He caught 175 passes for 1,956 and 18 touchdowns during his career.

- Scooby Axson